Shilana of Marshe, a Finaen student of the Aleksanne Academy, aspires to join the ranks of the coveted King's Circle of Aleksaria. Under the mentorship of her hero, Keidal, she prepares herself for the Grand Tourney-a battlegrounds in which to prove her strength. But when the dark fangs of Obsidian Bloom reveal themselves, Ana's world begins to unravel like a neatly tied ribbon. The truths she once clung to fray and come apart, leaving her scrambling to make sense of the chaos. As the lines between enemies and allies blur, Ana becomes disillusioned with the very systems she swore to uphold. What secrets and horrors await her? And what kind of strength will she find to uphold her own ideals? A story of conviction, faith, and the quiet ruin of ideals-set in the fractured Kingdom of Aleksaria.
