A return of a long defeated threat changes everything for a Master Shaper of the elements. Serving as the Master of Spirit leaves Tolan with little time for anything beyond teaching. There’s no time for the research he enjoys, no time to explore ancient ruins, and no time to search for strange elementals in the land beyond the bleak waste where no magic can exist. During a Selection of new students, Tolan uncovers a strange village where the elementals are worshipped, along with power he didn’t believe possible within his homeland. When a threat all thought long ago defeated returns, Tolan finds his service to the Academy will require more than a Master of Spirit. Stopping this threat will need a master of all the elements—and the elementals, but can he still be that person?

The true spirit master remains at large. Tolan might be the only one able to stop him, but he must find the truth within himself first. The element bonds, for so long the primary way to reach the power of the elements, have been tainted. The threat Tolan has long feared has revealed himself but escaped before his plan could be stopped. Now Tolan and his allies must travel beyond the waste to search for answers. The journey again takes him away from his teaching responsibilities. Now that Tolan has gifted the knowledge of spirit to other spirit shapers, he's no longer certain he's the best spirit instructor, especially not when another exists who's so much more skilled with spirit than him. If he's not the spirit master for the Academy, then how can he best serve the Academy? Another attack beyond the waste forces his hand. What he finds are more questions and a plot deadlier than anything he's ever faced before. Tolan struggles to stop Var, but how can he stop a master spirit shaper who knows everything he does?

The threat Tolan has long feared has been defeated, but a new danger emerged, one that poses a threat to both shapers and the elementals. For the first time since mastering his connection to the elements, Tolan fears an elemental. He's long advocated the elementals were misunderstood, and tried convincing others within Terndahl to free them from the bond, but the appearance of Light has proven his mistake. Chasing the threat leads Tolan to take a dangerous journey, one that challenges all that he's learned of spirit and brings him back to the lands beyond the waste where he discovers a secret hidden from the rest of the world for centuries. What he uncovers is more deadly than anything he's ever known, and one his unique connection to the elements might not be enough to stop. It will take more than a master of spirit to survive; it will take a true element warrior.

Still injured with a mysterious ailment stemming from his separation into his elemental form, Tolan knows he must protect Terndahl before the elementals attack. After years spent teaching others the elementals were no danger, he fears the repercussions of changing course. After an attack on the Academy and then losing an ally, Tolan has no choice but to bring the fight to the Lands Beyond. The key to reaching it is buried in a secret the ancient shapers never passed on, but it's one Tolan thinks he can decipher. Even reaching those lands is challenging, but once there, he needs new allies and must find the help they need before the elementals attack. If they fail, the barriers separating his land from those Beyond will fall, and all he cares about will be in danger. When even an elemental warrior might not be enough, Tolan must find the elemental nature within him. The gripping conclusion of The Elemental Warrior.