Introduction: Welcome to Midhell.Each year, 400 students vanish from the world and awaken in Midhell—an ancient, dark realm built on madness and ancient sorcery. In it, the lands serves the cruel, medieval institution of the Crucible, ruled by gods and demons. And the only way to escape is to survive. Split into ten Houses, students must live in ruined castles and manage their own survival—food, clothing, finances, defenses—while studying in seven brutal schools. They train in combat, alchemy, runes, sorcery, ancient knowledge, and practical skills, all to prepare for the Dungeons: six towering fortresses scattered across the land, each one a trial that must be conquered before the year ends.But eighteen-year-old Arden Langlis never asked to be here; none of them did, but Arden wasn't chosen by the Masters themselves to be here. Overworked, self-loathing, and tired, all he wants to do is to survive another day and get home in one piece. But when a strange boy boards his bus home and forces him to sign a piece of paper written in a language he wasn't even sure existed on Earth, Arden ends up waking alone in a dark forest with no cell signal, no way home, no idea what he's just signed into. On his first day, late and unregistered, terrified and desperate to return home, he makes a deal with a Master for a wish: a chance to leave the Crucible instantly, if he murders one of his Housemates and gets away with it. But when the deal falls south because of his mistake, the dream of home collapses, and Arden is left as a murderer and a fool, reviled by the same Housemates he was meant to survive beside. Now lonely and hated and marked as a pariah, he, like the rest of the students gathered here, must for survival across four different fronts: The Schools, where he must study ancient languages and train in combat and sorcery, while mastering essential skills for his own needs. The House, where he and his Housemates must manage their own resources, cook their own meals, defend themselves against winter, the land, and each other within. The Dungeons, where a small mistake may lead to fatal and grotesque consequences. And the Masters themselves. Arden, broken before the year even began, must decide what kind of person he needs to be to graduate: a murderer, a fool, an ally, a pariah… or something else entirely.Dark Fantasy, Academy Gothic, Mystery, Survival DramaWhat to expect:A smart, competent but flawed protagonist. Intricate, very detailed House management, students are responsible for their own survival, from cooking and smithing to tailoring and financing their tuitions and preparing for Dungeons. A multi front struggle between balancing classes and studies, winning points and exchanging them for currency, resource upkeep, interpersonal drama, the horrors of the campus, and the Dungeons looming ahead inevitably. Six of them.Murder mysteries, courtroom showdowns, a Master who makes contracts with students to murder one of theirs in exchange for a wish: power, knowledge, an early key chance to get out.An atmosphere of medieval, gothic dread and survival....