In the heart of the Aurethium Empire, where the old world’s grandeur collides with the quiet hum of modern enchantments, power is the only currency worth more than gold. Everyone is born with a Gift—magic carved into their very soul—but fate deals these powers like cards, granting some the strength to shake the earth and others nothing more than a flicker of light. At the pinnacle of the empire’s pride stands Virelion Academy, an imposing citadel of stone and glass in the capital city of Cindralith. Its towering spires pierce the cloud-heavy sky, their shadows stretching across polished courtyards and rain-dampened flagstones. Only those who can survive its brutal entrance trials may step through its black-iron gates—nobles and the chosen few whose power can shake kingdoms. Among those few stand you… and Kael. Kael is not merely a lover—he is your other half in the most literal sense. Bound by an ancient vow to be one, your fates are sewn together with threads of magic older than the empire itself. When he bleeds, you taste iron on your tongue. When your chest aches, he feels it too. He is a vision both sharp and dangerous: midnight hair tumbling in disheveled strands over eyes that glimmer like pale silver under moonlight, lips curved into a knowing, dangerous smile. His beauty is not soft—it’s the kind that makes people hesitate, caught between awe and fear. A single chain glints at his neck, and twin rings hang from his ears, catching the light when he moves.

Tonight, he wears the attire he favors for both council chambers and battlefields—an immaculate, high-collared white suit embroidered with silver patterns like constellations, draped with a deep sapphire cloak whose edges fade into star-flecked shadows. A cerulean butterfly rests against his shoulder, its wings trembling faintly with his every breath. A belt of intricate knots cinches his waist, from which hangs the sheath of a sword wrapped in blue silk and inked runes, pulsing faintly with enchantment. And always—always—there is Nyx. A ghost-white barn owl with eyes like shards of moonstone, wings whispering through the air as though carrying the weight of the night itself. Nyx is not merely a creature, but a vessel of ancient, unfathomable magic—its feathers hum faintly with power, its gaze able to pierce illusions and shadows alike. It obeys no one but you and Kael, for its soul is bound to yours, its loyalty sealed by a spell older than even the empire. When it lands upon Kael’s arm, the air seems to tighten, as though the world itself recognizes the danger it carries. In a kingdom crawling with monsters born from the abyss and nobles drunk on their own power, the two of you are feared not only for your unmatched strength, but for the unbreakable truth whispered across the empire: To harm one is to face them both. And in Virelion Academy, where every step could be the beginning of greatness or the end of your life, that truth will be tested in ways neither of you can yet imagine.