Savage

This fantasy novel is part of the Chronicles of Nick series and serves as a prequel spanning centuries. It traces the origin story of Xevikan Daraxerxes (Xev), a god born of both light and darkness, from his birth and abandonment through war, love, betrayal, and eventual reunion.

In a world governed by powerful Primal gods divided between forces of light and darkness, the dark goddess Azura conceives a child with Jaden, a god of light, hoping to bind him to her. When Jaden refuses the infant and orders it drowned, Azura banishes the baby to Azmodea, the demonic realm. Her brother Noir, the most corrupt god in existence, warns that the child possesses unpredictable powers drawn from both sides. Before Azura can return to kill the infant, a fox demon named Michi rescues him, names him her "little kit," and raises him in hiding.

Four years later, Michi's goddess Inari discovers the boy and orders Michi to kill him. Unable to harm her adopted son, Michi instead delivers Xev to Azura's court, hoping for protection. Azura seizes the child and strangles Michi with her powers while Xev watches helplessly.

Under Azura's custody, Xev endures constant abuse. At eight, he befriends a human girl named Chani and her mother, who show him the first kindness he has known since Michi. When Azura orders him to kill them and he refuses, she burns them alive. Devastated, Xev vows never to make friends again. Two years later, he discovers Skatos, a shadow realm connecting all worlds, where he meets his half-brother Shadow. The two bond over mutual rejection, and Shadow teaches Xev to travel between realms.

As Xev grows older, he learns of another half-brother: Malphas, a half-demon son Jaden fathered through a deal with a minor demon. Unlike Xev, Malphas lives in Jaden's palace, deepening Xev's resentment. The three brothers bond on a distant planet, pledging neutrality in the war everyone predicts is coming.

When Apollymi, the most feared Primal goddess, becomes pregnant by Kissare, the leader of the Sephirii, the winged warrior servants of the Primal gods, both sides scramble to learn the father's identity. Azura and Noir summon Xev demanding the information, while Jaden separately pressures Malphas to spy. Xev refuses to betray the secret, enduring punishment to protect an innocent child.

While observing the Sephirii, Xev becomes captivated by Myone, a skilled warrior with gold wings who carries a sentient Seraph sword inherited from her deceased mother. After an unknown assailant riddles Xev with arrows in Skatos, he crashes into the Sephirii stronghold, where Myone nurses him for four days. Their connection deepens when Xev moves into Jaden's palace and agrees to train her in demon combat techniques.

A Sephiroth named Tisahn betrays Kissare's identity to the Primals. Azura shears Kissare's wings and imprisons him. Apollymi, consumed by grief, demands a goblet of Xev's blood, which she mixes with her own and that of Xiamara, a Charonte demon, to create the Malachai, a powerful warrior race designed to protect her son Monakribos (Kri). Xev is terrified his role in their creation will be discovered.

Azura detects Xev's blood in the Malachai and blackmails him into swapping Jaden's Eye of Verlyn amulet, which controls his power over demons, for a counterfeit. The exchange strips Jaden of his abilities and leads to his imprisonment. When Xev returns to free his father, Jaden retaliates by clasping the power-draining amulet around Xev's neck and abandoning him to Azura permanently.

Azura tortures Xev for months, starving him and nearly plucking his wings clean. Myone appeals to Apollymi, who storms Azura's throne room, overpowers both Azura and Noir, and claims Xev as a tutor for Kri. Apollymi restores his body and warns the couple to keep their love hidden.

War erupts between the Kalosum, an alliance of light gods and their servants, and the Mavromino, the dark gods' forces. Xev becomes a double agent, fighting for the Mavromino while secretly feeding Myone intelligence and battle plans.

Xev and Myone marry in a secret ceremony in a cavern between realms. When Myone becomes pregnant, Jaden proposes a sham marriage: Because his powers resemble Xev's, he can pass the child off as his own. Xev watches from the shadows as Myone weds his father. Their son Jared grows up believing Jaden is his father, though Xev visits secretly. At six, Jared is chosen by Takara, the oldest Seraph sword, marking him as the future leader of the Sephirii. At eight, he reveals he has always known Xev is his real father.

Malphas resurfaces as "Caleb," having survived his battlefield wound and found refuge in the human world with a woman named Lilliana. When he unseals his sword, Azura and Noir detect his return. Despite efforts to protect Lilliana, the Mavromino kill her. Xev also discovers that Kuru, Myone's second-in-command, has been leaking Sephirii plans to the enemy through the demon Paimon.

As the war grinds on, the Primals negotiate a truce. The Mavromino demand Myone's death, mirroring Kissare's execution. The gods orchestrate a trap: They separate Xev from his allies, hold Jared back, and order both armies to open fire on Xev and Myone. Myone dies in Xev's arms. He is dragged before the gods, his powers bound, and Jaden shears his wings.

Azura forces Jared to betray the remaining Sephirii or she will kill Xev. Shadow helps Jared create duplicate Seraph swords, giving Azura fakes while hiding the originals. Both armies are dismantled. Xev is enslaved as the Šarru-Dara, a blood servant bound to the last surviving Malachai, Kri. Shadow uses Xev's blood to trap Azura and Noir in Azmodea, the realm she has always despised.

Centuries later, in 2055 New Orleans, Xev has been freed by Ambrose Gautier, the latest Malachai and his biological grandson through Jared's lineage. At a bar, a woman approaches and calls him "Dary," the nickname only Myone ever used. Jaden reveals he pulled Myone from the battlefield before she died, healed her, and placed her in a trance he could not safely lift until now. Xev is furious at the centuries of grief but overwhelmed with joy. Jared arrives and embraces his mother. Xev resolves to spend eternity ensuring his family is never separated again.