In a world where most people can wield magic, a rare few are cursed to live without it. They suffer from a mysterious affliction known as the Beast’s Disease, which grants them unnatural powers in place of magic. The bodies of those afflicted are harvested as materials to create Grimoires, powerful magical tools capable of unleashing spells far beyond the limits of a single user. Because of this, those with the Beast’s Disease have long been hunted as mere “materials.” This is the story of one small fragment of that tragedy: the afflicted, the Bookbinders who craft the Grimoires, and the mages who surround them. Set in Paris, where a legend whispers of a hidden treasure beneath the Opera House…guarded by a phantom who kills all who dare seek it…the tale follows Ceasar, an aspiring Bookbinder; Estelle, a beautiful red-haired woman; and Petronille, the Opera House manager. Their lives become entangled in a web of love, betrayal, murder, and the cruel legacy of the beast’s curse, as fate drags them into a tragic spiral that cannot be undone.
Comment