A wounded dragon prince falls from the sky after a brutal forest ambush and is forced into the smallest, weakest form he can manage to survive. Hunted, bleeding, and stripped of his power, Zayren hides as a black lizard until black-market handlers find him and drag him into captivity. Far from his throne and unable to reveal what he truly is, he can only watch, endure, and judge the humans around him in silence. Then Aurevia enters the market: a quiet academy girl carrying her own disappointment. Their eyes meet through the cage bars, and both their fates begin to change.