Every year, one girl from every village is chosen.Sent to the capital. Tested for power.If she fails, she disappears.If she passes, she dies.Elvira has always known the rules—follow them, and you might survive. But when her name is called, the world she thought she understood begins to fracture. The capital is not what she expected. The war is not what they say. And the man assigned to guard her?He is Virelith—one of the blood-bound. Forged by royal magic. Tethered to the crown. Feared by all. Silent, lethal… and watching her far too closely.As strange dreams surface and whispers of a forgotten fire begin to stir, Elvira must tread carefully in a kingdom that fears what she might become—and destroy anyone who dares to care for her.Because in a place where no one returns, one truth burns brighter than all:Some embers were never meant to go out.