The Alchemist

What if you were born into a world where a game had existed for thousands of years — won through a bloody struggle by the survivors who now inhabit it? Tailyn Vlashich is a young nobody with one goal: making his way through a harsh world where the emperor, powerful enemies, and an impartial god hold sway. The god demands nothing less than that all things be done in accordance with its divine will.

Tailyn Vlashich has never known a quiet life surrounded by people who love him — his parents died years ago, the townspeople avoid the god's favorite, and his guardian simply wants to be rid of him. Once again placed on the road to uncertainty, beset by terrifying lixes and hounded by a harsh trainer, Tailyn bears up and pushes forward. Somewhere ahead lies the legendary Forest of Desire, said to bring one's deepest wish to life — including, perhaps, the return of his kidnapped betrothed, Valia Levor.

Tailyn Vlashich is one of the lucky few admitted to the Magic Academy without sitting entrance exams. Inside await training, the arena, lessons, and the secrets of a dynamic labyrinth — all leading toward the provost, who holds the key to the secret of the dragon's blood. But how do you find time to study when your mentor has a problem he cannot handle alone? Once again, life itself becomes Tailyn's most demanding teacher.

Dark times for twelve-year-old Tailyn Vlashich: banished from the empire, dismissed from the academy, hunted by a deadly killer, and dropped to level one. But Tailyn is not most twelve-year-olds — and he is not alone. With two mentors, his girl, and a friend at his side, the group sets out to retrieve an ancient journal hidden in the academy dean's office. It contains the location of the dragon's blood — if they can get past the planet's most heavily guarded building.

When the whole world joins forces against you, what do you do? Most adults would give up — but twelve-year-old Tailyn Vlashich is not most adults. Ahead of him lies a secret laboratory belonging to the ancients; behind him, a horde led by his sworn enemy. Tailyn has those who love him and believe in him — and that support is enough to carry him to the ends of the earth. There is just one question left to answer: who is the Absorber, and what does he want with Tailyn?