In the far north, the towers shrouded in dense fog loom over the massive, labyrinthine fortress of Southmark. No one knows its age, and for centuries it has been nearly forgotten. Yet now its isolated position on the border of the eerie realm of the Twilight dwellers can no longer protect it. Southmark is under threat. In the foggy world of the Twilight Zone to the north, as well as in the realm of the power-hungry Autarch to the south, armies are gathering. Their target is the fortress of Southmark, where the young royal twins must take over the reins of government while their father languishes far away in captivity; where Ferras Vansen, captain of the Royal Guard, is consumed by a passion unknown to those he is sworn to protect; where Chaven, who possesses secret knowledge from the Old Days, guards a magical mirror; and where the foundling Chert discovers a child - a child whose fate is yet unknown.