At eighteen, Leon could already shatter a hundred-man formation with fire, but he still wasn't allowed to go home.
His family had one simple rule: he had to become a great mage through his own understanding before his trial could end.
He broke into a noble's hunting grounds, seized ancient treasures, and set off on adventures with two female mages. He also drew the attention of a powerful enemy who could easily crush his shields.
A vast orc army marched south, and the border city fell. In that desperate moment, an old man who loved cadging drinks and spouting nonsense taught him a mysterious spell.
A ball of lightning began as a spark, crossed the city walls, blotted out the mountains, and finally swallowed both the peaks and the orc army.
After that night, the nations hailed him as the Great Archmage. The king sent him treasures, the powerful flocked to his door, and even those who had once looked down on him bowed their heads.
Yet Leon's ordinary strength was still only that of an advanced mage.
Those coveting the forbidden spell had their eyes on him, and the power growing within him might not obey his commands.
He had to survive the fame, reclaim everything that had been stolen from him with his own hands, and then return home with power that truly belonged to him.
