The Shardspire Ascension

Seventeen-year-old Alina dreams of a world untouched by the creeping corruption that claws at her home. Aerath, a breathtaking archipelago of floating islands, is powered by the raw energy of the Rift, a parallel dimension bleeding into their world through the colossal Shardspire.  But the Spire is fractured, unleashing chaotic storms and twisting life into grotesque mockeries.  Alina, a Riftborn whose very existence is intertwined with the Spire’s power, carries a terrible secret: a prophecy that ties her to Aerath’s destruction.
When the brutal Ascension Trials are announced, a competition to choose the next Spire Keeper, Alina is thrust into a desperate fight for survival. The Trials are no mere test of strength and magic, but a perilous descent into the heart of the Rift itself, where she must confront not only monstrous guardians and treacherous landscapes, but also the insidious whispers of her own self-doubt.
Within the swirling vortex of Aerathian politics, Alina finds herself a pawn in a deadly game. Dax Corvus, a charismatic nobleman, sees her as a stepping stone to power. Serin Lysander, a stoic warrior, views her as a dangerous rival.  Amidst the manipulations and betrayals, Alina discovers an unlikely mentor in Elara Nightshade, a former Spire Keeper ostracized for her forbidden knowledge of the Rift.  But Elara harbors secrets as dark as the Rift itself, and Alina must soon question where her true loyalties lie.
As the Trials progress, Alina uncovers the lost history of the Lumina, a civilization that once harnessed the Rift's power without succumbing to its corruption. Their fate whispers a chilling warning, and Alina must choose: will she embrace the destructive power that surges within her, fulfilling the ominous prophecy? Or will she forge a new path, drawing strength from the bonds she’s formed and the whispers of a forgotten world, to become Aerath’s protector, not its destroyer?