The Starfall Empire faces growing unrest along its northern border. Corvin, the second son of House Cranston dismissed as a magicless wastrel, pulls off a string of stunning upsets at the Grand Magic Tournament, slowly revealing his identity as the legendary Shadow Sovereign who single-handedly guarded the Northern Wall for a decade. When the Ghoul Empire sabotages the ancient seal and threatens to unleash the Ash Emperor, Corvin steps forth to turn the tide, leading an expedition to the Far North to settle the three-hundred-year fate with the abyss.