Introduction: A progression fantasy with philosophical depthA mystical force known as the Light binds the universe together. Those who can wield it — the Illuminates — bend minds, shape emotions, and alter memory itself. Predators, Poets, Guardians, Navigators… each command a different aspect of the Light. But above them all stand the rare Kings and Queens, who can grant or strip away power itself. For centuries, their clashes have shaped the fate of humanity.Michael never asked to be part of that struggle. A teenager from small?town America, he discovers his rare gift and is swept into the School of Light in Rome — a hidden academy where mastery means survival. As he climbs the ranks and prepares for the high?stakes tournament Steal the Light, he’s drawn into a dangerous rivalry between the world’s last two Queens. Their choices — and his — will decide not just who wins, but what it means to be free....