by ryvnclw
In the nation of Aurelion, survival is not a right—it is a privilege earned through sacrifice. Divided into eight regions, each stripped of resources they do not produce, the people are forced into dependence on a corrupt government that thrives on control. To maintain “balance,” two tributes from each region are chosen to compete in the Ascension Trials—a deadly arena where survival means everything, and mercy can cost your life. Lyra Vance has spent years trying to stay invisible. But when her name appears on the selection list, the past she buried begins to resurface—especially the memory of her twin sister, Elia, who was chosen… and never returned. Haunted by loss and fueled by quiet anger, Lyra is thrust into a game she has long feared. But unlike the others, she isn’t entering unprepared. She has been learning. Watching. Surviving. And this time, she refuses to be a victim. As alliances shift, truths unravel, and the system reveals its cracks, Lyra begins to realize that the real enemy isn’t just the arena— It’s the nation that built it.
