Introduction: The world is full of monsters and dangers beyond count with heroes and legends to match. To combat these dangers, The Scarlett Order was founded. It takes in those who have been touched by tragedy and loss, most gifted with something called a Paradox Gene, and shapes them into the legends and heroes of tomorrow. Kaen is one such youth with an amazing gift, but between the lives that have been lost around him and the years of intense training, he finds himself lost as he is pulled out of his small town life and into the larger world. Little does he know how trained for it he was and the dark truths he has yet to face.[Winner of the April 2025 Royal Road Writathon challenge]...