In the ash-blasted remnants of Emberfall, Ardent Flix—half-human, half-Aetherborn, and branded a monster, unleashes a catastrophic spell to stop a spreading infection. The village is annihilated. Whether it was mercy or massacre haunts him.
As guilt carves into his soul, Ardent faces the bitter judgment of his estranged half-brother Johan, a cold-blooded swordsman immune to magic’s temptations. Their confrontation teeters on violence but ends in bitter silence. In the ruins, Ardent finds temporary shelter in a tavern on the edge of the storm, where old allies and new threats stir. Syl Caffix, a whip-wielding mercenary with a glowing lie-scar, challenges his moral compass, while Duke the Silent a mad Aether-wielder cloaked in crow feathers, delivers a chilling warning: the Hollow King wants Ardent dead.
As the Aether Storm howls and the world turns volatile, Ardent chooses to chase the truth buried deep within the Godscar. With enemies closing in and prophecy turning to ash, he steps into ruin with Syl at his side, haunted by the shadow of a child he could not save.