Cam Folde will shake the very fabric of creation... or see all his hopes turn to ash. The son of the town drunk, Cam never figured on letting his family name hold him down. He always strove to dream bigger, to fight for something better, to achieve more than what everyone else expected of him. But as they say, ‘once a Folde, always a Folde’, and when a decision to rescue a friend leads to disaster, fortune’s favor is lost. Cam spirals away from his dreams and ambitions; his fall finally ending at the bottom of a bottle. However, all hope is not lost. Cam rises, supported by family and friends. And when a powerful Master of Ephemera offers him a chance to walk the Way into Divinity and achieve redemption, Cam seizes the opportunity. All he has to do is survive the Ephemeral Academy, the very school where the next generation of Masters are trained. There, Cam just might achieve the greatness he's always sought, and with friends at his side, including an irrepressible Awakened panda, it even seems possible. And yet Cam will soon discover that the Way into Divinity is as steep as it is arduous, and there are more fearsome things than humans who brave its perilous climb...

Cam Folde has overcome his weaknesses, but his future remains uncertain. During his first year at the Ephemeral Academy, Cam grew far in his Ephemeral Mastery, becoming a person of significance. The eyes of the mighty are now upon him, and they promise him wealth and even marriage into their houses should he offer them loyalty. Yet Cam has other concerns. He no longer trusts his sponsor, Rainen Winder—the Wilde Sage—whose usage of Cam and his friends has seen them almost die on too many occasions. A dilemma exists, however, because breaking with the Wilde Sage will also result in Cam’s expulsion from the academy. Needing wisdom, Cam seeks advice from several of his instructors—the new master of the sword, Cinder Shade, and his wife—but before he can enact their counsel, a fresh challenge becomes apparent.A mythical Realm—deadly beyond measure—proves all-too real… and an unprepared Light Squad must survive it.

Cam Folde’s tribulations in the Realm of Hearth are not the end of his struggles. They are only the beginning. Cam and Light Squad have returned to Salvation, but important questions linger. How many of the great Sages have turned traitor? Who can Light Squad trust? And is the Ephemeral Academy itself compromised? Strangely pertinent as well is the nature of Cam’s relationship with Charity Kazar. Who are they to one another? Dangers abound, and while none of the questions have easy answers, what becomes clear is that Cam has to forge his own path. The rest of Light Squad shares his antipathy toward those in authority, and together, they conceive a plan to make their own destiny. Another, however, has his own schemes, and he is far beyond a mere Sage. He is Coruscant, a Great Rakshasa, and his deadly challenge will be the greatest that Cam has yet to face.