They burned his name. Shackled his magic. Called him traitor. Now he's back-with fire in his veins. Darius Valorian was once the Empire's golden son-until prophecy marked him for ruin. Banished by a lie and stripped of power, expected to die in the Wildlands. He didn't. The rebels saved him. The Empire's top commander still hunts him. Darius wields unstable fire magic-and it's getting stronger. If he can't control it, it'll destroy more than the enemy. Elara Veyne, the rebellion's fiercest warrior, doesn't trust him. The others barely tolerate him. But the Empire is building a weapon that can erase magic itself. Villages are vanishing. Magic is dying. Time is bleeding out. He fights with a shadow-panther bound to his soul. His allies stand divided behind him. Darius must decide-burn for revenge or rise for something more. The prophecy says he brings destruction. But Darius isn't here to serve fate. He's here to break it. And if he fails, fire won't be the end. Oblivion will.