The Chaos Bringer has come.
These are desperate times for Guardian Toma Scilio. Times of shadow and fear. Hunger and tribulation. Self-loathing and self-discovery. In a moonless catastrophe, foretold by prophecy and ushered in blindly by Scilio's own hand, the Chaos Bringer was born in King Soventine. Crown Prince Vannisarian was spared the incursion at the expense of his soul, which was severed and trapped in a rift. The royal party had fled the wrath of Crown and Chaos, bisecting on opposite paths.
Scilio and young Dailan now ferry Vann's empty vessel north to Havenlen, to cower under cover of homelessness and hardship. Even the destitute streets are always watching, but are such eyes always those of the enemy? It doesn't take long for Scilio to realize that the friendly extended hand may well be intending to snatch his collar.
Meanwhile, Warrior-Princess Kiriana and Guardian Malacar sail south, escorting a caravan and a decoy meant to draw the Chaos Bringer's eye. Alongside Kir's clan and the Karmine libertines, they traverse the kaiyo-tainted Aquilinian vale, bound for safety in Hili. While Malacar wrestles with the relentless pull of the Guardian Bonding, the tormenting ghost of an old friend haunts Kir's trail, forcing her to question her own value, and even her sanity. Kir must find it in herself to overcome insecurities and take up her rightful mantle of leadership, before the ghost overcomes her instead.
In the wake of a looming Chaos War, both splinters of the royal party hope to find answers in their urgent flight: how does one go about retrieving an emancipated soul? Is it even possible, or is Vann lost to them forever?