Young orphan Alicia—now going by Alia—manages to escape death at the hands of Graves by jumping into a turbulent river. Narrowly surviving the raging torrent, she makes her way to the isolated cabin of Cere’zhula the Fiend—the demoness and retired sorceress who was once the mentor to the woman who attacked Alia in an alley—and becomes the dark elf’s newest apprentice. Under Cere’zhula, Alia learns new spells and combat techniques and dips her toes in the art of alchemy. After a few months, the young girl grows used to her new life in the woods, only for it to be thrown into disarray by the arrival of a mysterious man from Cere’zhula’s past...