Chapter 1 - Darkness

Five hundred years have passed since the fall of Troy—long after Helen’s divine twin brothers Castor and Pollux were fixed as constellations in the firmament by Jupiter. A new legend is taking shape around a different pair of twins not far from where Aeneas once set his spear down in the land of Italus. Set in 763 BCE, a decade before the founding of Rome, this dark, mythical narrative reimagines the dawn of an empire through a lens of tragedy, magic, and political intrigue. It chronicles the violent destruction of an ancient Italic Sacred Spring ritual and the harrowing survival of the young twin brothers Romulus and Remus. As Latin communities clash in a desperate scramble for land and resources, the Etruscan city-state of Veii emerges as a dominant force, led by a ruthless king and bound to a sinister cabal determined to extinguish the twins before a fateful prophecy can unfold. Rich with action, deceit, and supernatural menace, the story lays bare the blood-soaked foundation of the world Rome was fated to dominate. Get full access to Victor Smolinski at victorsmolinski163382.substack.com/subscribe