Determined to get some answers, she storms off to Junoon in search of her mother, and without even realizing it, falls into Tanta Olas's trap—a vision of a perfect New York.

The illusion of home is so convincing that Frey doesn't suspect that anything is amiss at first. And when Cuff finally succeeds in snapping her back to her senses, she's forced to fight every step of the way to escape, with Olas doing everything she can to try and trap her forever.

Before she's even had the chance to absorb that shock, Cuff combines with the bracelet Olas was wearing and to transforms before her, revealing himself to be Susurrus—a weapons sent by the Rheddig to destroy Athia and the Tantas.

Cinta transports her daughter to Svargana, where the Tantas revealed that Susurrus was the source of the Break and their madness. Faced with a painful decision, Frey realizes what she must do...

As she gazes out from a top the Tower of Binnoi, she laments the fact that she doesn't know how to rid the rest of Athia of it's seemingly incurable Affliction. She was off to continue her work until the problem is finally solved by becoming a so-called "Breakwarden"—whether her closest companion likes it or not.

Her relief is short-lived, however. She is cornered on the way home by the very gang that ordered her to perform the crime she was arrested for. She manages to escape their clutches and finds her way home, but they eventually track her down. That night, they set fire to the building where she lives, and Frey loses nearly everything she owns.

Utterly defeated, she makes her way to the Holland Tunnel—the place where she was abandoned nearly twenty-one years before. But just as she's about to give in to despair, a glint of light catches her eye. It's a bracelet—and a valuable-looking one at that...

She eventually arrives at the city of Cipal, where she's promptly taken into custody and escorted to yet another courtroom. The fearful locals initially seem perilously close to ordering her execution, but are convinced to show Mercy by a young woman named Auden Keen, and decide to lock her up in the tower of Bonnoi instead.

She sets out for a Cognoscents' Guild in Praenost in search of them, and once there, not only does she find what she's looking for, but Robian—Auden's long-since-presumed-dead father—as well.

They return to Cipal together to find Tanta Sila attacking the City. The orphan Olevia is tragically killed in the ensuing violence, and as Frey clutches her young friends lifeless body, she vows to make Sila pay.

While heading for the castle, she is caught up in a Breakstorm, but thankfully manages to find a cave in which she rides out the danger. Once safely inside, she is finally overcome by rage and despair, and spends the night dreading the events the next day will bring.

The Tanta of Strength awaits within, and a pitched battle ensues, in which Frey is very nearly overcome by Sila's supernatural strength. Somehow, though, she manages to prevail, and the mad Tanta is deposed at last.

A desperate Frey sets out to look for more ballow resin in the hope that it might cure him, or at least stop him from getting worse. As She searches for the right trees, Cuff tries to convince her that Cipal won't be safe until Tanta Prav is killed. Frey is reluctant to take another life, but decides that perhaps Prav will listen to reason...

After a long and grueling battle, Feay finally emergency the victor. And with her dying breath, Prav calls her..."Child of Cinta"...

But she arrives to find that her efforts are too little, too late. Heartbroken at the old man's passing, she's left to ponder her path forward alone...

And, as if that were not wonder enough--"

Though originally based in a relatively humble underground facility beneath their homeland, their operations quickly expanded, and the great towers, or Guilds, for which they are known today soon sprang up across the land. At the height of the organization's power, there were as many as thirty guilds and three hundred scholars in total. They were revered as benevolent and knowledgeable savants, a reputation which also earned this exclusive fellowship its name.

Cinta struggled valiantly throughout her pregnancy to withstand the effects Susurrus had on her mind and body. Out of sheer desperation to protect her child, she finally succeeded in giving birth to Frey safely—but the trauma took its toll, and her weekend body finally succumbed to the Demon's Power. The immense energy that was released when Cinta transformed into a dragon split the very land asunder.

Olas exploited Frey's hopes, desires, and dreams so effectively that she might have stayed there had it not been for Cuff's untiring efforts to make her see sense.

They were erected in places known to be frequented by these much-loved beings, and it became common for adoring pilgrims to leave various foodstuffs and treats as offerings at the statues' feet. The Tantas were unhappy at this waste of valuable resources, and eventually inscribed warnings not to feed their familiars into the statues themselves.

The energy which flows from within them is the selfsame energy that gave rise to all life in Athia, and by which the Tantas have been granted the powers that enable them to guide and govern the people since time immemorial. Little wonder, then, that they, like the Tantas, are considered sacred."

What she doesn't know is that the light was left by her very own mother. Cinta knew that a day would come when Frey would need to learn the truth, and thus left her a beacon in order to help her find her way.

They are rumored to be treacherous places guarded by terrifying beasts. As for what these beasts may be trying to protect—legend has it that ancient relics lie in the bowels of each one, alongside writings left by the First Tanta herself."

It originates from a wellspring deep underground, and the places where it springs forth from beneath the surface shine with a sacred light—at least for those with eyes to see it.

In the deal she struck with Auden, Frey agreed to retrieve rubian's journals detailing his work on the corruption from the Cognoscents' Guild in Praenost in exchange for his notes on the torana. Upon arriving at her destination, she was surprised to see just how many journals there were. Sadly, some unexpected interference from Sila's soldiers resulted in a fire in which almost all of them perished, leaving their contents a mystery.

"Much remains mysterious about the torana. They make instantaneous locomotion possible by altering space and time, but precisely how, I cannot say. The energy required to open one is enormous, and increases exponentially the farther one wishes to travel. And yet I cannot help but wonder—by channeling enough power into one, could we reach another continent? Perhaps even another world?"

It's contents wouldn't look out of place in a typical nursery on Earth: a crib, handcrafted toys, and even a copy of Alice in Wonderland. Sadly, it only exists in this form in Cinta and Frey's memories—the real Annex was long since destroyed by the Break.

They're unique construction enables them to amplify this power, creating illusions indistinguishable from reality—illusions not just of static scenery, but of living, breathing beings. Enough of these lanterns in concert can create entire hallucinary worlds. Fantasies in which the unsuspecting can become completely lost...

It was originally drafted as the castle was being built, and as such, may not be an exact representation of its final layout. The stronghold looks to be nigh-on impenetrable, with walls capable of keeping almost any enemy at bay, although interestingly, a narrow passage appears to lead from the walls right to the throne room at the castle's heart...

To the north lies Junoon, with its rich, fecund forests. To the east, Praenost, heavy with mountains. Westward, the great plains of Visoria stretch off to the horizon. And to the south, the shimmering Waters of Avoalet glisten in the sun.

Or at least, they did before the Corruption brought misery and ruin upon the land...

Each embodied a different virtue, which in turn shaped how they chose to rule. They were much loved by the people of Athia, who enjoyed lives of plenty under their guidance, but according to Cuff, all was not necessarily as harmonious as it might have seemed on the surface...

Once known as the home of all Athia's knowledge, it's head-spinning heights are filled from top to bottom with books, most of which were written by Cognoscents—her faithful array of scholars and scribes. A huge impact of some kind has smashed through the uppermost layers, leaving the throne room stranded somewhere in the castle beneath.