BitterLeaf - in the Portals of Tessalindria Collection

The world is going to war over who has the right to live forever following the development of a life-enhancing LifeBalm product from the pharma giant, Allied Protheon. Wilner Meltoran, the scientist responsible for extracting the unique enzyme from the BitterLeaf weed that gives LifeBalm its healing power, is discovering that the power of the drug is not quite as clean as it may have thought when it was released.

Wilner knows that his research isn’t complete, but the product is being sold, and many regularly take the enzyme as a supplement with startling results. This “protomelnithien” cannot be synthesized. It is a gift of Mah'Eladra, never meant to be used in this way. 

Wilner’s son, Maj, is conscripted into the Mythinian war and loses a leg in the line of duty. The story starts when Maj returns home demoralized and disinterested in life. When Wilner refuses to allow him to take LifeBalm to help with his seizures, Wilner is recognized by the doctors at the hospital. Word leaks out that the developer of the drug won’t use his own product. As the story escalates, Wilner and his family seek refuge in the infamous Sessashian cult, which he discovers is not at all what the world thinks it is.