Vultus (English version)

Vultus is a dark fantasy novel that follows Arata Renjiro, a 16-year-old boy marked by loss, isolation, and an inner emptiness he himself cannot name. His life changes when he comes into contact with a living, cracked mask, an ancient artifact connected to Æther, the vital energy that permeates all worlds. By accepting the mask, Renjiro awakens a bond with Nyxalith, an ethereal, provocative, and unsettling entity that begins to inhabit his mind, a presence that both guides him and pushes him to the limits of what it means to be human. The mask connects Renjiro to Velum, a fragmented and dreamlike parallel world, much more like our idea of universe, where Nakarith, a city forgotten between realities, exists. There, masks are not mere weapons, they are distorted reflections of the soul, shaped by ancient mythologies, desires, and sins, waiting for human faces to fully exist. Each bearer channels the Æther through different reservoirs, balancing power, control, and survival in a system that takes a real physical and psychological toll. Renjiro is recruited by the Tamashi Zetsumetsu, an order of bearers who struggle to maintain the fragile balance between the human world and Velum. Alongside other young people marked by similar destinies, such as Reika and Takumi, each connected to their own entity, he faces growing threats, including the Kurogane no Kage, a corrupt faction that uses masks in a distorted way, and creatures known as Velkraths, born from the fractures between worlds. As the battles intensify, Vultus explores the slow erosion of Renjiro's identity, to what extent can someone wear a mask without becoming it? His father's hidden past, the true purpose of the masks, and the nature of the void that Nyxalith insists he accept become central pieces of a larger mystery. Between training, confrontations, and revelations, the story builds a path where power and loss walk hand in hand, and where each choice brings Renjiro closer to salvation... or to the complete dissolution of his face behind the veil. (It is important to say that this is a translated version of the original novel I am currently writing, the non translated version will be posted here as well).