A Story That Never Happens

Soul, a young magic user born into a powerful family of gifted practitioners, becomes the new Anchor after their grandmother dies, responsible for the family’s spiritual and magical well-being. Their immense shadow magic mirrors their emotions, but after one devastating loss of control, Soul suppresses both their power and feelings. When Uncle Fel reveals Soul has been accepted into Eldershade, the realm’s most prestigious magical academy, Soul leaves home before completing the family’s traditional Ritual of Passing. At Eldershade, Soul studies seven branches of magic and confronts family expectations, morality, identity, and the fear that darkness makes them evil, while searching for control and the truth of what an Anchor should be. The academy’s mysterious eighth Wild Card house may be the only place for magic that refuses classification.