In the quiet town of Barrowfen, Erin Thorne has learned to survive by going unnoticed. When the Oakhaven Athenaeum of Sorcery comes to test the town's youth, Erin expects to be overlooked, just as she always has. Instead, a hidden magic awakens, drawn out by a small rune-etched stone left to her by a father lost in the Shroud Wars. Chosen not for power, but for patience, endurance, and the courage to act when it matters most, Erin is offered a place at the Athenaeum, guarded by the elite Oak Assembly. As old loyalties pull her forward and unhealed grief follows close behind, Erin must leave the only home she has known and step into a world where magic listens, secrets endure, and the past may yet demand its due. For readers who love quiet heroines, slow-burn magic, and stories where strength is measured not by force, but by resolve.