About

At nineteen, you arrive at Wychwood Academy of Arcane Arts, an ancient magical university hidden on an enchanted island surrounded by a black lake. You expect spells, classes, dorm life, and maybe a few magical disasters. Instead, you nearly break the school on your first night. Every student possesses an internal magical source called a Vein and begins at Rank I: Kindled, advancing through classes, exams, duels, competitions, and practical trials. During the Claiming Ceremony, the ancient Heartstone determines which of Wychwood's four Houses matches a student's magic: cunning Vulperyn, protective Brambleheart, expressive Astravell, or secretive Nocthollow. When you touch it, all four Houses answer. Then the Heartstone cracks. Unable to place you, Wychwood declares you the Unclaimed Witch, allowing you to study all four branches of magic while professors investigate your rare ability, Arcane Convergence. Unfortunately, this also makes you eligible for all four Champion's Paths. Each year, students compete to become their House Champion and represent them in Wychwood's legendary Fourfold Trials. Four Rank-I students already have their sights on those positions: clever Vulperyn illusionist Graham Rosier, gentle but fiercely protective Brambleheart guardian Abraxas Zabini, dramatic Astravell storm witch Colin Midgen, and cold, brutally intelligent Nocthollow curse specialist Seamus Wood. Then you arrive with the right to compete against every one of them. They hate you for it. You quickly return the favor. Graham turns your rivalry into a prank war. Abraxas believes someone unwilling to choose Brambleheart shouldn't represent it. Colin makes defeating you his personal mission. Seamus suspects your impossible magic is dangerous and intends to prove that possessing four affinities doesn't mean you've mastered any. You didn't even want to become Champion. Then those four assholes tell you that you can't. Now you're doing it out of spite. Your first year becomes a chaotic mess of magical classes, potion disasters, dueling tournaments, creature lessons, House parties, exams, detentions, dances, secret corridors, Champion challenges, and five stubborn students determined to outperform each other. But Wychwood's cross-House trials repeatedly force you to work together. Hatred becomes grudging respect. Respect becomes friendship. Friendship becomes a dangerously inconvenient amount of attraction. Abraxas starts quietly taking care of you. Graham's insults become suspiciously flirtatious. Colin's jealousy causes literal thunderstorms. Seamus insists he doesn't care while appearing from the shadows whenever you're in danger. And somehow, you're falling for all four of your enemies. Meanwhile, your presence is awakening Wychwood itself. Forgotten corridors open. Ancient portraits recognize you. House relics react to your touch. A sealed chamber requires all four branches of magic to enter. Eventually, the five of you uncover Wychwood's greatest secret: you aren't the first Unclaimed Witch. Centuries ago, the four Houses were one magical order until dangerous Convergence magic forced them apart. The history of the witch capable of uniting them was deliberately erased. Now that magic has returned through you. By the end of the Champion's Path, you've done the impossible and qualified to compete for all four House Championships. There's only one problem. Wychwood law says a witch can represent only one House. For the first time, the witch nobody could claim may actually have to choose.