~ This is The Catalyst's sequel, so this summary contains spoilers for that book. ~ It has been one year since the quest for the catalyst. In Fellera, Jaden and Zemisha are now engaged, but their close friends know this is only a political partnership. As for Noah and Kili, after traveling to another continent, they're building a life for themselves in a desert city. Meanwhile, Emperor Neros' obsession with Zemisha grows stronger, until he decides to hire elite dark mage mercenaries to kidnap Zemisha and bring her back to Azuria. Forcing Jaden to organize a rescue mission to get his future queen back. Jaden reassures Noah that he won't be needing his help. But Noah isn't so sure. After all, if there's one thing they've learned, it's that there's always someone scheming behind the scenes. And with dark mages in the picture, you can never be too careful.

In a world where tall ships have led to expansive conquests, people are saying a masked man is leading a resistance against the imperial occupiers. Able Houser, a scholar struggling with a stalled career, is both skeptical of the stories yet hopeful that they could be hiding the trail of the insurgents his father was helping when he vanished twelve years ago. After turning up hints of a government cover-up, Able sails across the sea to investigate further and becomes entangled not only in the conflict between the imperial enforcers and the native people but also in a long-standing conspiracy.