Terra Mundus

In the heart of the Dakothian Kingdom, amber waves of grain ripple under vast skies, ancient forests shelter herds of deer, and countless pristine lakes sparkle like scattered jewels. For over a century, the Riley lineage has guided this quiet agrarian nation in peaceful harmony-until that peace is shattered.

The Appalachian Republic, fresh from a hard-fought stalemate with the much larger Kingdom of Arkans, has now turned its sights westward. Under the banner of freedom and justice for all, their armies have launched a ruthless invasion into Dakothia's eastern territories.

Bartlett Greenwood never wanted to be a soldier. A promising young mage from the sleepy western city of Bowm, he hoped for nothing more than to study his craft, work the family fields, and live a quiet life. But when the draft enforcers arrive in town and demand that every head of household surrender one family member to the war effort, Bartlett's father makes a fateful choice: he offers up his eldest son.

In a family with several younger siblings, Bartlett possesses the strongest magical talent-the one child with any real chance of surviving the front lines. Torn from everything he knows and thrust into brutal basic training, Bartlett is shipped east with other reluctant conscripts to face an enemy that fights with relentless aggression and overwhelming numbers.

In the blood-soaked trenches and shattered forests of a war that grinds men into dust, Bartlett and his fellow draftees must find a way to endure. Survival is no longer a given-it's a brutal daily struggle against a meat grinder that shows no mercy.