Darkness Rising (The Darkness Rising Series Book 1)

In a world where magic was highly valued, there were schools designed for young mages and summoners to grow in their abilities and powers, whatever they may be. They were educated in healing and battle, and hundreds of other subjects, each school more prestigious and impressive than the last. But all that changed suddenly. There was a discovery that the surplus of magic-use was seriously damaging the world. Trees were dying sooner, plants withered easily, roses wilted to nothing within minutes of blooming. The leaders of the world came together and made one of the most terrible decisions in the history of their world.
The mages of the world needed to be exterminated.
Now, with the magic-users all but extinct (or otherwise firmly imprisoned), a new threat has arisen. The kings of the threatened empires have cried out for the help of those who they heartlessly slaughtered before. The threat is serious; one of the kings who had agreed to dispose of the magic-users had hoarded the strongest ones for himself and armed them with a new power of Dark Magic. There was no warning as to what started this behavior. There were all sorts of speculations, but one rumor is common - kind and gentle King Asmodius was not acting of his own accord.
It wasn't the overuse of magic that had eroded the life in the empire. It was the Dark Magic, which infected the land and was deemed to be highly contagious. It is assumed that Light Magic would be capable of countering it, but such a thing hadn't been seen in hundreds of years. Would anyone be able to stop this incredible threat? No, this does not end on a question. There is someone to stop this threat, and this is their story...