In Darkness Cast (Shades of Black Book 1)

Gideon Halcyon is a young soldier determined to save his people from demons and cultists who serve a trifecta of fallen angels threatening to destroy the kingdoms of Man. Feeling helpless against this threat, Gideon prays for a mentor to train him as a hero—but instead encounters Ashkelon, a dark sorcerer from the Void who survived the world he left in ruins. Ashkelon is cynical and ruthless, the last lord of the Everlasting Dark. His cursed sword Acherlith carries the screams of a thousand failed heroes he has killed. He offers to train Gideon to become a hero of the Light, a warrior who will surpass even the exacting standards of the Dark. Gideon reluctantly accepts and enters a brutal world under Ashkelon's command, where any mistake could make him another victim of the dark sorcerer's blade. As Hell advances on humanity's remaining hope, a hero is forged in darkness.