Ashes of the hollow star

In the Empire of the Celestial Flame, every child is born beneath the watchful gaze of a star. These stars dictate one's strength, destiny, and place in the world. The brighter the star, the greater the power. Kael was born beneath nothing. Starless. Powerless. Worthless. Branded a "Hollow One," he is exiled to the frontier wastes to die among the Shades—monstrous remnants of those whose stars have consumed them. But Kael does not die. He finds something in the ruins—a shattered star, black and pulsing with forgotten power. It speaks not with light, but with hunger. The Hollow Star, erased from the skies for defying the gods, chooses Kael as its vessel. Now, wielding a power born of void and rebellion, Kael begins his ascent. Against a world that deems him unworthy, against the Church that fears what he might become, Kael will rise—not to rule under a star, but to burn the heavens themselves.