STORY RANKINGS #1 in Infiltration #6 in Trials #8 in Wars #16 in World-building Updates: Saturday and Sunday SIBOL 1st of the Folklore Series "They say the Light is a sanctuary. They forgot that it's also a fire." In a world where magic is possible, war is inevitable. For thousands of years, two nations have shared a border and a grudge, locked in a cycle of blood that the rest of the world is content to watch from afar. To the people of Diwa, their kingdom is a beacon of glory and peace. But glory is often built on the bones of the forgotten, and peace is just a word for a war that hasn't started yet. Alba Scelesta did not come to the Taliksinin Academy for an education. She did not come for the prestige of the Ten Thousand Steps or the favor of the Solaris royalty. She came for justice. Infiltrating the heart of the enemy's power is a death sentence, but Alba is already a ghost of the life she once knew. Masked as a student, she must navigate a world of elite warriors, lethal trials, and a royal bloodline that is as dangerous as it is radiant. But as she climbs higher into the light, she realizes the secret she's carrying isn't the only one hidden in these halls. In a game where every move is monitored and every touch is a test, Alba must find the truth before the light she seeks to extinguish blinds her first. Who is to blame for a thousand-year war? Are the shadows always haunting, or is the light the true monster?