The Raythefts are an old, minor noble house defined by magical talent and martial service. When six-year-old Arcus Raytheft, firstborn son to the family, proves disappointingly inept at magic, he is stripped of his inheritance and written off by his parents. His adoptive sister Lecia still adores him, but as the new heir, she is forbidden to interact with anyone who might drag her down. But when one inheritance is lost, fate arranges another: Arcus remembers another life, in a world where science prevails and magic belongs to the realm of fiction. Suddenly endowed with the life experience of a grown man and pressed to find a purpose as his family turns against him, Arcus resolves to find a way to break the laws of magic and Raytheft tradition over his knee!

Cursed with a naturally low supply of aether, Arcus Raytheft is disinherited and shunned by his family. Things start to change when he experiences another man’s life through a dream—a dream that shows him marvelous technological wonders that don’t exist in his world. Armed with this new knowledge, Arcus sets about showing his parents that they were wrong about him. Surely an arsenal of mind-blowing spells will be enough to convince them you don’t need aether to succeed?

After a war of twists and turns and a brief convalescence, Arcus is finally ready to return to Lainur’s capital. There he’ll meet Ceylan’s father, King Crosellode, and be rewarded for his valiant efforts—although he’s not the only one due for an audience with the king. While rumors about Arcus continue to spread, the Empire evaluates its own part in the war. Will the nation remain a sleeping lion, or begin plotting its next move? And what of the cryptic quest to seek out an emerald on Chain’s behalf, which Arcus received in a dream? Without any clues as to what it might mean, he hardly knows where to begin. But one thing’s for sure: he’s going to be busy for a long while yet.

Arcus is still leveraging his otherworldly scientific knowledge to improve his magic. On hearing news that Lecia, his beloved sister, had been kidnapped, Arcus set off to rescue her, only to be thrown into the Holy Tower. There, he runs into an old friend...or rather, enemy. They say no one can escape the Tower, but if he doesn’t, there’s no telling what might happen to Lecia...

Now thirteen years old, Arcus crushes the entrance exam for the Royal Institute of Magic, and he soon begins his new life as a student. Disowned for his supposed lack of ability, he makes waves both good and bad when he quickly outstrips his distinguished peers, rising to the top of his class. His success does not escape the notice of Claudia Saifice, granddaughter of the Institute’s headmaster. What exactly does she have in store for him?

Having come a long way since his disinheritance, Arcus is introduced to his very own servant: Noah Ingvayne, the “winter wunderkind,” brought in not only to aid with Arcus’s invention, but also to help him further his magic and combat studies. Speaking of the aethometer, it’s time to introduce it to the Guildmaster... Meanwhile, Lecia’s father takes her to a party thrown by one Cau Gaston as preparation to take up the mantle of heir to the Raytheft house. Troubling rumors surround the party’s host, but surely Lecia is too young to have to worry about them...right? With dark dealings threatening his sister’s safety, it’s up to Arcus to face one of the most powerful nobles in the land.

Drawing on knowledge gained from his dream of a second life in another world, Arcus created the aethometer: a device that measures the essence of all magic. Now, he is finally ready to present his revolutionary invention to his nation’s premier magicians and military leaders. With the circle of trust containing the device’s earthshaking implications cast wider, how will the aethometer move to change Arcus’ fate and the fate of the world itself? Others within the gentry are keeping a close eye on Arcus after his decisive actions on the marquess’ estate. Whether they are friend or foe remains to be seen—but subtle machinations rarely remain so for long when Arcus is involved.

Every culture has in its folklore and mythology beings of immense size and strength, as well as other preternatural humanoids great or small who walk among us, serving the divine or fulfilling their own agendas. This book catalogs the lore and legends of more than 1,000 different humanoid species and individual beings, including the Titans, Valkyries, Jotnar, yōkai, biblical giants, elves, ogres, trolls and many more.