Ominus Vau: God-Prince of Draan

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Violence. Blood. Ruthlessness.

The Draanian nation was forged upon these principles.

Above it hangs the black sun, the Dead God’s Eye—ever watching, ever indifferent.

Upon a throne of black steel sits the God-King, Tyrannichus Vau. Born of the twin moon goddesses Ral and Turos, Draan is his eternal birthright. For centuries he has ruled: all-powerful, all-knowing, seemingly immortal.

But his son is not.

Ominus Vau, God-Prince of Draan, does not feel quite so divine. Without his father’s merciless disposition or any spark of the godly powers, Ominus feels as mortal as any other.

Yet as the son of a god, much is expected of him.And in a realm where weakness threatens the throne, the God-King has no hesitation in eliminating threats: even his own blood.

Ambitious eyes circle Ominus, eager to see him fall. Danger waits in every shadow.In a land without pity, the only one who can save him… is himself.

To survive, Ominus must master the blade.To survive, he must awaken his latent power.To survive… he must become a god.

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2025
Author: B.Dante

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.8/ 5.0
Followers: 43
Views: 17,680

What readers say about Ominus Vau: God-Prince of Draan

“Ominus Vau feels like a story written by someone who genuinely enjoys the beauty in darkness. The setting of the empire of Draan is grim and brutal: a land under a “black sun,” ruled by a ruthless God-King, where weakness can mean death. The main character,…”
AbdirahRoyal Road5.0 / 5
“This is one of those books that you very much have to like the vibes to like the story. It is, as I said in the title, aesthetically tight. It knows the visual/tactile metaphors it wants to explore, the world is tonally consistent and intriguing, and the mo…”
BluesycobaltRoyal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

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Community Reviews(10)

AbdirahRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Ominus Vau feels like a story written by someone who genuinely enjoys the beauty in darkness.
The setting of the empire of Draan is grim and brutal: a land under a “black sun,” ruled by a ruthless God-King, where weakness can mean death. The main character, Ominus Vau, starts as a conflicted prince — not the confident power-hungry heir but a young, inexperienced, even uncertain person who lacks the godly powers of his father.
The worldbuilding is the standout element for me. It isn’t just “a dark kingdom full of evil stuff” — it’s a world where divinity and violence are intertwined, where religion, imperial power, and family expectations crush the protagonist long before any actual danger shows up. That tension gives the story a constant underlying pressure.
The tone is consistently grimdark, with violence and political/mystical power struggles — ideal for readers who enjoy grim, mature fantasy rather than lighthearted plots. The writing aims for a poetic, heavy style — lots of atmosphere, lots of existential weight. If you like bleak, mythic, almost ritualistic descriptions, this is a plus.
This is a slow-burn story. The author takes time to establish the world, MC, culture, religion, and so on. The writing is solid, the atmosphere immersive, and the themes weighty.
BluesycobaltRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This is one of those books that you very much have to like the vibes to like the story. It is, as I said in the title, aesthetically tight. It knows the visual/tactile metaphors it wants to explore, the world is tonally consistent and intriguing, and the moods it hews to are suitably dark and macabre. My recommendation would be to read a few chapters and judge how much more you want to read based on whether you like the tone which, in my case, I enjoyed thoroughly.
Style – First-person, though the narrator has a kind of coldness to them that makes even scenes of internal anguish have a strange source of calculated detachment. This is not at all a knock. The author does an excellent job sustaining a tone of dread and paranoia that this style of narration fits well. There’s a film of numbness over the gore and cruelty that befits the world and its aesthetics, where bodies are reduced to a kind of irrefutable and irreducible fact. In my opinion this attention to tone, aesthetic, and thematic motif is the strongest aspect of the book and is a draw in its own right, unrelated to plot or character.
Story – I wouldn’t call this a fast-paced or plot-driven book, but I also wouldn’t heap on it that dreaded label of ‘slow burn.’ If you are someone who wants stakes and motives NOW, then you might be a little restless. We’re not leaping from plot point to plot point here. But as stated above, I don’t think a patient reader will be bored. There is a momentum in the main character’s development and by way of it the plot, but there is ALSO a palpable sense that this momentum is tied to that of the world. The world moves when the MC does and vice versa. If you like the writing style and the themes, you’ll be happy with where the plot is going.
Grammar –If you put this in front of me and told me a professional editor worked on it, I would believe you.
Characters – A little sparse up to the point I have read to. But again there’s a kind of bleeding over of world into characters where
emssitumorangRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Alright, so I thoroughly enjoyed the first season/volume of this book. I'm not gonna make a particularly long review because it could honestly be summed up with the words: "Guys, just read the book and give it a try", but because RoyalRoad won't let me do that, I'll at least try to pad it out a bit.
So for 1, the Grammar is impeccable. The only issues I had so far were duplicate dialogues/sentences but like that's easily cleaned up in editting. (Don't ask me where cuz I read through it in like a day or two and I can't remember which chapter.)
The author's voice in the style of a first person internal monologue of the main character is great. Keeps you reading for more.
When it comes to the story, I'm a big history and fantasy fan, and I can tell a lot of inspiration was taken from the real world when it comes to the setting. It's reall, it's gritty, it's dark, but I don't necessarily like the term 'Grimdark' for this story. But again, that might just be a personal preference kind of thing. The pacing I find to be fine, but you're going to scratch your head a little bit only when it comes to the worldbuilding because there are still many things that are left to be discovered (But I'd wager the author won't take too long on that)
The only reason I docked half a point on the characters isn't because I find them written horribly, It's just by the fact that they're written reasonably well and I just don't like their attitudes in the sense that I would not want to spend a moment with these folks in an irl setting. I guess it is a bit grim dark in that sense. But regardless, character interactions are great and the story makes you feel for the characters because I find that they 'breathe' in this story. The only crime is because I have a favourite character on the server and the author only showed them in TWO CHAPTERS. And then *poof* gone. You do not do that to Best Girl Material.
All in all, it's a great work so far and I'm looking forward for more. Also.
#CelestOmi (I w
minichiropsRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Or Blood and Fur.
Actually, both fairly similarly, but how else are you to portray a usurper-god?
There's darkness. There's grandeur and merciless commitment to the theme, and I've always had a soft spot for polytheistic pantheons portrayed properly.
The protagonist is weak. He's young, sheltered, and dangerously ignorant, though he's at least a thinker. He's trying. He's likely to actually get there—wherever 'there' may be.
And then what? The future seems bleak. The powers that be are merciless and mythic in scale. His whole society is a toybox for the gods, and he's the (so far) lesser son of a greater sire.
The action is good. The prose is very polished. The author's notes are far more organized than my own, such that I toyed with the idea of emulation before giving it up as probably a lot of work.
I don't think I've found grammar errors, but it's dense, and I've been trying to do it justice, so for this swap, I took longer than the typical single sitting, so I don't recall.
Even the artwork fits the theme perfectly. Great stuff.
I'd recommend this to someone to read without hesitation. I'll be following this one.
Lord Turtle the firstRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Ominus Vau: God-Prince of Draan opens with a black sun hanging over a grey world like "an uncaring god—an inkblot on a grey canvas"—and proceeds to deliver exactly the kind of brutal, philosophically rich grimdark fantasy that image promises. This is a story about inherited power, divine cruelty, and the desperate search for humanity in a world designed to crush it out of you.
Ominus is the son of Tyrannichus, the God-King who casually rips hearts from chests and discards them down dark shafts. Born to divinity but feeling entirely mortal, Ominus watches his father's casual atrocities with the dawning horror of a child realizing what he's expected to become. When the God-King forces him to murder his only friend—a servant boy named Lucan—with his own hands, something breaks and something hardens simultaneously.
The prose is polished and controlled, alternating between lyrical description and brutal efficiency. The worldbuilding is evocative: a city of violence under a dead god's eye, where color only emerges at night when twin moons dance overhead. The supporting cast—Left the one-eyed assassin-trainer, Tala the tavern girl, Romulan the hot-headed blacksmith's son—are sketched efficiently but memorably.
Eight chapters in, Ominus bleeds gold for the first time, confirming a divinity he's never felt. The implications ripple outward: he may become what his father is, or he may find another path. Either way, B.Dante has established a world worth exploring and a protagonist worth following into whatever darkness awaits.
Style:
Strengths: The prose demonstrates remarkable control. The opening chapter's philosophical framing—"It is strange how the consciousness of mortals works. For years, you drift through existence in a blissful haze"—establishes an introspective first-person voice that balances reflection with visceral immediacy.
The descriptive writing is precise and evocative. The God-King's throne room: "glass tubes ran with crimson liquid—a ruby river flowing toward
LumickRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Overall, this story tells an interesting story and explores what it would feel like to grow up as an Aztec/Roman... with a twist. The Aztec inspiration is front and center with key scenes on sacrifice and an emphasis on plucking out hearts. I did find the Roman inspiration to be more subtle.
I will start with Grammar as it is superb. Names are interesting, maybe a little on the nose, and I saw no issues with grammar.
As far as style goes, there are several core questions that arise over the course of the chapters. The Sun for example, as well as the Moons. It could be metaphor, or they could literally be ___no spoilers___. Even the character gives a non-answer when our MC asks. So I very much so want to find out the history of the Sun.
Storywise, the plot develops naturally and at a steady pace. There are some grimdark moments that are at the beginning and continue to thread through the latter chapters. I like the side-characters that are similar in age to our MC. Even with one getting his ___no spoilers___.
My main issue so far, and it could change as the story continues is the God-King himself. I would like to see more motivation on why he acts the way he does and make him more nuanced. A character that comes to mind that would be a useful inspiration would be the Fire Lord from Avatar: The Last Air Bender. He ravages the Avatar world, but the power scaling is gradually applied to the story. Such that when he is literally roaring fire at the final battle with Aang, it is believable with suitable comparisons.
One thought that comes to mind is to have a Prologue chapter start with the God-King's perspective. For example, there isn't much direction for our MC's mother. It would give a rationale as to why the God-king acts the way he does based on some sort of event. And it would be especially deep if I as the reader can have empathy for him. Another few dynamic villains that come to mind are Scar from The Lion King and a personal favorite: Dr. Facilier from The Princ
Sololetter1Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This novel is pretty interesting. It's so immersive and greatly written. Everytime a chapter ends i wanna know what happens next. So far its not getting stale. .....ok lemme jus..
The style: Its pretty good. I for one am used to third person style of writing but this pov style is pretty good. It's immersive. It feels like the author is telling his story to the reader in a great.. Way.
The Story: The story is pretty good. Its kinda dark and gritty but it balances itself perfectly. The way the lore and world is explained is great. It doesn't feel like a overload of info dumping.
The Grammar: Don't know what to say here its pretty good so far. I haven't seen any issues.
The Characters: The characters are greatly written. They are distinctive and have voices of their own. And thats what i like the most. I think i can read i sentence without context and tell that this is a different person from the mc. And that there is good character writing. The Mc's motivations are.... kinda complex in a way. But i don't wanna spoil
If your in to gritty, dark, action story telling that is balanced with reasonable stuff and characters. Then this is for you. I recommend this.
StolenMadWolfRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Righto, time for another review, this time running up to Chapter 6 - Colour of Night. Again, normal disclaimer of being early in the story applies here. But despite this disclaimer, I've actually really enjoyed reading this! And this is coming from someone who hasn't actually read much Dune (chapters are massive in that) but has read Eragon entirely.
Now, I'm not really getting much in the way of Eragon vibes here, not yet anyway. However, the Dune comparison is remarkably apt here, if you take a more fantastical angle with the whole thing here. I'm going to start with style first here, rather than looking at the world, story and characters as I usually do with reviews, because all three of those are held up by the excellent writing approach.
It's clear, easy to read and flows well across the board, and there is just the right balance of show and tell, dialogue and description that it helps with not only keeping you hooked to the story, but also succeeds in helping to develop a picture of the wider world, even with when there isn't a huge amount of description thrown in here and there. What I mean by that is even with a small amount of detail, I can get a very good visual idea about the state of the world down to how it looks. And yet despite that, there are still more than enough threads hanging around for the reader to ask questions and look for more. Style-wise, it's personally a class act. As a bonus, the chapters are easily digestible, and not what feels like the series of twelve-thousand word monstrosities that Dune has, which is always a treat.
I only have one small thought here - and this is frankly in hindsight - it can be slightly tricky to make a note of the passing of time for some of the chapters. Nowhere near big enough a problem for me to make a note off in reading due to the otherwise excellent style of writing, but enough that I could see someone wondering if our main character is still twelve or not.
That helps get the ball rolling with the rest in
OniKryRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
The writing itself is phenomenal, you can tell the author really cares and is constantly editing their work. The voice is distinct, descriptions are beautifully done and a refreshing. Ominus can feel a bit passive or reactive right now but its clear that its building towards him make a consequential choice in the future, something active.
The prose are evocative, knowing when to be brutally efficient and when to linger on moments of fragile beauty. They have a strong stylistic control and it shows. The premise of the story is excellent and executed tightly. It does a good job weaving together Ominus's internal conflicts like morality vs divinity or his secret, desperate grasp for humanity in the city below. The story pacing is strong, balancing intense scenes with necessary moments of character development and quieter tension.
Grammar is clean, sentence structure is varied and effective. No comment here.
The characters themselves are very well written, Ominus Vau is my kind of protagonist. He's profoundly sympathetic yet morally complicated. His struggle between his violent upbringing and his innate humanity is written concise and clear. The supporting case is strong as well, The God King is terrifying, the Left Eye is brutally practical, and Tala and Romulan feel like real people with their own lives. The relationships are great, particularly the twisted mentor-student dynamic with Left and the fragile, high stake friendship with Tala and Romulan. Every character serves the them and plot, which I enjoy greatly.
Ominus Vau: God-Prince of Draan is looking towards being a standout piece of dark fantasy. It earns its grim tone through consistent worldbuilding and deep character work. All my critics are minor points where sometimes they show something and then tell me the thing that has already happened, or sometimes some repetitive use of wording, but those are so small that it doesnt take away anything from the overall piece. Overall, this is a classic, archetypal nar
KhetiennRoyal Road
★★★★ 4.0
This dark fantasy follows Ominus Vau, the conflicted prince of Draan, living under the oppressive rule of his father, the God-King Tyrannichus. (Really?) While the story has strong worldbuilding and an intriguing protagonist, the execution of the grimdark elements lacks a bit.
The city of Draan feels visceral and oppressive, with memorable locations and detailed cultural elements that bring the setting to life. Ominus is genuinely interesting, torn between his royal identity and his evolving secret life as "Onyx" among commoners. This dual identity creates real tension and emotional stakes. Left plays the enigmatic mentor figure well.
The writing is evocative and polished, with strong descriptive passages that demonstrate skill. Grammar and spelling are good.
My biggest complaint is that the God-King's casual brutality feels more like grimdark for grimdark's sake rather than serving the narrative. While I understand the author is establishing a tyrannical regime, Tyrannichus' actions often come across as shock value rather than being rooted in believable character motivation or political logic. Even the worst tyrants in history had reasons (however twisted) for their cruelty - it served a purpose, consolidated power, or stemmed from ideology. Here, it almost feels like the author is checking boxes on a "dark fantasy" checklist without exploring the why behind the violence. Related to the above, the God-King would be far more compelling (and frightening) if we understood what drives him beyond simply being evil. What does he fear? What does he want? What does he believe justifies his actions?
There's real atmospheric potential here, and readers who can overlook one-dimensional villainy in favor of the protagonist's journey may still find plenty to enjoy.