The Harvest has begun, and mercy is not among its virtues. Tens of thousands of young mages are summoned to face the Preliminary Trials—a brutal global selection meant to decide who is worthy to advance and who will be forgotten.
Watched by unseen judges and bound by ancient rules, the contestants are pushed through merciless tests of endurance, control, and intellect, where hesitation is punished and doubt is fatal. For George Lydia, the trials are more than competition. As pressure mounts and rivals close in, he is forced to confront his greatest weakness: the instinct to force power instead of understanding it.
Through failure, ridicule, and revelation, George learns a dangerous truth—magic is not strength wielded violently, but intent shaped with precision. When the final trial is revealed—the infamous City of Mazes—survival becomes uncertain and unity becomes fragile. Standing at the threshold with Nana and Kayn, George realizes the Harvest was never meant to create heroes. It was meant to decide who the world is willing to sacrifice.