The fire that destroyed the Essency estate burned for one night. The rage it left behind would take years. At fifteen, Maverick Essency watched his family's four-hundred-year legacy reduced to embers - and discovered, in his father's journal, that it was no accident. Someone above the Nine Noble Families ordered it. Someone powerful enough to never be questioned. They forgot to kill the son. Now Maverick has two years, one name, and a plan that begins at the Sagitoria Royal Academy of Magic - where the children of his enemies study, scheme, and believe themselves untouchable. They have never met anyone like him. The Essence of Independence is a dark fantasy of grief, strategy, and a boy who learns that the most dangerous weapon isn't magic - it's patience.