Raised deep within the forest, far from the reach of kingdoms and crowns, thirteen-year-old Dante has known only quiet waters and whispering trees—until now.
A fateful journey draws him to Port City, a place of wonder, spectacle, and secrets buried far beneath its gleaming surface. There he meets Lucio, a clever and ambitious circus ringleader who takes an immediate interest in Dante, for the boy is unlike anyone he has ever met.
As Dante explores the city, he discovers that not all wonders are kind. The dazzling magicians, the cartwheeling performers, the daring knife jugglers—none are what they seem.
Beneath their brilliance lies something dark. Something cunning. Something scheming.
When Dante learns the king has vanished, he finds himself drawn into a dangerous mystery. Alongside Princess Clara, who is desperate to find her missing father, he is swept into a journey that will challenge everything they believe about themselves.
Pulled in every direction, Dante is carried farther and farther from the only place he has ever called home.
Still, he steps forward. Brave. Curious. Filled with wonder.
For there is something within him: something rare, something dangerous. A power he cannot name. A truth he cannot outrun.
And as the lines between friend and foe begin to blur, he must ask himself—
Who will he become?
When the city's secrets close in, when trust turns to doubt, and when the truth of who he is finally rises to the surface...will Dante stand against it?
Or be consumed by it?
