The Mage of Shimmer Mountain

Hugo's new lease on life starts out well — a trip up the mountain grants him the chance to be a mage. But then the train he is on explodes. Unknown magic flings him back in time, and he avoids the explosion. While unraveling the mystery of this unexpected second chance, his new gifts lead him to the magic academy. There he faces noble students who resent his presence, teachers who expect him to already know everything, and literal monsters that want him dead. Can he forge allies in a place where he's hated? Can he master the magic the academy demands — and survive long enough to discover the secret of his second chance?

Just as Hugo is starting to grasp the threat facing the cities on the wheel, he is flung back in time again — this time in the body of a Nox. With four arms and an entirely unfamiliar culture, he must pretend to be someone he has never met, navigate a new school system, choose a magic domain, and avoid exposure. If he can master these challenges, he still has to convince the sentinels to help him save the cities on the wheel — while wearing the body of their oppressors.

Florin Baden was a cruel and vile young man — and now Hugo has to pretend to be him. Caught between saving the wheel and maintaining the guise of a reprehensible playboy heir, Hugo faces his most dangerous loop yet. His new father can literally see through lies, his sister is determined to unseat him as heir, and a single mistake could make his mistakes permanent. Years of preparation come down to this final push. One way or another, it ends here.