Katabasis  (English, Paperback, Kai Durvas)

Once, the gods used us as instruments. Then they broke the strings. Now it is seven days to the end of the world. No blaze, no deluge—only the sudden unthreading of the mind until nothing remains to name the dark. Reconstructed from fragments and echoes, Katabasis reveals the true story of the collapse of consciousness at the end of the Bronze Age. Journey to Olympia, a decaying Empire ruled by masks and mirrors, as the Ancient Games are set to begin. Three heroes drawn together by fate must master their blossoming powers to defy annihilation—and preserve the last flame of the human soul. The orphan thief Eramys, clever enough to unlock forbidden doors, reckless enough to walk through them, would gamble his sanity for the keys to resurrection. Prince Hipparchus, war-hero, leader of men, has that which all rulers despise—a moral compass and the courage to wield it. The exiled champion Kleos sees patterns no one else can and walks paths no one else will. Now he returns to the Empire that took everything from him, not for revenge, but ascension. Amid the brutal intrigues of powermongers and the visceral action of sacred bloodsport, they resist a far greater enemy—one even the gods dared not face.