Qalb (ePub)

Along with a few thousand people, only a handful of items have survived the End of Time, including a deck of cards. In desperate need for a civilized system in the midst of the disorientation post the End of Time, humans found wisdom in the symbolism and structure in the deck of cards, or as they called it, The Almighty Cards, which they used as a guide to establish The Kingdom of Delkhwar 200 years after the End of Time. The kingdom is ruled by the Twelve Court Members: King, Queen, and Jack for each of the four cities of the kingdom: The City of Hearts, The City of Spades, The City of Clubs, and The City of Diamonds.

This book begins the year 524 after the End of Time. Individuals are now sorted by the element of their hearts: Glass, Oak, Stone, or Gold - which they have to wear on their sleeves.

The Spades, the soldiers with Hearts of Stone, are responsible for keeping order in the city so that no wars break out and lead to another End of Time. However, lately the Spades have been facing a difficulty keeping the order of the kingdom as they are unable to keep order within their own lines since the late Jack of Spades, Fihr, was found out to have tricked the whole system of the kingdom and could become a Court Member while possessing a Heart of Gold.

After the mysterious death of Fihr, the Spades are infiltrated by a number of secret believers in Fihr, especially his sister, Maniyah - Death in human form. She becomes a Spade to avenge her late brother, whom she believes to have been murdered. The strict, orderly system of the whole kingdom starts disintegrating into chaos, steadily driven to its doom, and perhaps, another End of Time.