A Torch Against the Night: An Ember in the Ashes

Elias and Laia, on the run after the Fourth Trial, are pursued by Martial soldiers as they escape Serra and journey through the Empire. Laia aims to infiltrate Kauf prison to rescue her brother, key to the Scholars' survival, while Elias sacrifices his freedom to aid her. They face dark forces including Emperor Marcus, the Commandant, the Warden of Kauf, and Helene, Elias’s former friend and Empire’s Blood Shrike, tasked with killing them both. Simultaneously, Scooter, a character from another story, travels from Okinawa to the United States, learning to confront her fears along the way.