Elysum , on the uptake. | I dig that they ‘got’ it in their own way. | EXCERPTS [Outside].

” The Story Arc

In a gritty, spiritually charged version of Cleveland, a group of traumatized, magically “Aware” arts students navigate the brutal realities of inner-city life and overlapping divine dimensions. When brutal bullying pushes a fragile boy named Gabryl to the breaking point, his fierce protector, Anukai, projects her soul to save him from a bullet, leaving her physical body catatonic. To protect her and the rest of the student body from corrupt, encroaching demonic “Punishers,” the school’s teachers must uncloak as powerful warrior magi, arming the students for an epic, reality-bending war for their very souls.”

“Tone & Atmosphere

The book is a visceral, kinetic, and deeply emotional tapestry that blends the gritty, systemic realities of urban trauma with the epic, surreal scope of visionary fantasy and anime. The atmosphere shifts from the chaotic, colorful banter of the Cleveland School of the Arts to the terrifying, ethereal landscapes of The Empyrean, Messenger, and The Leuce. It is a story soaked in the pain of surviving a broken world, but illuminated by the fierce, protective love found in chosen families and the weaponized power of art.”