Seemingly raised from the dead, Laufa, a young commoner, is forced into the Royal College of War. She’s deemed a Manra Bearer, a wielder of a rare, gem-powered magic, and catches the eyes of Eralia Adeus, a brilliant noble tactician with a hatred for the Lodran Compact. They form an alliance of magical power and cunning strategy that catapults them to the Lodran frontier, where they must face Forsgailte enemies and rival Lodran commanders in high-stakes gambits.