#inkandunwritten story participation! So Excited! On the morning she should have been finalizing wedding plans, Cassandra Vale is torn from her life by a summoning ritual that mistakes desperation for destiny. She awakens in a foreign court alongside four other strangers, each pulled from unfinished lives and private futures. Jason Calloway looks like he lives in the gym and believes strength can solve anything. William James prefers silence and observation to conversation. Vivian Sterling built a life through screens and attention, now stranded in a world that doesn't care who's watching. And Alexander Mercer-the effortless golden boy-hides the truth behind a smile that disarms everyone. Together, they are declared heroes. A world on the brink of collapse claims it had no choice. Demons press against failing seals. Ancient protections crumble. And those in power believe salvation can be taken from another reality, if the need is great enough. But the summoned are not grateful. Being chosen doesn't make you a hero. It makes you a resource. And Cassandra Vale never agreed to be merciful. From the moment they arrive, it becomes clear the ritual was flawed, the explanations incomplete, and the cost deliberately obscured. Cassandra recognizes the pattern immediately. She's read these stories. She knows the roles being offered, the expectations being placed, and the quiet demand for obedience that follows. Playing along may be the only way to survive-but that doesn't mean she intends to accept it. As grief hardens into anger and fragile alliances form, the summoned heroes agree to help a world that stole them. Not because they believe in destiny. Not because they were chosen. But because innocent lives are caught in the middle. This is not a story about divine heroes. It's about a forced kidnapping that turns all of them into one.

Magic is forbidden. Love is dangerous. Prophecy is absolute. Alex Corvus was born with a secret he cannot reveal-magic in a world that burns those who wield it. Hidden away in the quiet edges of Ravenwood, he lives between shadows and silence, watched over by his frail mother and the two friends who know the truth: Johnny, the reckless heir to a noble house, and Lyra, his sister, a scholar who believes in reason over faith. When Alex accepts an apprenticeship under the mysterious Lord Arnaut, his life changes forever. Arnaut is brilliant, unsettling, and far too kind to be trusted. Yet in his dark halls, Alex finds more than mentorship-he finds belonging... and something dangerously close to love. But the past never stays buried. The old servant, Dot, knows what Alex truly is-and what he will become. The Goddess whispers to him in dreams, guiding his hand toward a destiny written long before his birth. Bloodlines are not forgotten. Curses do not die. As the kingdom fractures and magic stirs beneath the throne, Alex's power grows-and so does something else, something alive within him, a secret too sacred to name. By moonlight, a prophecy awakens. By dawn, a king will burn. Author's Note: This is the Beta Version of The Fire Beneath the Throne. Chapters will be updated and refined over time. Thank you for reading early and sharing your feedback!