Unsouled
 | |
| Author | Will Wight |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Series | Cradle |
| Genre | Fantasy |
| Published | June 13, 2016 |
| Media type | ebook, paperback, audiobook |
| Followed by | Soulsmith |
Unsouled is the first volume in the 12 volume series, Cradle, by Will Wight. It has one main character. There are twenty chapters and one epilogue. [remove and include in info box?]
Contents
From the back cover
Sacred artists follow a thousand Paths to power, using their souls to control the forces of the natural world.
Lindon is Unsouled, forbidden to learn the sacred arts of his clan.
When faced with a looming fate he cannot ignore, he must rise beyond anything he's ever known...and forge his own Path.
Summary
Wei Shi Lindon and the Sacred Valley
Wei Shi Lindon of the Sacred Valley is Unsouled. Determined to practice the sacred arts despite his clan's disapproval, he acquires an ancestral orus fruit, a treasure that will increase his madra, the fuel of the sacred arts. This leads him to an encounter with Elder Whisper, one the founders of his clan. Whisper, who can sometimes see pieces of fate, sees a potential connection between Lindon and a disaster that he has long seen coming. He encourages Lindon in his study of the sacred arts, inspiring him forge his own path. Encouraged by Elder Whisper, Lindon finds an old technique manual, The Heart of Twin Stars, in his clan's archive. While the title technique doesn't suit him, it mentions another technique, the Empty Palm, which Lindon is able to adapt for his own use with the help of his sister Kelsa. The Empty Palm allows to him defeat a rival clan member in a duel and helps him prepare for the upcoming Seven-Year Festival, where he will be required to compete against young sacred artists of rival clans.
Thanks to the ancestral orus fruit, his sister's help, and the Empty Palm, Lindon easily wins his stage in the tournament, earning the right to challenge someone a stage higher from a rival clan. Before he can do so, his clan's Patriarch, Wei Jin Sairus, intervenes, as the clan's guest have found an Unsouled winning against other sacred artists offensive. When Lindon refuses to abandon his opportunity to fight, the Patriarch requires him to instead face Wei Jin Amon, who is the Patriarch's grandson and a skilled fighter two stages higher than Lindon. Lindon agrees, but before the fight occurs the tournament is interrupted by Li Markuth, Grand Patriarch of the Li clan, who has returned to the Sacred Valley after ascending to the heavens. After killing Wei Jin Sairus, Li Markuth challenges the remaining Wei clan. Lindon chooses to fight alongside his clan and die with honor rather than submit, and is subsequently killed by Li Markuth.
Suriel and Lindon
Suriel, the Phoenix, Sixth Judge of the Abidan Court has been assigned the task of hunting down Ozriel, the Reaper. Reluctant to perform this duty, she delays by visiting Cradle, Ozriel's home world. While she knows he is not likely to return, it gives her an opportunity to consider her options and solve a small problem as a distraction while she delays. With the help of her Presence, she decides to intervene in Li Markuth's return to Cradle. Arriving shortly before his return, Suriel watches from a distance as Lindon wins his tournament. She notes the madra deficiency he was born with and watches his fated future: that he will overcome his deficiency, eventually advancing to the rank of Iron, before dying in a Dreadgod attack that destroys most of Sacred Valley. He further catches her attention when he chooses to fight against Li Markuth despite knowing it would lead to his death. Suriel decides that she will not just revert the actions of Li Markuth, but intervene in Lindon's life, giving him a chance at a different fate. She restores Lindon, who watches as she captures Li Markuth, sentencing him to stand trial. After showing Lindon his future fate, he asks what can be done prevent the destruction that is coming in the future. Suriel gives him a vision of some of the most powerful sacred artists in the world, inspiring him to leave his home to seek the power needed to protect the sacred valley. She tells him to head to Mount Samara and look for Yerin, Disciple of the Sword Sage, who can guide him out of the valley, telling him that "She, too, has a fate that needs changing." [attribution] She leaves Lindon with a glass bead that she can sense across the worlds, then Lindon watches as Suriel rolls back the effects of Li Markuth, restoring those he has killed, and returning Lindon to the Seven-Year Festival the moment before Li Markuth's interruption.
