The Menocht Loop

Ian Dunai is trapped in the only maze an arch-decemancer can't escape: Time. Only 1% of the population is blessed with magic affinity at birth. Fewer still have high enough affinities to rule. Ian's decemancy eclipses all, granting him ultimate control over Death. He conquers cities with a thought and turns them into ruins with a gesture. But overwhelming power isn't enough to escape the time loop or reveal its purpose. When Ian discovers a critical clue that he missed years ago, escape is finally at his fingertips. Little does he know, he's been stuck on layer one.

Ian beat the system, but the real world wasn't as safe as he remembered. Threats are rising, placing Ian in the crosshairs of global conflict. Reunited with an old ally from the loop, he must prepare to take part in an international tournament where the most powerful practitioners in the world fight for dominance. And unbeknownst to all, a calamity looms overhead — a continent-shattering trial that only Ian can stop.

Ian Dunai thought he was powerless — and so did his father's gifted family, who viewed his impotence as a disgrace and the stain of his mother's common blood. But on one fateful day, Ian awakens not in his college dorm but in the middle of the ocean on an old dinghy. Reaching land is the least of his problems: risen skeletons, tortured captives, and a shoreside city in the throes of contagion await him. Without magic, Ian doesn't last long — but death isn't the end. He wakes back up on the dinghy and relives the day again and again. As he investigates the loop and searches for escape, he begins to realize he might be more powerful than anyone — especially himself — ever imagined.

Ian Dunai thought he was powerless — and so did his father's gifted family, who viewed his impotence as a disgrace and the stain of his mother's common blood. But on one fateful day, Ian awakens not in his college dorm but in the middle of the ocean on an old dinghy. Reaching land is the least of his problems: risen skeletons, tortured captives, and a shoreside city in the throes of contagion await him. Without magic, Ian doesn't last long — but death isn't the end. He wakes back up on the dinghy and relives the day again and again. As he investigates the loop and searches for escape, he begins to realize he might be more powerful than anyone — especially himself — ever imagined.

Ian must pull off the impossible. Achemiss is a thousand-year-old necromancer with potent shadow magic and a trove of artifacts. To save his world and honor his deal with Karanos, Ian has one task: assassinate him. With Maria, Karanos, and the ever-charming Crystal at his side, Ian seeks out artifacts to level the playing field. He explores treacherous planes and participates in a trial run by the white faction — and learns that the upper limit on power is far greater than he thought.

Ian thought two affinities was the height of power. He was wrong. After five grueling years of training under Ancient Ash, Ian and Maria return to Karanos ready to take on Achemiss. Hidden within an unreachable plane, the elusive necromancer is their ultimate target. To confront him, Ian must infiltrate the black faction — a task requiring him to attend the Hall of Ascension's gathering under a new persona: a powerful master emerging from ages of seclusion. While competing, he must also validate his disguised identity. A single mistake could reveal his secrets and spell his doom.