Thanks to his intelligence, Guidanio Cerra ended up in a school known throughout Batiara, although he was just the son of a tailor. He later entered the service of the court of Count Milasia and soon learned why he was nicknamed the Beast. The fate of this young man - and at the same time the fate of the whole world - was yet to change forever. After all, one autumn night, young Adria Ripoli entered the count’s chambers. Born the daughter of a ruler, she preferred a life full of danger, action and freedom to comfort and idleness. And now she came with the intention of killing the Beast. But there are others in this story: a healer who decided to challenge fate; the charmingly frivolous heir to an all-powerful banking family; a powerful religious leader known for debauchery rather than piety; and, of course, the two greatest mercenary commanders - eternal opponents in politics and on the battlefield, whose rivalry balances the scales of the world in that turbulent, dangerous, violent time that will long be remembered. After all, it is too dazzling, the shine of days gone by.