18 parts Ongoing MatureBook 1 in The Rift-born Chronicle
At thirteen, every child awakens-either as a Guide or an Esper. At eighteen, they are Matched in a sacred bond, their fates entwined to protect the world from the monstrous Revenants that spill through the Rifts.
Cai Athren was supposed to be the perfect heir-born into a dynasty of elite Guides, destined to pair with an equally powerful Esper. But there's a problem. His hypersensitive senses reject every candidate, their presence unbearable. The Academy whispers about his unmatched status, and his family is losing patience. If he doesn't choose a partner, the Athren name will be tarnished forever.
Then Thalassa Riven walks in.
An orphan. A stray. A wildcard. The first Esper whose presence doesn't revolt him-but instead draws him in like a tidal pull. She is S-Rank, unnaturally powerful, and undeniably dangerous. The Academy doesn't trust her. The Vanguard watches her too closely. And Cai's family refuses to accept an Esper with no lineage.
But the moment their Synchronization begins, it's unlike anything the world has seen before.
Their bond is too strong, too intense, too raw. And as whispers of the Riftborn King echo through Thalassa's mind, she begins to wonder-was she Matched with Cai by fate? Or is she something else entirely?
Because in a world where power is inherited, not chosen... their bond might just break everything.