She will wake what was lost.His darkness will answer.Drawn into a kingdom fracturing beneath a crumbling crown, Vaelira must master a power she never asked for, or watch the world she swore to protect, turn to ash... More than a century after the Great Demon Fire reduced the continent to ash, its scars have never truly faded. Sheltered by its mountains, Eastvale was spared the flames, but not the demons that now stalk the night beyond village walls, or the ruthless Wasteland raiders that prey on travellers by day. Vaelira wants one thing: to join Anhaven’s Guard and protect the people she loves from those dangers. To earn her place, she must pass three gruelling trials meant to test her strength, skill, and resolve. But when a Royal Guard from the capital arrives to observe the trials, he is inexplicably drawn to Vaelira, and something within her awakens. Burdened with a power she never asked for, Vaelira travels to Caerthalyn—a city where magic is outlawed, politics are lethal, and cultists lurk in every shadow. As secrets unravel and loyalties blur, Vaelira discovers that her power is tied to a much darker secret… one that could change the fate of their kingdom. In a world where people are rarely what they seem, will Vaelira uncover the answers she seeks… or ignite the very forces that could destroy it all?