"Star Blood 6:
Ting" by Roman Prokofiev, summary

This book is the sixth installment of a science fiction saga, written in 2024. The text describes in detail the brutal reality of the Unity realms, where the runic technologies of the Forerunners have completely replaced magic for earthlings. Humanity struggles daily for survival among alien races. The protagonist, Sigurd Morozov, secretly shares his mind with a powerful immortal entity, the White Devil. This symbiosis grants the young man incredible combat power and access to ancient secrets, but in exchange, he demands constant obedience to the alien will and a balancing act on the very brink of final death.

Return from the Wasteland

A group of survivors led by Veronica Maxwell returns from the cursed ruins of Storm. The Earthlings find irrefutable evidence of treason. Grasspeaker and her loyal henchman, Treive Wheatley, have seized power in the Sky Freehold. Veronica formulates a drastic plan and decides to attend the Grand Thing. The general gathering of free Ascendants is taking place at the Great Tree. There, she plans to publicly denounce the usurpers. Meanwhile, the astronomical cycle shifts, igniting the ominous celestial sign of the Wild Hunt. Beasts flock into bloodthirsty packs, and ancient silver monsters emerge from their forgotten lairs.

Clashes and Secret Power

The path leads through the wild lands of the Sea of Grass. At the ford of the Stormy River, the party encounters the River People, led by Rix Aurvak. Sigurd Morozov, skillfully concealing his star power, engages in a brutal hand-to-hand combat with an Ascendant named Silver Trout. Winning a decisive victory with a simple spear, he saves the party from humiliating political concessions.

Later, the travelers notice thick smoke over Eirik’s farm. Sigurd secretly uses the golden rune of the Skyhawk. Clad in the shining armor of Kel, he attacks and, after a grueling aerial battle, destroys the giant lizard, Old Firetooth. To maintain his anonymity and avert suspicion, the young man hands the golden rune to Veronica Maxwell. The pact is sealed with the unbreakable oath of the Watcher. Sigurd then repairs the broken Griffin helicopter, infusing its complex mechanisms with streams of Starblood. The human craft is transformed into a fully functional silver artifact. The party visits Blazing Horn, having secured the military neutrality of Plainswind.

Temple Gates

Arriving at the foot of the Great Ygg-Tree in the Land of Blessing, the party heads to the Temple of Eternity. Sigurd uses the empty stigmata, easily bypassing the gate system. Inside, he meets with the Messenger. The powerful Lord of Eternity recognizes the youth as a True One, a child of ancient blood. Kel vaguely hints at the coming war with the Beasts from Beyond, allowing the earthling to enter the Golden City unhindered.

Here, the White Devil takes control of the body. He contacts Kel-Lord Erinys of the Celestial Covenant, planning a joint punitive attack on the Dark Contractors. A brutal battle erupts in the grim space of the Dark Domain. Covenant hunters mercilessly destroy the criminal syndicate, and the White Devil makes a point of executing Flex Thorius. Erinys gives a tenth of the enormous rune haul and the valuable False Stigmata rune in gratitude for the tip.

The Abduction of Travinka

Returning from Eternity, Sigurd finds the treehouse empty. His friends have vanished without a trace, leaving behind drops of blood and scraps of poisonous Ironweed. Grasspeaker has secretly paralyzed and kidnapped the party, intending to eliminate their rivals before the Thing’s judgment. The Flaminica hides her beloved daughter, Grass, in a hidden extradimensional hideout.

Using the spy rune Nightwing, the young man unerringly tracks enemies in the Shadowfolk camp. He infiltrates the prison, kills the guard Randy, and rescues the girl from a deadly root trap. He carries the wounded Grasswing to the Domain of the Silver Castle. There, Sigurd disables the Everlasting Field and frees her father from the mist column. Vincent Cassidy, the legendary rex of the Earthlings, was long believed dead.

Court under the golden branches

Thousands of Ascending members of the Nine Nations of the Circle gather on the vast stone tingvellir. Iniess Greenleaf, king of the Tree People, announces the threat of the Wild Hunt and the closure of the Blessing’s borders. The chieftains’ roll call ceremony begins. Treyv Whitley attempts to speak for the People of the Earth. Sigurd and Travinka step to the center of the amphitheater and openly accuse the usurpers of massacring the colonists.

At the most tense moment, Vincent Cassidy enters the arena. The appearance of the old, powerful chieftain causes genuine shock among all the tribes. He imperiously demands the return of his rightful authority. Trave cowardly abdicates. Grasspeaker categorically refuses to acknowledge her ex-husband. A trial by combat to the death is scheduled.

The Duel and the Nightmare Grove

Vincent battles the Herb-Speaker one-on-one. Flaminica unleashes herbal poisons, acidic mists, and the dreaded Black Rot spell upon him. The old warrior confidently repels all attacks. He methodically strips his ex-wife of her runic protection. Realizing the inevitability of a crushing defeat, the maddened conspirators resort to extreme criminal measures.

Mark Cassidy, under cover of invisibility, makes his way to the very edge of the arena. Flaminica treacherously casts the cursed Nightmare Grove rune. With a deafening crash, the arena explodes into black spikes. Giant, twisted trees smash through the tingvellir, releasing living insectoid Worms from their swollen cocoons directly onto the spectators. General panic and carnage ensues.

Sigurd retrieves the golden Ygg-Tree Seed. The artifact’s powerful radiant radiation instantly burns away the corruption. Mark manages to pierce Grass, who shields the youth, with a black arrow. Sigurd engages the enemy in merciless hand-to-hand combat, breaking his opponent’s bones with his flaming hands. Vincent Cassidy is finally freed from the root’s bonds. He mercilessly executes Grasspeaker with a blow from his ghostly sword.

Freehold Justice

The enraged Guardians of the Great Tree demand immediate payment of the vira for desecrating the sacred relic. The Earthlings are shamefully expelled from the Blessing. Having successfully returned to the Sky Freehold, Vincent Cassidy organizes a swift and harsh trial. Treyv’s former supporters are sentenced to hard labor. Mark’s people are officially declared disenfranchised, with the harsh condition of obtaining a silver vira to gain forgiveness.

Mark himself is permanently stripped of his stigmata. His father makes a show of cutting off his hand. The Star Nail is torn out, along with the Ascension interface. The condemned man is thrown out of the colony’s gates into the barren, rocky wastelands. For his military service, Sigurd is appointed commander of the elite spear "Odysseus." The Earthlings ceremoniously plant a golden Seed on the plateau. It instantly sprouts, illuminating the harsh mountains with a blessed amber light. The Observer assigns the entire freehold a grand golden Feat to protect the young Ygg.

Separation of Souls

That night, Sigurd secretly stalks the exiled Mark in the dark Snake Canyon. The young man seeks to complete the justice he began. A bloody knife fight ensues. At the climax, the White Devil unexpectedly seizes control of the young man’s body. The sudden paralysis allows Mark to deliver a precise, fatal blow with an ice dagger straight to Sigurd’s throat.

The Earthling dies from blood loss. The hidden power of the True One resurrects him almost instantly. He coldly finishes off the stunned enemy with a blow to the heart. The White Devil gains long-awaited freedom through the death of his host. The Omnipotent possesses the dead body of Mark Cassidy, resurrecting him. The White Devil takes the agreed-upon portion of the runes, bids Sigurd farewell forever, and departs into the wasteland under a new name. Sigurd returns home, ready to forever protect his wife, his People, and the young golden Tree.

The Last Secrets

After Sigurd’s return, life in the colony improves. The freehold gates open to refugees. Fleeing from the invasion of the wild Taurians, Eirik the Beastmaster joins the earthlings with his wives, children, and battle spear. Sigurd and Grasskin celebrate a joyous wedding under the glowing branches of the Sprout. At the very end of the celebration, Eirik gives Sigurd an ancient rune-saga. The inscription reveals a shocking truth. Many years ago, an unknown celestial Ascender of Eternity personally instructed Eirik to hide the golden Seed and the yurr beast on a remote island. The celestial being planned the hero’s arrival in advance, forever intertwining the destinies of men and gods in a complex web of destiny.