Xavier's body is changing. And so is the world he knows. He is not sure what it is happening to him or why. His friends and acquaintances do not know what is wrong with him. They hardly recognize him. And who is the mysterious Elizabeth who obsessed him? And can she be trusted? Before he fully understands what he is or who he is now, he may find himself an unwilling pawn in a centuries-long chess game in which there can be no real winners. His only alternative may be to lose what little humanity