“I dream of a future where our children are born free,” she whispers. “Where they can choose their own paths. Where they can claim the land their father gave them as their own.”

“I live for you,” I say, my voice thick with grief.

Eo presses a kiss to my cheek. “Then live for something greater.”

Darrow is a Red—one of the countless laborers trapped at the bottom of a rigid, color-coded hierarchy. Deep beneath Mars’s surface, he works tirelessly, believing that his sacrifice will help terraform the planet for future generations.

He lives, and dies, for a lie.

Mars has already been conquered. Aboveground, magnificent cities flourish. Parks bloom under open skies. But the Reds know none of this. They are not the builders of tomorrow—they are the enslaved, kept in the dark by a decadent and powerful elite.

Shattered by betrayal and the memory of the woman he loved, Darrow risks everything. He infiltrates the Institute, a brutal academy where Golds—the ruling caste—are forged into leaders of war and empire.

Among them, he must become stronger, smarter, and more ruthless than those who would destroy him. His mission is not just to survive—but to bring their empire to its knees.

Even if it means becoming the very thing he seeks to overthrow.