A gripping young adult fantasy novel set in a world on the brink of apocalyptic transformation, where the biblical flood is a looming reality and ancient beings walk the earth.
When shadow creatures attack the village of Shepherd's Hollow during the harvest festival, four children—Japheth, Adina, Kenan, and Naomi—find themselves thrust into an ancient conflict between humans and the Nephilim, fallen celestial beings who have corrupted the natural order. As they flee their burning village, they discover that Japheth's mother was secretly a guardian of a powerful artifact called the Third Shard, part of an ancient weapon known as "The Divider" that can separate Nephilim from their human hosts.
Guided by protective artifacts with mysterious powers—Japheth's "Stone of Finding," Naomi's "Crystal of Binding," and the recovered shard itself—the children embark on a perilous journey across an antediluvian landscape. Their mission: to deliver the Third Shard to the ancient sage Methuselah before the Nephilim can claim it for themselves.
Their path takes them through nephilim-altered gardens, treacherous mountains, and magical groves as they gradually discover their own emerging abilities. Japheth learns to use his stone to find safe paths and repel corrupted beings. Adina's scholarly mind pieces together ancient prophecies about the coming flood. Kenan develops from a simple blacksmith apprentice into a skilled defender. And Naomi, most startling of all, discovers she carries "royal blood"—descended from a Nephilim prince who rebelled against corruption.
When they join forces with Sara, a village widow with secret guardian training, and Enoch, an immortal messenger warning villages of coming danger, the children learn the true stakes of their quest. The Nephilim seek to gather the five scattered shards of The Divider to prevent the prophesied flood that threatens to cleanse the world of their corruption. If they succeed, they will preserve pockets of corruption that should be washed away, ensuring their continued dominance in whatever world emerges from the waters.
After the group separates for strategic reasons—Kenan and Enoch taking one path while Japheth, Adina, and Naomi take another—they face increasingly dangerous encounters with shape-shifters, shadow hounds, and other hybrid creatures. When Sara sacrifices herself to save the children from pursuing enemies, they must complete their journey alone, relying solely on their growing abilities and the guidance of their mysterious artifacts.
In a climactic mountain ascent, the divided groups converge on Methuselah's crystalline mountain sanctuary, pursued by Nephilim forces intent on capturing the shards. As three fragments of The Divider come together for the first time in centuries, the children begin to understand that their journey marks only the beginning of a greater quest—one that will determine not just who survives the coming flood, but what kind of world will emerge from the cleansing waters.
THE ANTEDILUVIAN CHRONICLES: The Nephilim's Shadow is a young adult fantasy novel that blends biblical mythology with epic adventure in the tradition of Tolkien's world-building and Rowling's character development. It's the first in a planned trilogy that explores themes of courage, sacrifice, and the complex nature of good and evil in a world balanced on the edge of catastrophic transformation.