The Ascendant Path: Soldier continues the story of Layten Grayread and his improbable life. Layten and his friends Hopwell and Wix are somehow still alive, though not anywhere they want to be. After the battle of the Guardians in the House of Knowledge everything Layten thought was upended, as the Priest Vilom, the 'Voice of Sartum' has started a crusade. A crusade to end the threat of magic, once and for all. With the Houses closed, Layten and his friends are pressed into service in the northern army. From the training grounds to the depths of the southern lands, Layten only has one goal, to survive. For not everything is as simple as it appears, and multiple people are playing a dangerous game. A game that could spell the end for entire races and lands. The prize? Control over magic itself.