The Sunless Empire

In a decaying dynasty where power is won through strategy, steel, and secrets, a young political hostage navigates a treacherous imperial court. His survival depends on outwitting the empire's most formidable weapon: a cold, unyielding loyalist who becomes his fated rival. But when a shadow falls over the land—a bio-engineered plague that incites a mindless, fanatical rage—the hostage discovers his unique bloodline makes him the only one who can resist it. To fight this unnatural disaster, he must harness the very power that corrupts, branding himself a monster to save humanity. In a desperate alliance with his enemy, he will rise from pawn to kingmaker, challenging destiny itself to forge a new era from the ruins of the old.