The Volcan Knights (eBook)

Origins

Laurie Bowler (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2025
599 Seiten
Laurie Bowler (Verlag)
979-8-90046-929-4 (ISBN)

Infos

When darkness bleeds into reality, five immortal warriors stand between humanity and cosmic annihilation.

Marcus was a Roman centurion. Gabriel, a plague doctor. Sean, a Celtic warrior. Kamal, an Egyptian scholar. James, a medieval strategist. Separated by centuries, united by a singular purpose: they have been transformed by divine beings called Nephilim into the Volcan Knights-supernatural guardians wielding blessed steel against an ancient evil that devours human souls.

For a year, they have hunted the Devourers-shadow creatures that slip through dimensional barriers to consume consciousness itself. But the manifestations are growing stronger, more intelligent, and disturbingly coordinated. Something vast and malevolent is directing them from beyond the boundaries of reality.

When the knights discover the true scale of the threat-not just scattered monsters but a coordinated invasion that could transform all consciousness into extensions of corrupted will-they must evolve from reactive hunters into strategic warriors. But the cost of fighting cosmic horror is devastating: brothers fall, love becomes weaponised vulnerability, and the psychological warfare is as deadly as the physical combat.

As dimensional barriers collapse and thousands of Devourers prepare to flood the mortal realm, an unprecedented sacrifice offers desperate hope. But victory will require more than blessed swords and supernatural strength. It will demand everything the knights have left-their humanity, their brotherhood, and their willingness to continue fighting when every tactical assessment suggests defeat is inevitable.

A dark fantasy epic of immortal warriors, cosmic horror, and the ultimate question: what makes consciousness worth preserving when corruption promises an end to all suffering?

Perfect for fans of Brandon Sanderson's action-driven fantasy, the supernatural militarism of Jim Butcher's Dresden Files, and the cosmic scope of Warhammer 40K. Volcan Knights delivers visceral combat, complex characters, and mythology that spans from ancient Rome to eternal vigil.

Textauszug

For three thousand years, the cosmic barriers stood unbroken, a silent promise across the ages. Yet now, beneath their shimmering surface, hairline fractures crept outward—quiet, relentless—as if an invisible hand pressed from the other side. In the celestial realm, where starlight bled into shadow, the Nephilim tensed. They felt subtle tremors in the fabric of existence. Deep within reality’s foundation, something was giving way.

Vilairus stood at the Observatory's edge, nearly twice mortal height. His shining form revealed hidden energy as veins of light pulsed beneath radiant skin, tracing patterns that hinted at barely contained forces. Anxious determination surged in him. His ageless eyes, reflecting distant supernovas and memories older than planets, searched the void. From his shoulders, wings of pure energy unfurled. Their shimmer stirred the air; each feather trembled—not only with the possibility of flight between worlds, but with the weight of responsibility he bore.

The Observatory bustled. Other Nephilim stood vigilant, monitoring the barriers that confined the Ancient Enemy. Crystalline towers pierced hidden dimensions. Luminous beings moved intently, each focused on defending creation from transformation.

"The mathematics are undeniable." Keth-Ara’s words reverberated through the crystal, sending a shiver along the walls as she glided to Vilairus’s side. Silver-blue light pooled at her feet, and in her hands, a living sphere pulsed with shifting equations—a computational matrix alive with the data it devoured across realities. She extended it toward him, the glow spilling over their hands, crisp and cold.

"Show me," he commanded. Yet his own enhanced senses were already detecting the ominous patterns she had discovered.

Keth-Ara’s fingers danced, coaxing the sphere to life. It spun, unfurling into a luminous, three-dimensional map. Lines of light wove a shimmering cage, pulsing with energy. Dark fissures now snaked across the web, spreading like bruises. Vilairus leaned in, the glow in his eyes as his jaw set. Each fracture and shadow tightened his features. Dread grew within him.

"Seventeen primary weak points." Keth-Ara’s voice wavered; dismay slipped into each syllable, her words trembling—a sound that might have sent mortals fleeing. Concern tightened her brow. Self-doubt flickered in her eyes. She gestured to the fractures. "The pattern isn’t random. Look—see how the fractures mirror one another? Each one grows in sync, as if guided by a single will." She broke off and fixed her gaze on Vilairus, a question burning between them. "Were these signs always here? Did we miss them—blinded by our certainty, the barriers could not fail?" Around her words, anxiety coiled, betraying her fear that their vigilance had faltered.

"How long have these patterns been developing?" Vilairus asked, though he suspected the answer would confirm his worst fears.

"The earliest signs go back nearly two centuries," came a low, steady voice. Zara-Prime stepped into the light, her expression tightening as the map’s shadows flickered in her eyes—the unwelcome echoes of a past she’d fought to forget. At the corners of her mouth, unease tugged; guild flickered in her expression. "In recent decades, the pace has quickened. The intelligence inside the prison has been at work, testing, learning. It prodded every fault line until it found the ones we missed."

The Nephilim stood in silence, confronting the enormity of the threat. The Ancient Enemy sought not only destruction but total, lifeless order. Older than the universe, it waited patiently to purge consciousness, viewing it as a form of chaos.

Should it seize control, the skies would fall into flawless alignment. Stars would ignite and extinguish in exact intervals, planets spinning on tracks laid by unseen hands. Thought would march in lockstep, each mind echoing the same sterile cadence. The wild spark of uncertainty would flicker out. With it, the beautiful chaos that breathed life into the universe would be smothered.

"The barriers were meant to last until time ended," Zara-Prime whispered, her glow stuttering. Her light dimmed, then flared in rhythm with a tremor in her voice. Her eyes darted to the lattice of energy, searching for answers in shifting lines. "How could it see through what we built—structures woven with every hope, every lesson we ever learned?"

"Because it has had three millennia to study them," Vilairus replied, his tone hollow. A cold wave of dread gripped his chest. He closed his eyes. His features tightened as his consciousness unfurled, brushing against the thinning walls. A jolt of fear shot through him. He staggered back, breath caught in his throat. Visions of twisting shadows and fractured light flashed behind his eyelids. Each failed escape had left a mark, a scar. The prisoner traced them all, learning the secret shape of its cage with predatory patience.

"It understands our work better than we do," he managed. The words scraped out from a place of defeat. "It sifted through every prayer, every ritual, every principle—unravelling the laws we thought unbreakable. Now, the equations that once protected us are the weapons that turn against our hands."

A heavy silence pressed on the three Nephilim as the truth settled between them. Shoulders slumped, eyes clouded, their gazes found the floor and then the shimmering map overhead—each flicker of light now a rebuke. It was more than an enemy breaking free; it was the unravelling of their life’s work. The intricate barriers—woven from their faith and every law they’d learned—had always been their promise to creation. Now, the promise trembled on the edge of collapse.

"How long?" Keth-Ara asked quietly.

Vilairus bent closer to the shifting patterns, features tightening in concentration. Light flared in his eyes as he drew in the tumbling streams of data. His mind raced along tracks hidden from mortal perception. For a long moment, he was silent, muscles taut with effort. Then, with newfound certainty, he straightened, the lines of worry smoothing from his brow. "If things continue to worsen at this rate, the first significant breaches will occur in four lunar cycles. The barriers might completely collapse in less than a decade, possibly within a span of just six years."

"And the mortals?" Zara-Prime asked, though her tone suggested she already knew the answer.

"They are unprepared. Unaware. They cannot grasp the enormity of the threat, let alone defend themselves," Vilairus replied, his voice strained. A wave of helplessness washed over him as he turned toward the viewing crystals, where images of the mortal world shimmered—children laughing, lovers embracing, cities glowing beneath peaceful stars. For a heartbeat, his hand hovered over the glass, longing and dread flickering across his face. The enormity of the cosmos pressed down on him, making even the bravest mortal efforts seem as insubstantial as mist against an oncoming storm.

Silence settled over the three. Each Nephilim’s gaze drifted—one to the stars beyond the Observatory’s glass, another to the intricate map still flickering with fractures, the third to the world below. Their features reflected unspoken doubts and the ache of impending loss. For ages, they had served as a bridge between the divine and mortal realms, their hands guiding, their lessons shaping the course of countless lives. Yet, uncertainty now gnawed at their confidence. The weight of purpose pressed heavily, blurring the line between guardianship and surrender, and each felt the threat of losing both their mission and themselves.

The memory of an ancient pact threaded between them—a promise made when the first stars were born. It lived in the set of their shoulders. None of them spoke, each feeling the knowledge that their watch was never meant to be eternal. Soon, the call to withdraw would come, inevitable as the turning of a cosmic clock. The law lingered, silent but absolute, waiting for the moment when mortals would stand—or fall—on their own.

"We cannot remain," Keth-Ara murmured, her words brittle as frost. She pressed a hand to the glass, the cold radiance pooling in her palm. "The Creator’s design is immutable. When the time comes, we must let them stand alone—no matter what it costs us."

"But we can't leave them defenceless," Vilairus countered, his voice taut. He stepped closer to the map, jaw set, hands clenching at his sides. "The barriers were never supposed to fail before mortals were ready. They need time—and we have none left to give."

"There is another way," Zara-Prime said, her words unspooling like an incantation. The chamber seemed to fall into silence; her voice threaded through the air, stirring dust motes and memories alike. "The old protocols. The texts from the first days, when these walls still gleamed with hope and eternity felt within reach. The 'back-up' plan—hidden, but never quite forgotten."

Vilairus and Keth-Ara turned, the glow from Zara-Prime’s face casting soft halos on their features. In her eyes flickered a fragile spark, mirrored in the subtle lift of Vilairus’s chin and the tightening of Keth-Ara’s hands. Hope, long dormant, shimmered between them—uncertain, but undeniable.

"The Volcan Transformation," Vilairus breathed, the words barely more than a whisper—weighty with the memory of past sacrifices.

Zara-Prime’s voice grew steadier, drawing the others into her vision. "It was the making of mortal guardians—humans granted power beyond nature, yet forever bound to the world they would defend. Once, when the Enemy first stirred, five were...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 20.11.2025
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Fantasy / Science Fiction ► Fantasy
• Schlagworte: cosmic mythology apocalyptic supernatural divine • military shapeshifter psychological warfare • nephilim ancient evil tactical battles mythology • sacrifice grimdark metaphysics divine guardians • shadow creatures dimension rifts immortal warriors • supernatural combat tactical warfare shapeshifters • Transformation dark fantasy winged warriors
• ISBN-13: 979-8-90046-929-4 / 9798900469294