A wolf in sheep’s clothing or a sheep in wolf’s clothing? Either way, Morfydd Bowen seems to always be finding herself in contradiction - as an Adellian doctor working for the Falstat army, or as a scientist cast into espionage, or even stuck choosing between black and white when all the world looks grey. When the consequences are muddied, who cares if the choices are clear?

Some people follow the facts, some their hearts, and some follow their instincts. As a student and writer, Janik Zeilony does plenty of the first two, but when he follows his instincts, he is drawing from the powers that were handed down to him through his ancestry. Taken from his studies to serve as a weapon in the Falstat military, this son of a baker needs to prove his faith, or he might just burn the whole batch.

When a rock is under immense pressure, it either crumbles to dust or becomes something even stronger. Roq Modvodev would know this fact, having spent most of his young life in the mines of Skalt with his younger brother in tow. Conscription into the Falstat military might just be the right amount of pressure to turn this piece of coal to diamond - as long as the other rubble doesn’t get in the way.

Kriqit Modvodev wants answers. He wants to know who he is in this world, what it all means, when will his brother start to respect him, where will this so-called Almighty will lead him, and most importantly, why. His hometown never had enough answers for his inquisitive mind, so when Falstat started conscripting for the military, he willingly joined. Will he find his answers in the trenches, or will he die trying?

When you’ve been empty for so long, searching becomes second nature. Lidia Allisat is searching for more than just a missing soldier, she’s searching for her own identity. When do the twist and turns of questions and the labyrinth of political puzzles end? How many lies and regrets? How much violence and pain before everything comes to an end? Maybe it is worth losing your soul to gain answers for an already shattered heart.

Petra has her orders. Orders from her country, and orders from the Almighty. She is loyal enough to both, so what happens when those orders conflict with one another? Learning about oneself requires pain, even loss. How much would she sacrifice to follow an unseen path? An arm? A leg. Maybe she’ll stand for something, or maybe she won’t stand at all.