I stood beneath the binding altar of Ironhaven Academy, the air heavy with the scent of cold stone and anticipation.
The instructor scanned the parchment. "Cale Voss."
I stepped onto the platform. The four obsidian pillars erupted, bathing the altar in a blinding, white-hot light.
In this world, beasts ruled the wild, and humanity survived by binding them. Today, my destiny would be carved in stone.
I pressed my palm to the crystal orb. “Come forth,” I whispered. “The beast that is mine.”
