Runelight Apocalypse

By Matthew DePesa

In the shattered remnants of 2026, where the skies still glow with the faint, unnatural aurora of fallout, the world we knew has crumbled into a mosaic of ruins and rebirth. World War III, that cataclysmic blaze ignited by fractured alliances and desperate gambles, culminated in a nuclear symphony that silenced billions. Cities like New York and Moscow are now skeletal husks, their steel bones twisted by blasts hotter than the sun. But from the ashes, something ancient stirs-magic, long dormant in the earth's veins, awakened by the radiation's chaotic pulse. Wizards rise from survivors, wielding spells forged in the fire of apocalypse, while mythical beasts, warped by fallout, prowl the irradiated wilds.
Our story begins in the fractured badlands of what was once the American Midwest, now a lawless expanse called the Glowlands. Our protagonist, Elara Voss, is a former soldier turned scavenger, her body marked by glowing runes that grant her glimpses of the future-visions that whisper of a greater threat. The war didn't just end humanity's dominance; it cracked open portals to forgotten realms, unleashing shadow entities that feed on despair. Elara discovers she's not just seeing prophecies; she's the key to a ritual that could either seal these rifts or unleash an eternal night.
Thriller elements weave in: A shadowy cabal of pre-war elites, holed up in underground bunkers, plots to harness this new magic for total control. They hunt Elara, sending mutated assassins and drone swarms laced with enchanted tech. Twists abound-betrayals from allies who crave power, chases through glowing forests where trees whisper secrets, and moral dilemmas: Does she use her gifts to rebuild a broken world, or burn it all down for revenge?

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0FWK9TPHD
• ISBN13: 9798270077808
• Release Date: October 2025
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 168 Pages
• Weight: 0.51 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.0" x 9.0"