Twelve year old Joshua Creed’s world is cracking. His parents are talking divorce, his classmates have turned cruel, and one of his sisters seems determined to make his life miserable. Only his brother and one loyal sister still feel like a safe place. Battling the ups and downs of bipolar disorder, Joshua already feels like an outsider in his own life—until everything changes. Drawn through a mysterious connection to his eye and a strange, sacred tree, Joshua stumbles into the Land of the Ice Plants, home of the Norkels, a secret people on the brink of disaster. The Norkels believe an ancient prophecy: a Keeper of Worlds will come from the human realm to save them. To Joshua’s horror, every sign points to him. Terrified and uncertain, Joshua is forced into a role he doesn’t want and doesn’t feel ready for. As he learns the truth about the prophecy, the power hidden in his eye, and the secrets of the sacred tree, he must navigate betrayal, strange magic, and the pressure of two collapsing worlds. Meanwhile, back home, his family fractures further, and Joshua begins to realize that the courage he’s learning in the Norkels’ world might be the only thing that can help him face the pain in his own. Book One sets Joshua on a path from self-doubt to reluctant bravery, laying the foundation for a larger battle to come—where saving the Norkels and saving his family may turn out to be the same fight.