"Under every fear lies a hidden power, quietly waiting to be claimed." The five Kingdoms of the Common Weal of Theregon have been at peace for almost a thousand years; a truly prodigious milestone for a land that has experienced its fair share of turbulence in the distant past. But as the end of the millennium draws near, a series of unsavoury events threaten to unravel the illusion of stability that the rulers of the land would prefer to maintain. Living alone in the Sevrock Mountains, Illiom could not be further away from the dark conspiracies plaguing the realm. Oblivious to outside happenings, she is reluctantly bracing herself to survive a fifth winter alone. It was fear that led her to seek out this solitary existence and it is fear that keeps her here still. But now someone is coming for her. Someone who intends to draw her away and deliver her, willing or not, into the mayhem of the Kingdom's political hub: the Royal Palace of the city of Kuon, where dire events are unfolding in the deepest shadows, events that are somehow connected to her. Yet what link can possibly exist between Illiom and the darkness that is stalking the heart of the realm? Illiom is being asked to step up and to meet with a destiny that seems bent upon colliding with her. The only question is, does she have what it takes to vanquish her inner demons?