A Bright and Shiny Life

Malz is a terrorist—or perhaps a partisan, though "freedom fighter" feels too noble for the brutal reality of his war. Three years after the Arkothan Empire conquered Caethlon, the shattered kingdom simmers with resistance. Magic twists identities, morality erodes, and every shadow hides a blade. When a botched assassination forces Malz to flee, his handlers send him deep into enemy territory: posing as a noble, he infiltrates the empire’s most elite magic academy. The gilded halls and glittering privileges of imperial life intoxicate him, a stark contrast to the blood and desperation of his past. But the darkness within him craves violence, and the longer he plays the noble, the harder it becomes to resist the pull of power—or the risks of discovery. Caught between the life he stole and the war he can’t abandon, Malz must decide how far he’ll go to keep his bright, shining lie from crumbling.