In the harsh hierarchy of Arcana Academy, Clara survives by adapting to every threat around her. Her movement from slum-born tarot inker to fabricated noble heiress shows how shifting identity can help one elude danger. Each new role keeps her alive, and her ability to perform matters as much as her physical resilience and her magic. Ultimately, Clara and other victims of the crown will go to great lengths to survive.

Clara’s first act of survival and protecting her loved ones begins by erasing herself and enduring the brutality of the Halazar Prison. Once captured, she took the name “Graysword,” a word used for “orphaned and unwanted children” (3). The name signals that she has “no family to take down with” her (3). Furthermore, she guards her real name as one of her “most closely guarded secrets” (6). This first act shows her instinct to become invisible since anonymity shields her and loved ones from further harm. In addition to changing her name, Clara also demonstrates physical resilience by enduring the cruelties of Halazar and, with the help of magic, staging a perilous escape from the prison. It is only once at the academy that it is clear how much she suffered, as it takes months for her to fully regain her strength.

After her imprisonment, Prince Kaelis invents a new persona for her, and Clara steps into this role even though she dislikes the world it represents. When he falsely claims her to be “Clara Redwin, the last surviving heiress of Clan Hermit” (28), Clara understands that this identity is linked to her survival because it will shield her from a return to Halazar. When Kaelis announces their betrothal during the Fire Festival, a new ruse begins, and despite her loathing of the prince, she plays along because it is a disguise that will protect her outside the walls of Arcana as well. No matter how much she detests her new titles, Clara’s life depends on how well she plays the roles of noblewoman and fiancée.

Furthermore, to survive, Clara must also reshape how she displays her power and others, like Silas, must make moral sacrifices to protect themselves and loved ones. As an unusually skilled Arcanist, she risks exposure if she reveals her true ability. As an initiate, she cannot use the higher cards, so she must stifle the urge to summon stronger magic that she’s capable of. Others, like Silas, the Major Arcana Chariot, must also go to great lengths to survive. Forced to live within the depths of the academy so that the crown doesn’t lose his ability to teleport, Silas agreed to help Prince Ravin only because his family would be tortured if he didn’t. He is complicit for his survival and theirs, making choices he may not otherwise. Silas demonstrates that there many people, like Clara, who are being manipulated by the crown and are forced to take drastic measures to ensure their own safety and that of their loved ones.