Hina has an invitation to study magic at the prestigious Qalarian Academy. With her unusually high potential, that's a path to real power—if she's bold enough to take it. All she has to do is back out of her arranged marriage and survive a trip across the dangerous wilds. Easy, right? But when the discussion with her fiance ends with Hina's kitchen knife buried in his chest, she and her little brother, Kai, are forced to flee. They'll have to outrun their pursuers and avoid roaming beasts and titanic monsters while Hina devours every scrap of magic she can beg, borrow or steal along the way. She must grow strong enough to guide them to safety, or they'll both pay the price. What to expect:* Slow progression that ramps up as we go* Cultivation influenced magic in a western setting* Monsters, dungeons and mayhem* High personal stakes* No romance* No OP MC any time soon* ~1.5-2k word chapters Book one complete.