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.