Aspected

Evanar Hostric dreams of becoming a Guardian, but his magic is not like the others at the Temple. It is darker, hungrier, and comes at a terrible cost.

His comfortable life, upended by a group of new students, leads to a dreadful encounter and Evan doubting his dream. He resolves to leave it behind in favor of a more peaceful path, when an attack on all he loves forces him to choose: Let them die, or become the monster he was meant to be.

Aspected is the first installment to The Emperor's Conscience series by Michael K. Combs. If you like dark magic and conflicted antiheroes, you'll love this introduction to the world of The Emperor's Conscience, where sometimes a monster's morality is your only hope.