Breathe in four, out six?save a city between.

After a near-fatal crash, synesthetic med student Liora Vale begins seeing Montréal's hidden vital current?glowing lines of life-energy that thread hospitals, trams, and bell towers. A celebrated clinic promises "resilience," but its visionary director is quietly archiving people's memories to power an etheric machine beneath an abandoned observatory.

With hacker-engineer Tova Haldorsdóttir, uncompromising Dr. Mireille Kwan, and bell-keeper Sister Evadne, Liora learns a precise, visual magic system?pocket anchors, breath counts, and bells?to re-harmonize the four bodies (dense, vital, desire, reflecting) without stealing anyone's choice.

When the clinic's glossy miracle becomes a citywide gray hush, the only defense is a grassroots blueprint: Vital Commons. Recipes, not prophecies. Consent over capture. No solos.

Perfect for readers who love:

• Urban fantasy with hard rules and a fresh magic aesthetic
• Biotech conspiracies vs. community care
• Dark-academia atmosphere without the nihilism
• Found-family crews, bells, runes, and city-core vibes

Bells beat biotech. The city keeps its tail up.