Master of Sorrows

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An orphaned boy, raised by a wise old man, discovers his magic and faces a great evil threatening his world. However, what if this hero is destined to become the new dark lord? The Academy of Chaenbalu, hidden from the world, has long opposed magic, training students to detect and retrieve magical artifacts while guarding them closely. Magic, while capable of healing, can also cause harm, and the power that helps one may destroy another. Among the academy's students, only the most skilled can become Avatars—warrior thieves adept at infiltrating secure vaults—and only the most determined can resist the allure of magic. Annev de Breth aspires to join their ranks but harbors a secret. Unlike his classmates, who were taken as infants from the capital, Annev was born in Chaenbalu, believed to be executed, and raised unknowingly by his parents' killers. Now, at seventeen, he grapples with forbidden magic, a hidden heritage, and a secret deformity. Caught between the conflicting ideologies of his priestly mentor and the Academy's leaders, Annev must choose whether to accept the truth of his identity or confront the darker path he may be destined to follow.