Life is an amazing thing. You never know what tomorrow will bring, and good and bad always go side by side. You lost your parents early and wandered for a long time, grabbing at any job? Bad. You’re young, pretty, and found a good place in the capital? Good! You were slandered—accused of theft—and the admirer who rejected you? Very bad. Did a mage who happened to pass by help restore your good name? Excellent! By the way, it turns out you yourself are a witch, and you can study magic for free at the real Academy of Magic—and then live happily, because gifted people are few and worth their weight in gold. Too good to be true? Nothing of the sort! But how will the offspring of noble families accept a nobody—proud, too? What do mages value in the end—knowledge, honor, or the power of the Gift and the possibility of passing it on to children? Will you have to choose between security and freedom? Questions are more than answers, and how terrifying it is to miss your one and only chance…