Illusions Edge

In a world slowly being consumed by the Trial Realms—shattered echoes of dead realities—Earth stands on the brink of vanishing. Fifty years after the first rift tore open the sky, a fraction of humanity has Awakened, granted strange powers and a choice: face the Trials, or wait for the end. Elias Ardent is one of the Chosen—clever, distant, and gifted with the power of illusion and shadow-puppetry. But while others seek glory or power, Elias chooses survival. When he’s drawn into his first Trial, he finds himself stranded in a warped echo of a forgotten world, where time coils in loops and survival means more than strength. There, he meets three others: Lira Valen, a fragile girl who can bolster and diminish emotions; Ilya, a stoic warrior bound by duty; and Mira, a fierce protector gifted with soul-healing light. Together, they form a tenuous alliance, battling not just monsters, but the very world itself—a living labyrinth stitched from the ruins of what once was. As they ascend through the increasingly brutal Trials—each shaped by lost histories and ancient truths—they uncover the true purpose of the Realms: they are not tests, but a slow metamorphosis, reshaping Earth into something else. Something older. Something watching. To survive is to evolve. To evolve is to sacrifice. And for Elias, whose power thrives on deception and control, the greatest trial will be learning to trust the very people who hold his fate.