Introduction: The king wants every sorcerer dead. And he thinks Gray is one of them.The king of Lismere doesn't ask. He orders. And what he wants, he gets. His latest decree? Exterminate every sorcerer bloodline.Which is a huge problem for Gray, because the king鈥檚 right-hand man is convinced Gray鈥檚 the long-lost son of Lismere鈥檚 most notorious sorcerer.If that wasn鈥檛 bad enough, someone - something - is stalking Gray鈥檚 hometown. People are dying. The local mages are vanishing. And Gray? He鈥檚 stuck as a prisoner under the cruel eye of the king鈥檚 right-hand man.Gray can鈥檛 protect anyone while he鈥檚 waiting to be dragged before the king and executed.If he wants to survive, Gray has to outwit the king鈥檚 enforcers, endure politics and betrayals, and uncover dangerous truths lurking behind every turn ... even if it means facing what he fears most about himself.Only posting on Royalroad - if you're reading this somewhere else, it's without the author's permission.Some slow burn progression, but it's real slow. There's no levelling up for the MC until well into the story.There's some darker themes and elements. While the protagonist is a teen, if this was a movie, I'd rate it at least MA. And there's a lot of cussing.What to expect:- flawed teen MC- found family- chosen one trope- no early OP moments- very dark in places- jokes thrown in occasionally, to lighten the grit- lone wolf and cub trope (but super slow-burn)- everything's pretty slow-burn, tbh- character-driven- background romance but it's minorPosts are sporadic - no set schedule rn....