In a parallel universe adjacent to ours, exists a world very similar to Earth, called Terra. Its supercontinent Pangaea never shattered into smaller continents and their technological progress is behind ours by around two centuries. But they have something that we can only dream of-magic, a supernatural and fantastical source of energy that can be bended and manipulated to truly extraordinary results.  Jonathan Phoenix is a fourteen-year-old boy who lives with his adopted grandmother and is the last surviving member of the infamous Phoenix family which acted as the Royal Guard for the strongest Empire in history and has produced the strongest Mages of their generation throughout its existence. In present day, they have been demonized and hunted down to near extinction and young Jon is met by hostility and aggression wherever he goes, to his discomfort and annoyance.  However, one day, a mysterious man arrives and informs Jon that he has been invited to attend the Ashford Magical Academy, the oldest and most prestigious educational facility for young Mages to learn and harness their powers. Seeing this as a chance to grow strong enough to defend himself from his future rivals and enemies and to finally get some answers which his grandma has withhold from him, Jon gladly accepts and soon befriends fellow classmates who are each unique in their own ways such as the brash and loud but fiercely loyal Adam, the highly intelligent and resourceful but insecure Artemis and the fearless and tomboyish but also stubborn Lynn.  As Jon grows and learns the various applications of magic in all spheres of life, he also uncovers more mysteries of his own lineage, the rise and fall of the Solan Empire and most importantly, he and his friends learn about the most dreaded and foulest Mage in history, who was the first and only one to find a way to cheat death and defile that which no Mage even thinks of doing, all the while fighting against the rogue Mages and deranged Cults who are each wanting to bring back the "Father of Death" for their own twisted goals.