On the planet Arevis, nature’s magic has been forsaken, and society is bound by rigid elemental castes. Affection outside state-sanctioned Matches is forbidden, and all Prismarine are paired by the Emperor’s mysterious compatibility algorithm—an infallible system, or so it’s believed.

But when Gemma, a fiery Arien, is Matched with Elijah, a waterborne Cancrian, everything begins to fracture. Fire and Water were never meant to align—so why did the algorithm choose them? As cracks form in the Emperor’s perfect design, Gemma and Elijah uncover a truth buried beneath centuries of control, secrets, and illusion.