The Scoundrel's Blade (Chronicles of an Outcast) by Alkiviadis E. Halkiotis

This is not the tale of a Great Hero, nor some great epic of a Champion of Good. It's about the struggles of a flawed scoundrel, a rogue, a self-banished elven man looking for redemption. An Outcast... It has been centuries since the Great War between the now Forgotten Gods and Great Demons ended with both sides forcefully banished from the mortal realm. Magic is now scarce and the few remaining elven races are hidden. One such elf is Avathar, a young orphan plagued by nightmares ever since his father brought upon destruction in a failed ritual summoning. Time passed and the dreams eventually stopped. The boy grew up into a carefree young man while in the care of his foster family. And now, years later, it is finally time for him to go through his ritual passing of age and take his place in Avaelin society, and his step-sister and best friend Anadriel will be his guide in his three-day ritual. By the final day of his trials, he is worn out physically and mentally. After all these years the nightmares return, worse than ever. And at the last night, a manifestation of a demonic version of him attempts to steal control of his body, taunting him while Avathar fights back in blinding rage. But in truth, it wasn’t the demonic elf the one that he had struck down; driven momentarily insane, he had unintentionally killed his sister. Filled with remorse and despair, he banishes himself, only taking with him a family relic his sister had, an ancient elven blade much more important than he then realized...

Adult • Fantasy