Falken Calder, a lowly scullery boy at the famed Ardent Lunar Sect, has only one goal: Awaken his cultivation before he ages out of eligibility. When a grand tournament brings enemies to Albion's shores and betrayal shatters everything he knew, Falken unearths the secrets of an ancient forgotten sect that offers him powers no one has seen in an age. Netherdei is a Western fantasy deeply inspired by xianxia and wuxia traditions.

Falken Calder is the genre's archetypal determined underdog elevated by unusually literary prose — he works harder than anyone, suffers more than seems fair, and refuses to stop. Readers note his stubborn grit as his defining quality, and the series earns his 'weak-to-strong' arc by making every step genuinely costly. His singular cultivation affinity makes him both unique and perpetually hunted.

Across two books, Falken grows from a determined underdog into a Shadow cultivator whose power draws the attention of demonic spirits, imperial forces, and even gods who do not want him to succeed. The series travels across kingdoms and seas, building a band of misfit companions whose bonds are tested by loss and treachery. Themes of identity, persistence, and the corruption that comes with power run throughout.