Citadel

Olivia lives in Citadel, the only city on Edalide, where religion, hierarchy, and fear shape every part of life. Her society teaches that the demons in the surrounding Flooded Forest must be exterminated so humans can earn salvation, but Olivia already doubts what she has been told.

After a surprising encounter with one of the forest beings, Olivia begins to suspect the demons are sentient rather than monstrous. Driven by grief, curiosity, and a need for truth, she ventures beyond the walls and uncovers a wider conflict involving the city, the forest, and the stories both sides tell about one another.

As Olivia learns to communicate across the divide and sees how power uses faith and prejudice to control people, she is forced into a dangerous choice between preserving the old cycle of violence or pushing toward justice and peace. Along the way, her relationships with family and friends become central to how far she can go and what she is willing to risk.