bruhnetted
Every truth has a cost. Every city wants blood.
In the year 2036, America collapsed-not in a sudden explosion, but in a slow, grinding unraveling of trust, civility, and power. The Second Fracture War-fought not just with weapons, but with data, riots, and betrayal-shattered the nation into seven sovereign city-states. What rose from the ashes wasn't peace, but a brutal new order.
Now, in 2137, each of the Hollow States governs itself with paranoia and punishment, bound only by an ancient, blood-soaked tradition: The Coronation. Once every year, seven new rulers are crowned-chosen by lineage, power, or fate-and must decide the fates of their cities' condemned: the Sinners. Four from each seven cities. Guilty or innocent, judged by vote.
But this year, in Ironroot, all four are found guilty.
Their replacements-once chosen as symbols of hope-are instead revealed to be their mentors, the only outside contact they'll have during the Trials. Some are allies. Some are traitors. All have their own agendas.
Thrown into a gladiator system cloaked in ritual, the Sinners must navigate deadly alliances, hidden betrayals, and the shifting loyalties of their own citymates-unsure whether the enemy is the sword at their throat or the voice in their ear.
Survival is not just a matter of strength. It's a matter of trust.
And in the Hollow States, trust is the rarest weapon of all.