The age of innocence is over, and the world has been drowned in a torrent of violence and hunger. Religious fanatics hailing from the desert city-state of Kenan have completed a final war of conquest against their neighbors and distant cousins, the ancient kingdom of Forelia. The Forelian capital has been razed to the ground, the survivors sold into slavery.

Gideon is a skilled young warrior fighting with the Singing Blades, a mercenary warband who served on behalf of the Kenanite king during the war. But when his warband is annihilated in an ambush by roving bandits, Gideon is set adrift, left to find new purpose for himself in a world bereft of justice.

But fate, it seems, has taken notice of him. Gideon soon comes across a fallen princess, and together they embark upon a journey that will test their ability to remain strong in the face of overwhelming odds. Both soon find that bravery comes with a heavy price, one that can only be paid in blood.

Bound By Bravery is the much-improved second draft of Origin of Evil, my first ever fiction on Royal Road. The premise is more or less the same, but BBB has important changes to tone, character motivations, dialogue, and overall quality.