Origins of Power and Chaos

The world of Devram is born from the chaos of the gods, who create realms, bloodlines, and a delicate balance between light and dark. The First gods, Achaz and Arius, establish order, but their descendants—demigods and their Legacy—inherit a world of power struggles. The Fae are created as a counterbalance, their magic feeding the Legacy, ensuring no bloodline grows too strong. Over centuries, the gods withdraw, leaving their creations to war, love, and betray each other, setting the stage for a society where power, servitude, and trauma are inextricably linked.

The Selection's Unseen Stakes

Every five years, the Selection brings Fae of age to the Acropolis, where the ruling Legacy heirs choose their Sources—Fae bonded to them, fueling their magic. Tessa, a Fae marked by trauma and a history of being overlooked, expects to remain invisible. But the Selection is more than a ceremony: it's a political chessboard, with heirs, parents, and priestesses maneuvering for advantage. The Arius Heir, Theon, is a wild card—private, powerful, and unpredictable. When he unexpectedly chooses Tessa, the Selection's true stakes are revealed: the cost of being seen, the danger of being wanted, and the beginning of a bond that will upend the balance of power.

Alcove Encounters and First Impressions

Tessa's first encounter with Theon is accidental, charged, and laced with the power dynamics of their world. Caught sneaking chocolate, Tessa's irreverence and vulnerability catch Theon's attention. Their exchange is a dance of defiance and submission, setting the tone for their relationship. Theon is both intrigued and frustrated by Tessa's refusal to play the role expected of her. This moment, seemingly trivial, is the spark that leads Theon to select her as his Source, forever altering both their fates.

Chosen and Claimed

Theon's selection of Tessa is a shock to all, especially Tessa herself. The ritual that follows is invasive and painful: Tessa is marked, injected with a magical tonic, and forced to submit through entrancing commands. The first Mark binds her to Theon, making her his Source—his property, his power well, his responsibility. The process is traumatic, both physically and psychologically, and Tessa's resistance is met with the cold machinery of tradition. Theon, for all his power, is as much a prisoner of expectation as she is.

The Bond's First Mark

The first Marking is agony for Tessa, a violation that leaves her physically ill and emotionally shattered. Theon, though not cruel, is complicit in her suffering, rationalizing it as necessary. The bond demands closeness, and both are tormented by its pull—Tessa by pain and loss of self, Theon by a need for control and the fear of failure. Their journey to Arius House is a trial of endurance, with Tessa's body and spirit battered by the adjustment to the Mark, and Theon forced to confront the consequences of his choices.

Resistance and Submission

At Arius House, Tessa is thrust into a world of opulence and surveillance. Theon's family is cold, calculating, and dangerous—his father, Valter, is a master of psychological warfare. Tessa's attempts to assert herself are met with punishment, manipulation, and the ever-present threat of violence. Theon oscillates between protector and jailer, his own trauma shaping his actions. Tessa's resistance is both a survival mechanism and a source of friction, as the bond's demands clash with her need for autonomy.

Arius House: New Rules

Tessa's life becomes a series of negotiations and consequences. Theon, pressured by his father and his own ambitions, imposes strict rules: obedience, proximity, and silence. Tessa is denied small freedoms—food, comfort, even the right to grieve. Attempts to escape are met with magical tracking, physical restraint, and psychological torment. Yet, moments of genuine connection flicker between them, hinting at the possibility of something more than servitude. The house itself is a labyrinth of secrets, with Tessa's every move watched and judged.

The Cost of Obedience

Theon's efforts to "care" for Tessa are tainted by the power imbalance between them. Punishments are severe—confinement, deprivation, and magical pain. Yet, in rare moments, Theon's humanity surfaces: he tends to her wounds, offers comfort after nightmares, and reveals his own scars. Tessa, battered by the relentless demands of the bond and the cruelty of the Arius household, learns to survive by giving just enough to avoid the worst consequences, while secretly plotting for freedom.

The Games of Legacy

As the Selection year unfolds, the true nature of Devram's politics is revealed. Theon is drawn into a web of alliances, betrayals, and power plays, with Tessa as both pawn and prize. Other heirs, their Sources, and the ruling families maneuver for advantage, each with their own secrets and agendas. Theon's plans for the future—overthrowing his father, seizing control of the Underground, and reshaping the realm—depend on Tessa's power and loyalty. Tessa, meanwhile, is forced to navigate a world where every kindness is suspect and every alliance is a potential threat.

The Wild and Untamed

Tessa's true nature is a mystery even to herself. Hints of forgotten bloodlines, hidden powers, and divine heritage surface as she struggles to control her emerging magic. Theon and his allies—Luka, a dragon-shifter Guardian, and Axel, his brother—reveal their own secrets, including bargains with witches and the existence of the Underground, a prison for the realm's most dangerous beings. Tessa's power is unlike any seen before, a blend of light and darkness, storm and fury. The gods themselves watch from afar, their own plans unfolding.

The Emerging Ceremony

The Emerging Ceremony is the climax of the Selection year, where Fae receive their elements and the balance of power is tested. Tessa's emergence is a cataclysm: her magic is uncontrollable, manifesting as a storm of light, air, and water that shatters the arena and exposes her as something more than Fae. The Keeper, a mysterious figure, marks her personally, and the realm is thrown into chaos. Theon's plans are jeopardized, and the other kingdoms move to claim or destroy Tessa, fearing what she represents.

Storm Unleashed

Tessa's power is both a blessing and a curse. She is hunted, captured, and manipulated by those who would use her for their own ends. The Achaz Lord, Rordan, reveals that Tessa is not Fae, but something older and more powerful—a forgotten daughter of the gods, a storm incarnate. Her memories, traumas, and desires collide as she struggles to control her magic and claim her identity. Theon, desperate to protect her, is forced to confront his own darkness and the limits of his control.

The Price of Secrets

Secrets unravel: Tessa's bloodline, the true nature of the Source bond, and the bargains made by Theon and his allies. Betrayals cut deep—friends become enemies, and allies demand impossible sacrifices. Theon's father exacts a terrible price for failure, killing those closest to Theon and Tessa. Theon, in turn, is forced to choose between his ambitions and his growing feelings for Tessa. The cost of survival is steep, and both must decide what they are willing to sacrifice for power, freedom, and each other.

Blood, Betrayal, and Bargains

Theon's failures culminate in tragedy: the death of Pen, the beloved Fae caretaker, and the shattering of trust between him and Tessa. In a moment of rage and despair, Theon locks Tessa in a wine cellar, triggering her deepest traumas and breaking her spirit. The aftermath is a reckoning for both: Tessa is left numb and hollow, her power barely contained, while Theon is forced to confront the monster he has become. Bargains are struck, but the price is always blood.

The Breaking and the Bond

Tessa's time in the cellar is her crucible. She emerges broken, her soul shattered, but in the emptiness finds a strange freedom. No longer trying to please or resist, she becomes unpredictable, wild, and untamed. Theon, realizing the depth of the damage he has caused, is both terrified and drawn to her. Their bond, once a chain, becomes something else—a connection forged in pain, desire, and mutual recognition of the darkness within. Together, they are more than the sum of their parts, but the world is not ready for what they have become.

The Keeper's Mark

The Keeper's appearance at the Emerging Ceremony is a turning point. Tessa is marked not as Fae, but as something other—her power is a storm, a force of nature that cannot be contained by the old rules. The gods, watching from their hidden realms, take notice. Tessa's destiny is no longer to serve, but to challenge the very foundations of Devram. Theon, for all his ambition, is swept up in her wake, forced to choose between love and power, control and chaos.

Light Against Darkness

Tessa's magic is revealed to be a blend of light and darkness, storm and shadow—a legacy of both Achaz and Arius, and perhaps something more. She is hunted by all, desired by many, but belongs to none. Theon's attempts to control her are futile; together, they are a force that can either save or destroy the realm. The old order trembles, and the balance of power is forever altered.

The Forgotten Daughter

Tessa learns the truth of her origins: she is the forgotten daughter of gods, hidden in Devram for a purpose. Her power is not a curse, but a gift—one that can reshape the world. Theon, Luka, and Axel become her unlikely allies, each with their own scars and secrets. Together, they must navigate a world on the brink of chaos, where every choice has consequences and every secret is a weapon.

Chaos Ascendant

As the book closes, the gods themselves move their pieces. Tessa, once nothing, is now the wild and untamed storm that can tip the balance between light and dark, life and death. Theon, once a would-be conqueror, is now her equal and her partner in chaos. The old world is ending, and a new one is being born—one where the forgotten, the broken, and the wild will decide the fate of all.

Characters

Tessa (Tessalyn Ausra)

Tessa is the protagonist, a Fae marked by trauma, neglect, and a lifetime of being told she is too much—too wild, too impulsive, too much of a hassle. Her resistance to authority is both a survival mechanism and a source of pain. Selected as the Source of the Arius Heir, she is thrust into a world of power, servitude, and manipulation. Tessa's journey is one of survival, resistance, and ultimately transformation. Her magic, a storm of light and darkness, is a metaphor for her inner turmoil and potential. As she is broken and rebuilt, she claims her identity as something more than Fae—a forgotten daughter of the gods, a force of chaos and change. Her relationships—with Theon, her friends, and her enemies—are fraught with longing, betrayal, and the desperate need to be seen and valued for herself, not just her power.

Theon St. Orcas

Theon is the Arius Heir, a man shaped by trauma, ambition, and the crushing expectations of his lineage. He is both Tessa's captor and her protector, oscillating between cruelty and tenderness. Theon's need for control is a response to his own powerlessness under his father's rule. His relationship with Tessa is a battleground—of wills, desires, and the possibility of redemption. Theon is haunted by his failures, desperate to prove himself, and ultimately forced to confront the darkness within. His journey is one of learning that true power is not control, but the willingness to let go and trust.

Luka Mors

Luka is Theon's childhood friend and Guardian, a rare Sargon Legacy with the ability to shift into a dragon. He is stoic, brooding, and fiercely loyal, but also burdened by his own trauma and the weight of his bond to Theon. Luka's role is both protector and enforcer, often caught between his duty to Theon and his growing concern for Tessa. His dragon nature is a metaphor for the wildness and rage he keeps tightly leashed. Luka's journey is one of learning to balance loyalty with compassion, and to recognize the value of those who refuse to be tamed.

Axel St. Orcas

Axel is Theon's younger brother, clever and irreverent, using humor and deflection to mask his own pain. He is a master of shadows, both literally and figuratively, and serves as a bridge between Theon and Luka. Axel's loyalty is unquestioned, but he is also the first to challenge Theon's decisions and advocate for Tessa. His own trauma is hinted at, and his journey is one of finding his place in a world that demands conformity and punishes difference.

Valter St. Orcas

Valter is the Arius Lord, a man of immense power and cruelty. He is the architect of much of Theon's and Tessa's suffering, using psychological and physical violence to maintain control. Valter is a master of manipulation, always several steps ahead, and willing to sacrifice anyone for his ambitions. He is both a symbol of the old order and a warning of what unchecked power can become.

Rordan Jove

Rordan is the Lord of the Achaz Kingdom, a man of light and beginnings, but also of secrets and hidden agendas. He is both ally and adversary, recognizing Tessa's true nature and seeking to claim her for his own purposes. Rordan's motivations are complex, and his relationship with Tessa is one of fascination, manipulation, and the possibility of something greater than the old rivalries.

Penelope (Pen)

Pen is the Fae caretaker of Theon and Axel, a figure of warmth and stability in a world of cruelty. Her death at the hands of Valter is a turning point, shattering the fragile trust between Tessa and Theon and forcing both to confront the cost of their choices. Pen's loss is a symbol of the price of power and the vulnerability of those who serve.

Tristyn Blackheart

Tristyn is a Legacy who moves between worlds, hiding his true nature behind glamours and secrets. He is both a potential ally and a threat, drawn to Tessa's wildness and recognizing her as a kindred spirit. Tristyn's role is to challenge the established order, to offer Tessa a glimpse of a different kind of power—one rooted in chaos, not control.

Mother Cordelia

Mother Cordelia is the head of the Celeste Estate, the architect of much of Tessa's early trauma. She is a master of psychological abuse, using confinement, deprivation, and manipulation to break those under her care. Cordelia is a symbol of the system that creates and perpetuates suffering, and her presence haunts Tessa long after she leaves the Estate.

The Keeper

The Keeper is a mysterious, hooded figure who presides over the Pantheon and the Emerging Ceremony. Their intervention in Tessa's ritual is a sign that the old order is ending and a new one is beginning. The Keeper's true identity and motives are unknown, but their actions set Tessa on a path that will reshape the world.

Plot

Last updated: June 14, 2025