Magic always demands a price. But what if someone dared to pay it differently?

Marin Lorne can feel trouble before it strikes—an eerie hum beneath her ribs, a chill in her bones. She’s never known what it means, only that it always comes at a cost. When an unconscious whisper saves a classmate from collapsing, and someone else falls in her place, Marin is thrust into a secret world of real magic. Not the glittering spells of storybooks, but something ancient, quiet, and terrifyingly transactional.

Every spell cast draws from the universe's unseen ledger. Heal a wound? Someone bleeds. Redirect harm? Someone else bears the bruise. But when Marin dares to break the rules—when she casts a healing spell that doesn't steal life from another—everything changes.

Now the magic is watching her. So is the Circle, a shadowy order determined to maintain balance through sacrifice. As Marin learns the truth of her family’s lineage and the legacy of witches who tried to change the system before her, she realizes she may not be the first to deviate—but she might be the first to survive it.

A Short Story with Deep Roots

The Cost of Power is a dark and luminous short story set in a richly imagined magical universe where spells don’t come free, and the line between hero and heretic is written in blood. It’s a complete tale—an emotional, tightly woven glimpse into the origins of a girl who dares to rewrite the rules of magic. But it’s only the beginning.

This story is part of a much larger tapestry: a universe of interconnected lives, forbidden spells, dream-walkers, lost bloodlines, and ledgers that remember everything. The author has spent years building this world across journals, sketches, and untold fragments. Now, the stories are beginning to surface.

If you love morally complex magic, bold rebellion against shadowy institutions, and heroines who carve out new paths in the face of ancient systems, this story will speak to you.

Perfect for fans of The Magicians, The Bone Season, and Ninth House, this short story blends introspective fantasy with slow-burn revolution and introduces a protagonist who may yet redefine what it means to wield power.

Read The Cost of Power now—before the rest of the world catches on.