Promo text

Forbidden children. Forgotten History. A power no one has witnessed in living memory.
In the pyramid city of El-Pelusium, all second-born children are banished to an island of madmen for fear of a power they are rumored to possess.

But Miki isn’t just a Second, she is a Fifth.

Nineteen years of hiding behind false identities and away from the public eye has left her with unmatched anxiety. But when a chance encounter throws her in the path of the new young ruler of the Pyramid who is hunting for answers—and a friend, Miki must dodge the very person with the power to banish her. On top of it all, a madman from the island claims being a fifth-born means something. But listening to him would make Miki as mad as him. Unless he is right. If so, the system Miki’s fragile world is built upon, and her very life, are in the balance.

Tropes present

My crush is an abuser Miki starts to fall in love with a man who cut off some of her fingers.

Dystopia as political argument This is a society that has a thing against some children being born. It’s a pretty strong allegory for how abortion is used in our society.

Dystopia can get worse On the island where people are banished to, the man running the place is sadistic and crazy.

Fake identity baggage Miki, being a person forbidden to live in the city, has to keep her true identity secret.

Long-lost relative With multiple people having to pretend to not be connected to their families, there’s plenty of opportunities for reunions.