The Mind-Altar

HE dies every night. Not literally. But close enough. He enters a place he can't explain—a void where his body doesn't exist but his mind does. Where he can train for hours that don't pass. Fight shadows that know him best. Sharpen himself on edges no one else can see. The Academy thinks he's lucky. Weak, but lucky. They're wrong. There's no luck in the Pit. Just 100 commoners ranked and sorted like cattle. Climb to the top 3, or get sent North—where true horrors reside. Ranked 100. Three months to climb or die. No mana. No sponsor. No talent they can measure. Just a secret that's killing him one repetition at a time. And comrades who might save him—or break him. The Academy is just the beginning. The North is where legends are forged. And the truth? The truth will break everything. In a world where power is inherited, he's stealing it one night at a time. From himself. From his enemies. And eventually, from the Empire that tried to break him.