The Disaster of the Promised Land

In the small town of Dalab, every seventeen-year-old has a chance to be selected in the Choosing Ceremony-where one of their own is taken to Daiska, a seemingly gleaming paradise island floating high in the sky. When Clarence is chosen he makes an unforgettable promise to his best friend Ravi. A deep sense of loneliness, anger, and especially unease begins to fill him. As a distraction he turns to the local guild hall, taking on dangerous jobs to fill the void. During one mission, he discovers his own potential, and the possibility that he could get his friend back.

Meanwhile, Clarence, now in Daiska, begins to uncover dark truths: the "paradise" everyone talks about is no sanctuary, but a prison that harvests the life and magic of its chosen. As Ravi digs deeper into the violent underbelly of Dalab, and Clarence unravels the conspiracy of Daiska, their paths diverge but remain bound by loyalty and fate, and that one promise. Ravi becomes entangled with a mysterious employer and an uprising, while Clarence's curiosity pulls him into rebellion against the council that rules from the shadows. Together, though separated, they move toward the same inevitable confrontation while trying to reveal the truth of paradise.