Aurum Saga: Lumina Noctis

In the world of Lumina, the powerful Lumics rule over the ordinary Illumics, treating them as slaves and lesser beings. Lilith, a quiet young Illumic haunted by a violent past, discovers that she possesses a terrifying power over darkness—something no Illumic is supposed to have. After meeting Ishamon, her closest friend and a fiercely ambitious thinker, Lilith becomes involved in a growing struggle against Lumic oppression. Along the way, they meet Aurelia Tenebris, the kind-hearted Crown Princess of Lumina, who secretly works to improve the lives of Illumics. But Aurelia is captured, and when Lilith rescues her, the decision indirectly leads to the deaths of their friends Ren and Frankie. Lilith and Ishamon flee into the Black Spine mountains, where they discover a hidden Illumic settlement experimenting with a mysterious form of ancestral power. Their manipulative elder attempts to exploit Lilith's darkness, only for her power to erupt violently and nearly destroy him. Determined to become strong enough to change the world, Ishamon develops a dangerous plan: steal Lumic power and give it to Illumics. In Belene, they capture a Lumic ship captain and successfully extract his essen—but accidentally kill him. Ishamon gains genuine Lumic power, including the ability to wield brilliant white energy, and becomes convinced they can use it to overthrow the existing order. Lilith, however, becomes increasingly frightened of herself. Her darkness is growing stronger and more uncontrollable, and during the escape from the ship it nearly kills both Lumics and helpless Illumic slaves. Separated from Ishamon in Belene, Lilith is beaten and thrown into a noble family's rubbish heap by Lumic soldiers. There, she is unexpectedly found by Aurelia, who believes Lilith and the others were dead. Aurelia takes her back to the Dove estate, where Lilith finally learns what happened to Aurelia after they separated. Now reunited, the two have something neither has had for a long time: someone who understands what they have been through. But Lilith's darkness, Ishamon's growing obsession with power, Aurelia's rebellion against Lumic society, and the mysterious figure haunting Lilith's nightmares are all beginning to point toward something much larger than their original struggle.