by David A. Dillon
In a dystopian future, Project Thalassa, an revolutionary synthetic microbe created to remove microplastics from the ocean, has mutated into a predator that bonds with all sodium chloride. Humanity faces extinction due to Halovorus, the ion-consuming microbe that has disturbed the delicate neural equilibrium necessary for human survival, causing devastating systemic breakdowns. In this shattered world, salt is the most valuable and fiercely fought-over resource, and the harsh ruling authority, the Salarium, enforces the "Reclamation Mandate," requiring "biological interstitial salt" as a Tithe. Anastasia, identified as a "vessel" and already showing signs of sodium loss, witnesses the true terror of a Default Reclamation when her neighbors are harvested by the faceless Salt-Corps, who drain their salt, turning them into mineral statues. Pursued and running low on supplies, Anastasia teams up with Kael, a friend who has also chosen to resist. Knowing she cannot survive the next Tithe, she readies herself for a desperate escape from her monitored block and embarks on a frightening journey into the "Dead Zones"—the only refuge from the Salarium. Your Salt is your life. The Tithe is its measure. The Mandate is its law.
