The Will Of Many

The citizens of the Republic of Catena, also called the Hierarchy, may rule the world, but they don't know everything.

I've told them my name is Vis Telimus. I've told them I was orphaned in a tragic accident three years ago, and that it was only good fortune that led to my acceptance into their most prestigious school. I've told them that once I graduate I will gladly join the rest of civilized society, which means I will allow my strength, my desires, and my determination—what they call the Will—to be parasitized and added to the power of those above me, as millions already do. As all must eventually do.

I tell them I am one of them, and they believe me. But the truth is I have been sent to the academy for answers. To solve a murder. To search for an ancient weapon. To uncover secrets that could bring down the Republic. And I will never, ever, surrender my will to the empire that executed my family. To survive, however, I will have to climb the ranks of the academy. I will have to smile, make friends, and pretend I am one of them. Because if I don't, those who want to control me—those who know my true name—will no longer need me.

And if the Hierarchy discovers who I really am, they will kill me.