The earth is reaching a point of no recovery. Many species are extinct. Conditions for humans have become rigid by law, lives controlled by a seemingly benign monarch, Armand Rockman. He is not who he seems. Rockman's true name is Iximo, a species of wraith.
Sandaria describes the world conditions best. "I was produced in a World One Incubation Center. When I came of age, I began my training in a World One School. My purpose was defined, to serve as a clerk in a food production center. I would labor in a facility that grew fungus spores. My labor would end when I reached my obsolescence. I would then be sent to a euphemistically named Dome of Enduring Happiness where I would be euthanized, and become fertilizer for food production.
"My thoughts, feelings, and hopes ran counter to my formulaic life. I was branded a trouble maker. Then, I met Ben, who like me, was different. We would learn there were others like us, and that we were Light Seeders. Our lives were in constant danger.
"Teachers and guides came to us to help us act upon our gifts, and our dreams of a more humane world. They are the Earth Tenders, also known as the esekiia.
