Vlad Rabiut Herak was born into a prestigious witchcraft lineage, but magic never answered his call. For 21 years, he has been a disappointment, to his family, to himself, and most painfully, to his bedridden mother, who lies unconscious and fading.
Desperate and alone, Vlad stands beneath a rare alignment of stars and makes a final wish: to practice magic again.
To his shock, the stars answer. A golden scroll appears, revealing the Wishing System, an ancient artifact that grants wishes in exchange for fulfilling the desires of others.
Vlad awakens his dormant magic, but the surge of power tears through the protective barrier of his homeland, hurling him into the Forsaken Land, a cursed wasteland ruled by the tyrannical Aranyr Dynasty.
Hunted by sorcerers, Vlad stumbles into a ragtag rebellion of witches, shamans, and outcasts. To survive, he must advance his magic magic and push the limits of the Wishing System.
But the rebellion harbors its own traitors. As Vlad rises from a baron of magic to a viscount of spells, he uncovers a conspiracy that will tear the camp apart from within. Friends become enemies, and the line between salvation and damnation blurs with every incantation.
He wanted to heal his mother.
He wanted to overthrow tyrants.
He wanted to be a great wizard.
But in a world where every wish has a price, Vlad must decide: how much of himself is he willing to lose?