Introduction: What to Expect: Climactic duels, epic army scale battles, wholesome romance, heart-wrenching drama, and plenty of fun, lighthearted moments in between. Plus author-made illustrations and animated GIFs!Theme: Young heroes overcoming trauma and discovering who they are in a world pushed to its limits by war.This is a long, layered story that I鈥檝e been crafting for a very long time. Expect a journey that will take its time to unfold its storied world and characters piece by piece with plenty of action woven throughout to keep things exciting every step of the way.The massive scale of industry has clashed with the wonders of magic in a deadly union that has changed the world forever. Long gone are the days of gallant knights charging forth clad in enchanted armor or wizened wizards spending decades mastering spells and incantations. Now powerful magic can be mass-produced in the thousands, loaded into a simple handheld slugger, and fired in a matter of seconds. This is the age of the Mage Soldier.This is the Second Arcane War.But sixteen-year-old Damian is far from the frontlines, tucked safely away at the prestigious Providencia Officer's Academy鈥攁 school dedicated to training the next generation of Mage Soldier leaders. Still, it鈥檚 his dream to one day become one of the strongest Mage Soldiers, join the ranks of the elite Aces, and prove he has what it takes to be a hero鈥攋ust like his father, the legendary Silver Fox.The only problem? No matter how hard he tries, Damian鈥檚 magic has a tendency to blow up in his face鈥攕ometimes literally鈥攁s he's left watching in frustration as friends, family, and classmates leave him behind.But everything changes when the war reaches the capital. During the annual Reclamation Day rally, the city is struck by a surprise enemy assault鈥攍ed by one of the legendary Beasts of War, mythical creatures long thought to exist only in nightmares and fairy tales. Amid the chaos, Damian gets far more than he bargained for as strange powers awaken within him鈥攁long with a mysterious, talking wolf that only he can see, claiming to be one of the very same Beasts of War, as it offers to help him become the hero he always wanted to be.Swept into a conflict far greater than he ever imagined, Damian is thrust into a journey across a war-torn continent as he battles powerful magic users and monsters alike, he鈥檒l uncover buried truths, fight epic battles, and have an unlikely encounter that will challenge everything he thought he knew鈥攁bout the war, about being a hero, and about exactly who he is and what he truly wants to fight for.[participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge]...