Astral Forge

Kalen Frost's hands were made for shaping metal, not wielding forbidden magic. But when silver patterns ignite across his skin during an attack on his village, the blacksmith's apprentice becomes the Empire's most dangerous anomaly. Thrust into the Imperial Academy—a floating citadel where the elite hone their Astral abilities—Kalen is a commoner among aristocrats, his unprecedented dual-aptitude powers as unstable as they are potent. Each practice session risks exposure; each power surge leaves him bleeding. While navigating cutthroat academic politics and the murderous attention of the Astral family, Kalen discovers his markings match ancient symbols in forbidden texts—symbols tied to the catastrophic "Sundering" that nearly destroyed reality generations ago. As boundary fluctuations between worlds intensify and pattern-hunters close in, Kalen must master abilities that defy the Empire's classification system. His unique heritage might be the key to preventing cosmic collapse—or the catalyst that accelerates it. In a world where power determines everything, Kalen's greatest weapon remains the practical mindset forged at the anvil: find the weakness, apply pressure, and reshape what everyone thought was impossible.