Chapter 1
My brother Gideon and I trained side by side, chasing the ultimate pinnacle of magic: true apotheosis.
I chose to ascend and claim divinity. He stayed behind in the mortal world for the woman he loved—his brilliant young apprentice, Felicity Norwood.
Three hundred years later, I returned from the divine realms to find him, only to discover the Arcane Order had a new master. Everything had changed beyond recognition.
The courtyard where he once lived was a ruin, overgrown and abandoned.
The title of Grand Magus, the position he had poured his life into, now belonged to someone else.
The soulbound artifact I had gifted him years ago was in the hands of this new Grand Magus, being reforged as his own.
The apprentices Gideon had raised from children now happily called this stranger "Grandmaster."
And my brother himself had vanished without a trace.
I tracked down Felicity, now someone else's wife, and demanded answers about Gideon's whereabouts.
She could not meet my eyes. At last, she lifted a trembling hand and pointed to the smug, unfamiliar man seated in the place of honor.
"That… that is your brother," Felicity said, her voice barely above a whisper.
I stared at the usurper's triumphant face.
Divine aura roared out of me unchecked. A blade of pure light materialized in my hand, its tip aimed straight at Felicity's throat.
"One last time," I said, voice low and deadly. "Where is my brother?"
*****
When I descended, I cloaked my divine aura completely and touched down just outside the towering gates of the Empyrean Conclave.
Three hundred years, Gideon. I was finally home.
"Hold it right there!" Two Gateward Acolytes stepped forward, swords half-drawn, looking down their noses at me.
"Who do you think you are? The Empyrean Conclave is sacred ground for true mages. Common folk don't just stroll in," one of them sneered.
I gave them my name, calm and clear. "Dominic Harrow."
They blinked, then burst out laughing. "Dominic Harrow? You've got some guts, pal. Our ascended forebear had the same name.
"Yeah, well, he ascended to divinity three centuries ago. You're nobody, and you're not fooling anyone by pretending to be him."
I didn't waste words. I reached into my cloak and drew out the runic medallion—my matching token with Gideon's, etched with divine sigils that spelled my name.
The laughter died instantly.
They stared at the medallion, looked at each other, and went pale.
Next thing I knew, both were on their knees.
"We were blind. Forgive us!" they cried, foreheads pressed to the ground.
"Your divine presence was so perfectly hidden we didn't recognize you. Please, have mercy on a couple of idiots!" they pleaded.
I nodded once and tucked the medallion away.
"Where is my brother Gideon?" I demanded, my voice cold and unwavering.
The name clearly meant nothing to them.
"Gideon, sir?" one ventured. "We've only been here a few decades. There's no one by that name in the Order these days."
A cold weight settled in my chest.
"Then who holds the title of Grand Magus now?" I asked.
"The current Grand Magus is High Sorcerer Silas Blackthorn," one of them replied.
Not Gideon.
Before my ascension, Gideon had already been Grand Magus. How could the position belong to some stranger named Nocturne?
Had he taken a new title? Stepped away into seclusion and passed the mantle on?
Questions gnawed at me as I walked through the gates.
I followed old, familiar paths toward Whisperfrost Enclave, the place Gideon and I had once shared.
The closer I got, the heavier my heart grew.
The gate hung crooked on its hinges. Weeds choked the garden. The whole courtyard looked like no one had set foot there in years.
Inside the house, everything was empty, buried under thick dust.
I stepped into the center of the yard and looked at the enchanted blossom tree we had planted together.
Gideon had loved that tree. He watered it himself every morning, trimmed every stray branch.
Now it stood dead, its limbs bare and brittle.
There wasn't even the faintest trace of his magical signature left behind.
Dread coiled tight in my gut.
I stopped a passing acolyte.
"Hey, kid. Where does the Grand Magus live these days?" I asked.
He pointed eagerly. "Up ahead, in Veilshroud Manor."
Veilshroud Manor?
That had been Felicity's home.
It clicked at once.
Before I ascended, Gideon and Felicity had married. They had already become Eternal Bondmates.
Of course he would have moved in with her.
The knot of worry loosened, just a little.
I steadied myself and flew toward the manor.