King's magician, Harlock Cooper, the greatest magician that ever lived - has just died.
Now it's in the hands of the aged and weary Grand Magic Master, Wenward Marning, to scour the kingdom and find a suitable replacement in time to prevent a war. He sets out on the task with the knowledge that he can never find anyone as great as Harlock Cooper.
Or can he?
Marning meets Rat, a curious, rough-tempered street boy with a particularly keen talent for magic. Torn by grief, rage and the desire for revenge, Rat reluctantly places his loyalties to his street family aside and focuses on becoming the kingdom's magical champion. However, there is more to Rat than meets the eye, and he is the only one who can uncover who - or what - he truly is.
Together, Rat and Marning, boy and elder, work through their differences as they face a slowly unraveling web of conspiracy, treason, betrayal and revenge: and along with it, the dark reality of a terrible curse coming their way.
'I shouldn't have knelt. I should have let you kill me.'
'I can still do it.'
One day, I will get my revenge. It's only then that I'll be able to let my past go, and breathe again, and smile again, and maybe even love.
Until then, I do not live.
I bide my time.
"The best revenge is to be unlike your enemy," ~ Marcus Aurelius
*** WARNINGS: The story contains mature themes and language. Not suitable for children. Some chapters include violent and sexual content and may be triggering for some people. Read at your own discretion.
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