They who stand alone
Elian thought Solaris Institute would be a new start. A place to study, to forget the past, to learn more about the White King’s Curse that haunted his childhood.
He was wrong.
Students go missing. The city keeps secrets. And after one night changes everything, Elian becomes one of the hunted — a Verae, cursed and marked. Now he’s being chased by the ICU, a brutal force that calls itself protection but acts more like a quiet death squad.
Ravi, his roommate, is the son of a count. Tari, quiet and careful, hides pain behind silence. Together, they try to make sense of a city that punishes truth. But when Elian is dragged into a war he doesn’t understand — between Veraes, the empire, and a girl who once manipulated him into becoming what he is — he has to choose:
His human belief Or become the monster they’re afraid of.