In Yohuachanca, emperors reign for only a single year. Each chosen ruler lives in unparalleled luxury—savoring the realm's most exquisite cuisine, commanding a harem of extraordinary beauty, dwelling within breathtaking palaces, and receiving guidance from four mystical priestesses. Come the Scarlet Moon's rise, however, the emperor's reign ends in sacrifice. The Nightlords demand blood. Iztac is nobody—an orphan thrust into imperial power as the year's designated emperor and, unwillingly, as the fated sacrifice. But despair turns to defiance when he reveals his true nature: a sorcerer whose spirit descends into the underworld's abyss, extracting forbidden spells from the realm of the dead. One year remains. In that span, Iztac must unearth a power capable of severing the Nightlords from their dark throne. Success means becoming the first emperor to defy his destiny. Failure means eternal damnation. He refuses to be another name in their endless procession. Iztac will be the last.