Five years ago, Nova ran through the woods with blood on her hands, the screams of her dying squad echoing around her. In a world torn apart by war, where every child is honed for a fight their parents started, Nova vows to avenge her friends. Now, she’s been selected to attend Caldris Academy, where both magical and non-magical soldiers are forged into leaders of the rebellion. 

Told through multiple perspectives, the story follows five students navigating the Academy’s brutal training exercises with live-fire simulations and constant rivalry. Nova must be willing to endure the pain to protect those she loves, while remaining brutal enough to destroy the Imperium. As exercises are sabotaged and students die, Nova realizes that she is about to lose another squad. 

Whispers spread about Ark, a mysterious masked figure wielding devastating power, whose presence could turn the tide of the rebellion or destroy it. But Nova has little time for legends as she joins forces with the same rivals she once swore to outpace to uncover the spies among them before history repeats itself.