The Grinder’s Blade
In a sprawling fantasy world called Eldrenvar, where towering sky-cities float above a scarred wasteland, power belongs to the "Gifted"—those born with innate magical abilities called Sparks. These Sparks let them wield elements, manipulate minds, or bend reality itself. The Gifted rule as nobles, warriors, and gods among men, while the ungifted toil below in the dust, mining Etherstone to fuel the sky-cities’ levitation.
Follow Tomas Kael, a 28-year-old laborer from the wasteland town of Dustcrag. Tomas is no hero—he’s a wiry, sweat-soaked grunt who hauls Etherstone 14 hours a day. He’s got no Spark, no lineage, just calloused hands and a stubborn belief: hard work beats talent. While the Gifted coast on their powers, Tomas trains relentlessly—running laps with stone sacks, swinging a pickaxe until his muscles scream, studying old texts by candlelight. His dream? To climb to the sky-cities and prove an ungifted man can stand equal to the elite.