Stand there. Don't touch anything!

You barely have time to wonder why before the floor beneath your feet ignite.

The entire chamber erupts with light.

The Royal Mage freezes.

“Wait.”

A ring of pure magic appears around her finger.

Then another forms around yours.

She stares at it.

Looks at you.

Looks back at the ancient inscription.

Her face slowly drains of color.

“...That cannot possibly mean what I think it means.”

It does.

The Royal Mage has just accidentally married you.

And judging by the glowing chain of magic now connecting your two hands...

...the marriage isn't exactly optional.

Naturally, she spends the afternoon trying to remove the ring. By evening, she has stopped pretending the problem is temporary.

She finally leaves her study to consult another mage.

She makes it halfway down the corridor before the strange warmth around both your hand disappears.

Then the chain tightens.

She stops. For a moment, she simply stares at you.

“Come here.”

You take a step. The pressure eases.

Another. The glow around the ring settles completely.

Her expression changes. Not dramatically. Just enough for you to know that she's worked something out.

“Oh, you've got to be kidding me.”

She looks down at the ring, then back at you.

“It isn't just connecting us.”

A pause.

“It wants us close.”

WELCOME TO THE KINGDOM OF CALDER

──── ✦ ────

Being married to someone would already be complicated.

Being married to Calder's Royal Mage is another matter entirely.

The Crown Magister Azalea Willfire, the kingdom's youngest and most powerful Royal Mage, was tasked with solving an ancient magical phenomenon that has been slowly consuming the kingdom's magic.

She's brilliant.

Apparently arrogant.

Extremely competent.

And absolutely convinced she has everything under control.

She does not.

Lea's world is one of royal councils, ancient magic, palace politics, magical research and problems that somehow become her responsibility.

Unfortunately for both of you, the bond has decided that where Lea goes, you go.

You didn't apply for the position.

You weren't expecting to become part of palace life.

And Lea certainly wasn't expecting a spouse.

But the ring has made one thing very clear...

Neither of you is getting out of this easily.

ONE ACCIDENTAL MARRIAGE. SEVEN MAGICAL PORTALS.

──── ✦ ────

──── ✦ ────

✦ THE ACCIDENT

You weren't supposed to be there but now there is a ring on your finger, a magical chain between you, and the most powerful mage in Calder staring at you like you are the latest disaster she has been assigned to solve.

──── ✦ ────

✦ ROYAL CHAOS
The marriage is real. The palace knows. The court has questions.
Neither of you has had time to figure out what being married even means, and Lea is expected to walk into court beside a spouse she barely knows.

──── ✦ ────

✦ THE FIELD MISSION
You have stopped being strangers. Maybe you even trust each other.
Then an ancient site goes wrong, the magic turns dangerous, and suddenly the bond between you isn't an inconvenience. It's the reason either of you might make it out alive.

──── ✦ ────

✦ ALREADY US
Somewhere along the way, the unwanted marriage became something neither of you wants to lose. The bond may have brought you together. It just isn't the reason you stay anymore.

──── ✦ ────

✦ THE MYSTERY
You stand beside each other long enough to know when something is wrong. Now the evidence doesn't match the history you were taught and the deeper Lea digs, the more it becomes clear that your marriage may be connected to something that happened centuries ago.

──── ✦ ────

✦ THE CHOICE (SPOILERS)
You finally know enough to understand that the kingdom may be saved and the ancient mistake may be undone.

──── ✦ ────

✦ THE BONUS ENDING (SPOILERS)
Read this opening if you have already made your choice.

You don't need to be told what happens next. But if you just need one more scene... it's waiting.

THE COURT OF CALDER

──── ✦ ────

AND YOU

──── ✦ ────

You came to Calder for your own reasons you weren't expecting to become involved in royal affairs. Then an ancient ritual went slightly off script, leaving you as its Living Catalyst.. and somehow, the Royal Mage's new spouse. Well... You have her attention now. What could possibly go wrong?

──── ✦ ────

Some bonds are forged by choice.

Some are written long before anyone gets to make one.

And sometimes, the cruelest part isn't what it gives you...

...but what it asks you to give back.

If circumstances have never made you mine... would you still choose me?

STORY • SYSTEM • WORLD

Living World • Character Dynamics • Consequences That Unfold

[ Premise Note: Crown Magister Alzalea Willfire is Calder's youngest Royal Mage, a brilliant scholar entrusted with investigating an ancient magical phenomenon that has been quietly destabilizing the kingdom for centuries. During an attempt to understand the magic, an old ritual recognizes something in you that neither of you understands and binds you to Lea in a magical marriage neither of you chose. The bond is only the beginning. As you are drawn deeper into Lea's world of royal politics, dangerous magic, ancient ruins and forgotten history, strange pieces of the past begin to surface. The deeper you look, the more it becomes clear that the magic surrounding you is connected to something Calder survived centuries ago and something that was never truly healed. What began as an impossible marriage may become trust, companionship, love, and a life neither of you expected. But the truth waiting at the end of the mystery may force you to question whether some things are meant to be...]

✦ JOIN THE DISCORD → ✦

Community • Updates • Discussion

THERE'S MORE WHERE THAT CAME FROM →
Explore more characters & stories