by J. E. Passarelli
Klaus enters Codeme, a mysterious government academy created to train the leaders who will shape the future of society. His motivation is deeply personal: his mother is seriously ill, and he has been promised access to a treatment that could save her life. But Codeme is far more than a school. Hidden deep beneath the ground, the academy trains selected students to control Éter, a mysterious energy capable of enhancing the human body and awakening extraordinary abilities. As their powers evolve, they begin to manifest according to ancient chess-piece archetypes, each representing a different form of power and influence. While Klaus struggles to understand his own abilities, political conflicts, rivalries, friendships, and forbidden experiments begin to reveal the true purpose behind the academy. Soon, Klaus discovers that the balance between power and humanity is far more fragile than he imagined—and that the people who claim to protect the world may be the ones threatening it.
