Stigmata

Stigmata—the sacred, bleeding wounds that manifest upon the very sites of Christ's crucifixion—are a rare and ominous phenomenon. For Sion, they are a grim reminder of a past he cannot remember. Rescued from his village following a horrific massacre that erased every familiar face, he carries only the scars of his survival and a mind riddled with empty gaps. Seeking redemption from his violent origins, he dedicates himself to a life of quiet devotion as an apprentice priest, hoping that the halls of the church will finally grant him the peace that has always eluded him. That fragile peace is brutally shattered when Sion is falsely accused of theft from the Holy King, Siennas Del Mayee. The charge is a death sentence, and he endures a gruesome execution that ends his life in agony—only for him to open his eyes once more, now inhabiting the very body of the monarch who had him killed. Thrust into a gilded cage of power and paranoia, Sion must masquerade as the ruler he was never meant to be. Navigating the labyrinthine politics of the royal court, he has but one constant companion: Pavel, the high priest whose striking handsomeness is matched only by his unsettling duplicity. With no memory to anchor his identity and a supposed ally who oozes suspicion, Sion must uncover the conspiracy behind his murder while surviving the lethal machinations of a kingdom that expects him to reign.