The king of Lismere doesn't ask. He orders. And what he wants, he gets. What does he want? All sorcerer lines exterminated. Which is kind of a problem for Gray, because the king's right-hand man thinks Gray's the long-lost son of Lismere's most notorious sorcerer. To make matters worse, someone - something - is stalking Gray's hometown. Gray can't protect his loved ones if he's being dragged to the king to be executed. Gray will do anything to be free. Only posting on Royalroad - if you're reading this somewhere else, it's without the author's permission. Some slow burn progression, but it's real slow. There's no levelling up for the MC until well into the story. There's some darker themes and elements. While the protagonist is a teen, if this was a movie, I'd rate it at least MA. And there's a lot of cussing. What to expect: - weak to strong MC - chosen one trope - wolf-shifter antagonist - grumpy mentor that slowly mellows - tyrant king - slow burn progression - background romance but it's minor Posts on Sunday and Monday nights, and occasionally extra chapters during the week. [winner in the November 2024 Royal Road writathon challenge]