Pursued by ruthless loan sharks, Julian Shields is a nineteen-year-old burdened with crippling debt and facing ever-growing mortal peril. After a tragic toaster fire, Julian finds himself in an entirely new predicament—he’s dead. Or so it seems.

To his astonishment, Julian awakens in Hyleberia, an incredible Hellenic island republic that governs not only Earth but the very fabric of reality. Selected at random to become a citizen, he is thrust into a second life, far removed from everything he once knew. As he navigates this strange new world, Julian meets eccentric historical figures, stumbles upon miraculous wonders beyond his wildest dreams and enrols in Aristotle’s Lyceum to study philosophy.

Yet, Hyleberia is no utopia. Beneath its surface lies a history of corruption, a forgotten war, and a divine government whose grip on reality is absolute. In the shadows, the terrifying Regent of Darkness, long believed vanquished, may yet rise again. Julian and his friends must soon face the challenge of a lifetime—protecting Hyleberia, and perhaps all of humanity, from a malevolent scheme that could unravel the very universe itself.