Born with two souls. Bound by one secret. Her destiny begins in fire, but only Spirit will define her.

For millennia, every Firstborn has been male. Until Tien. Born carrying two soul names—both son and daughter—she bears the twin markings of their God and Goddess, a truth she must bury behind a false identity. Disguised as a man, she takes the stage for her Testing to earn her place at Erithea, the capital’s legendary Elemental Mage School.

There, only the strongest rise. Entry into Erithea is not just an honor but a reckoning. It is the gateway to coming of age. When an Elemental’s body finally stabilizes to bear its power, they step into adulthood at last, between the ages of twenty-four and twenty-six. For Tien, failure means more than rejection. It means a life cut short before it ever begins.

Neophytes are tested. Weakness is punished. And every lesson draws her closer to revealing the secret she cannot afford to expose: she is a Spirit Elemental, with the rare ability to command them all.

But danger lurks even beyond the training grounds. As Tien bonds with her cabinmates—including Prince Aenon, whose loyalty cuts closer than she dares admit—she senses a darker force moving against her. Someone is watching. Someone already suspects.

And in Erithea, secrets are as deadly as the fire she wields.