Nicole Henderson was a small town girl who didn't mind being average. But that girl was killed. And average is no longer an option. Every fifty years, the chosen newborns of the element race are awakened. They are brought to their purest forms to serve the city and its rulers. In order to select a proper placing among the walls of Arcane, these children must take the test created by the monarchs in order to discover potential and observe the extent of their new found powers. Aurora, known as Nicole in her human stage, must face the test alongside her three other companions. But as they prepare to meet the challenge that will define their future, she discovers secrets that may alter her opinion of the promised paradise and the people who rule it.