Summary
In a realm where magic is commonplace, a select few are burdened with a curse that denies them this power. They are afflicted with the Beast’s Disease, a condition that grants them strange abilities instead of sorcery. Their very flesh is sought after as a resource for crafting Grimoires—formidable artifacts that can unleash magic exceeding any individual’s capacity. Consequently, the afflicted are relentlessly hunted. This narrative captures a single thread of that sorrow, weaving together the fates of the cursed, the artisans known as Bookbinders, and the mages who orbit them. In Paris, a rumor persists of a treasure concealed beneath the Opera, protected by a lethal phantom. The destinies of Ceasar, an ambitious Bookbinder; Estelle, a striking woman with fiery hair; and Petronille, the Opera’s manager, intertwine in a vortex of passion, treachery, death, and the brutal heritage of the beast’s curse, pulling them toward an inescapable tragedy.