In a kingdom filled with magic, Jiho Park and his family are an anomaly—magic doesn’t affect them.
Jiho comes from a long line of forest rangers who protect the Kidahara—an ancient and mysterious wood that is home to powerful supernatural creatures. But Jiho wants nothing to do with the dangerous forest.
Five years ago, his father walked into the Kidahara and disappeared. Just like the young Princess Koko, the only daughter of the kingdom’s royal family. Jiho knows better than anyone else the horrors that live deep in the magical forest and how those who go in never come back.
Now the forest is in danger from foreign forces that want to destroy it, and a long-forgotten evil that’s been lurking deep in the Kidahara for centuries finally begins to awaken. Can a magic-less boy, a fierce bandit leader, and a lost princess join forces and save their worlds before it’s too late?
This book includes examples of:
- Ancient Evil: Luzee terrorized the human and magical worlds centuries ago before being sealed away beneath Mount Jiri. In the present, she seeks to return to conquer both worlds.
- Anti-Magic: Jiho Park and his family have the innate ability to nullify magic from other beings.
- Bandit Clan: The Botan Clan.
- Beauty Is Bad:
- Luzee is stunningly beautiful, described as having the appearance of an angel by Micah. She's also the most evil person in the book.
- Micah describes Roku as a very attractive young man. He's also a treacherous, power-hungry schemer.
- Big Bad: Empress Luzee.
- Cain and Abel: Kai resents his younger sister Micah for inheriting the role of leader of the Botan Clan over him (due to the clan being matriarchal) and thus betrays her in favor of becoming Luzee's servant.
- Charm Person: Luzee can influence others into following her, notably Micah, though the latter is able to break out of her control.
- Cold Iron: Iron weakens magical beings. Roku's soldiers use this to their advantage to subdue Koko and the Nackwon Council.
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: Mr. Murtagh, the son of the owner of the Omni Murtagh. He has large sections of the Kidahara bulldozed, knowingly endangering the lives of his men due to the various magical creatures inhabiting the forest. He's also in cahoots with Prince Roku and Samena, aka Luzee.
- The Coup: Prince Roku orchestrates one against the Joson royal family in order to seize control.
- Daddy Had a Good Reason for Abandoning You: Jiho's father vanished into the Kidahara to help train Princess Koko to fight against Luzee.
- Disappeared Dad: Jiho's father vanished into the Kidahara five years ago to help train Koko for Luzee's return.
- The Evil Prince: Prince Roku stages a coup against the royal family and has them imprisoned, while also scheming to kill Princess Koko to secure his legitimacy to the throne.
- Eyeless Face: The nightwalker has no eyes, relying on its incredibly sharp hearing and sense of smell to detect prey.
- Face of an Angel, Mind of a Demon: Luzee is stated to have the appearance of an angel by Micah, but behind her beauty lies a power-hungry, genocidal monster.
- The Fair Folk: Averted for most of the fairies, but played straight with Luzee.
- Giant Spider: The Vorax.
- God Save Us from the Queen!: Luzee set herself up as empress of the nackwon and used her position of power to wage war upon the human world. In the present, she seeks to return to her place as ruler.
- The High Queen: Nanami, the former dragon queen, is heavily revered by the nackwon, and in her human form, was considered more beautiful than Empress Luzee.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Luzee, in her hunger to attain more and more power, attempts to steal Jiho's magic deflection powers with the staff of ki. However, since his essence nullifies magic, absorbing it results in Luzee's powers being nullified, leaving her vulnerable and resulting in her being killed by Koko.
- Icy Blue Eyes: Samena, aka Luzee, has cold blue eyes, reflecting her cold-hearted nature.
- Last of Her Kind: Princess Koko is the last dragon due to the rest having been wiped out centuries ago by Empress Luzee.
- Magic Land: The Kidahara.
- Magic Staff: The staff of ki used by Luzee, which was created using Chief Wizard Sejo's staff, three moonstones, and a dragon egg. The staff allows her to drain the essence from magical beings.
- The Man Behind the Man: Luzee is revealed to be this to Prince Roku and the Omni Murtagh, as part of her plan to be freed from her imprisonment.
- Manipulative Bitch: Luzee to a T. In the past, she manipulated the Great War between the humans and the nackwon in order to set herself up as queen. In the present, under the guise of Samena, she manipulates Prince Roku, Mr. Murtagh, and the Botan Clan into unwittingly freeing her from her entrapment, nearly resulting in her taking over the world.
- Missing Child: Princess Koko vanished five years ago and is presumed dead by the kingdom. In reality, she entered the Kidahara to be trained for battle against Luzee.
- Mystical White Hair: Luzee, a powerful fairy, has hair "as white as lightning".
- Nephewism: Jiho and his sisters were raised by his aunt and uncle after their father's disappearance.
- The Noseless: The nightwalker has no nose, save for two slits for nostrils.
- Power Parasite: Luzee can drain the essence from magical beings with her staff of ki.
- Pretty Princess Powerhouse: Princess Koko is a teenage girl and yet is strong enough to easily overpower an oni. Justified due to her being a dragon.
- Psycho Electro: Luzee uses lightning as one of her primary attacks.
- Red Is Violent: The oni are red-skinned and are vicious predators who prey on humans.
- Scaled Up: Koko is a dragon, but spends most of the story in human form, unable to unlock her true form. She finally succeeds at the end to kill Luzee.
- Sealed Evil in a Can: Luzee was imprisoned in Mount Jiri due to being too powerful to kill.
- Swiss-Army Tears: Dragon's tears are the most powerful magic in the world, though they can't cry unless they feel true love. In the end, Koko's tears heal a fatally wounded Jiho of his injuries.
- Unwitting Pawn: Both Micah and Prince Roku are this to Luzee, who merely uses them to obtain their moonstones and help her recreate her staff of ki, freeing her from her imprisonment.
- The Vamp: Luzee uses her mesmerizing beauty to enthrall men and women into become her loyal servants. She also seduced Nanami's younger brother Koto in the past in a ploy to steal his essence.
- Weredragon: All dragons have the ability to shape-shift into any form they wanted, though they all have one that is their favorite. Royal dragons prefer their human forms above others, because a human brain was closest to that of a dragon's.
- White Hair, Black Heart: Ancient Evil Luzee has silvery hair.
- Young and in Charge: Micah is sixteen and has led the Botan Clan since she was eleven.
