The Filtered Soul

Nia Cross was twenty-three, broke, forgotten, and one bad shift away from giving up. But when the world around her freezes mid-commute and a mysterious figure offers her a second chance, she steps through a glowing door-and into the magical realm of Aetherwyn.

She is not summoned to be a hero. She holds no prophecy. Instead, Nia becomes a living filter-a being whose presence alone purifies corrupted magic threatening to unravel the world. With no grand quest to guide her, no overpowered cheats to lean on, and no one waiting to catch her fall, Nia must forge her own path.

Armed with a rare creation skill, a growing curiosity about the world's magic, and the grit only a hard life can teach, Nia begins her quiet journey. From humble crafting jobs to ancient magical secrets, from peaceful groves to shadowy monsters that should not exist-she'll travel the world not to save it, but to live in it.

This is not the story of a chosen one.
This is the story of someone finally choosing herself.