The Broken Blades Trilogy, #2

Four Ruined Realms

Name: Four Ruined Realms (The Broken Blades Trilogy, #2)
Author: Mai Corland

by Mai Corland

Genre

Fantasy

Year

2025

Pages

432

Contents

Overview

Four Ruined Realms follows a fractured band of assassins, spies, exiles, and thieves as they cross into Khitan with an impossible goal: survive King Joon’s schemes, reach Queen Quilimar, and alter the balance of power before war consumes the realms. Aeri, Sora, Mikail, Euyn, and Royo each carry private loyalties and buried wounds, making every alliance as dangerous as any enemy.

The story centers on contested crowns, Dragon Lord relics, hidden bloodlines, and the cost of vengeance. As the group pursues the Golden Ring and seeks a way around Khitan’s sacred Rule of Distance, imprisoned allies and distant enemies move in parallel, revealing a world where power depends on secrets, sacrifice, and who is willing to pay the highest price.

Plot Summary ⚠️ Spoilers

Aeri, Sora, Euyn, Mikail, and Royo arrive near Khitan after their failed attempt against King Joon, planning to persuade Queen Quilimar to attack Yusan and draw Joon out of Qali Palace. Their unity is weak from the start. Sora learns Euyn once hunted her father, Chul, and nearly kills him before Mikail and Royo restrain her. Mikail argues that Joon will betray them all and forges documents to get them into Quu, where he seeks help from Fallador, an exiled prince of Gaya.

Khitan proves harder to enter politically than physically. The Rule of Distance keeps everyone far from Quilimar after an assassination attempt, and Mikail learns from Fallador and Ambassador Zeolin that General Vikal is the queen’s only real conduit. Zahara sends coded word that Joon has left Qali, while Zeolin reveals General Salosa’s involvement in attacks on both Mikail and Quilimar. The group splits its efforts: Sora and Aeri attend the Banquet of the Sky King to approach Vikal, while Mikail, Euyn, and Royo search for legal exceptions to the Rule of Distance at the underwater Temple of Knowledge.

The banquet exposes private devastation. Sora glimpses Quilimar with her young son, complicating rumors about the queen, but Count Seok confronts her and reveals he sold Daysum to pleasure houses. Aeri uses her secret Sands of Time amulet to freeze the room and rescue Sora from the chaos. Their bond deepens as Aeri shares the trauma of killing Prince Omin when he assaulted her and reveals the relic’s cost: using it aged her and forced her into hiding.

Meanwhile, Tiyung is held in Idle Prison beneath Idle Lake. Hana, believed dead and now operating as Zahara, visits him, delivering coded messages and food while revealing that Joon wants Tiyung alive only temporarily. Tiyung learns Sora survived and intends to kill Joon, later discovers that Daysum has died, and is warned of an order for his own staged prison death. His new cellmate Ailor, Mikail’s father, ultimately switches collars with him when assassins arrive, sacrificing himself so Tiyung will be mistaken for dead.

At the Temple of Knowledge, the group finds murdered Yoksa priests and ruined records. The surviving priest Luhk helps them locate two exceptions to the Rule of Distance: presenting a black egg from an amarth queen or bringing Staraheli’s head. They also learn that Dragon Lord relics amplify one another and that Quilimar cannot wield the Golden Ring. Mikail concludes Joon may have sent them to Khitan because their talents were needed to reach Quilimar and steal the relic.

The companions split. Aeri and Royo travel to the Light Mountains for an amarth egg, rebuilding trust and becoming lovers despite Aeri’s continued secrecy about her amulet. They steal an abandoned black egg, are confronted by a telepathic amarth sentinel, and are spared because of Aeri’s past kindness to Dia, her owl. The amarth warns of a coming war of realms, rot of death, and Aeri’s painful choice of love. Mikail, Sora, and Euyn pursue Staraheli’s head, but the mausoleum is a trap and the body is gone. They survive only when Gambria and Lyria rescue them by sleigh.

On the road, Euyn reveals another truth to Sora: Seok forged Chul’s consent, meaning Sora and Daysum were never legally sold by their parents. The revelation relieves and enrages Sora. Mikail’s trust in Euyn continues to fracture, especially as he decides Euyn is too ruthless to rule. In Loptra, Mikail receives Zahara’s coded messages that Tiyung lives but Daysum is dead; he hides the second truth from Sora, fearing it will break her before they can act.

The teams reunite and race back to Quu after Zahara warns of war. Aeri and Royo bring the egg and the amarth’s prophecy, confirming that Yusan, Gaya, and Wei may converge on Khitan. At the Palace of the Sky King, Aeri presents the egg and forces General Vikal to grant a five-minute audience with Queen Quilimar. The meeting upends everything: Quilimar reveals that only royal blood can wield the relics and that neither she nor Euyn is Baejkin by acknowledged lineage. Euyn lies about his parentage, but when war drums announce Joon’s arrival, he challenges Quilimar to let him test the Golden Ring.

Euyn uses the ring to turn the black egg to gold, proving he has royal blood after all. Quilimar attacks with a hidden saber, and Euyn presses the ring to her, causing agony and chaos, but her blade pierces his heart. Euyn dies in Mikail’s arms. When guards try to execute the remaining group, Sora uses poison dust, Royo fights through the poisoned men, and Mikail, consumed by grief, slaughters the attackers without mercy. They cremate Euyn to deny Khitan a trophy and emerge to find armies gathered outside and Wei’s fleet in the harbor alongside Joon’s flagship.

Mikail gives Euyn’s ring to Aeri, and it fuses with her Sands of Time amulet, turning her eyes gold. Quilimar offers a tactical truce against Joon and Wei, and the group joins Khitan for a harbor parley. There, Bay Chin taunts Royo and General Salosa moves to strike him from behind. Aeri’s ring erupts, turning both Bay Chin and Salosa to gold. As the parted harbor collapses and enemies move to seize her, Aeri unleashes a vast command to drown, transforming the Yusan and Weian flagships to gold before blacking out.

In the chaos, Mikail realizes Aeri wields both the Golden Ring and the Sands of Time, making her the most dangerous prize in the realms. He chooses to protect Aeri, Royo, and Sora rather than kill the Weian scepter bearer immediately and drown Joon, Uol, and Quilimar. Later, he reclaims the Flaming Sword, kills the Water Scepter bearer, and seizes the scepter as the sea crashes back. Fallador and Gambria help the survivors escape by skiff, then reveal that they cannot wield the scepter because Mikail is the true Gayan royal.

In the epilogue, Aeri wakes on Gaya with the Dragon Lord’s Ring still fused to her and learns Mikail has the Water Scepter. Royo discovers the mark of her hidden amulet and ends their relationship because she lied after promising honesty. Devastated but alive, Aeri joins Mikail, who confirms Sora is safe and that they are on his homeland. With three relics now in their orbit, the survivors resolve to rest, then seek revenge.

Characters

Aeri

Aeri, also known as Princess Naerium, is King Joon’s hidden daughter and a thief-princess whose secret Sands of Time amulet shapes the book’s central conflicts. She grows from mistrusted fugitive into the wielder of the Golden Ring, using relic power to protect those she loves while her secrecy costs her relationship with Royo.
Sora

Sora is a poison-skilled strategist driven by love for her sister Daysum, vengeance against Count Seok, and the mission to kill King Joon. Her grief, mercy, and rage repeatedly redirect the group’s choices, especially as truths about her family and indenture emerge.
Mikail

Mikail is the former Yusanian spymaster, Euyn’s lover, and a Gayan exile whose tactics keep the group alive. After Euyn’s death, he becomes increasingly ruthless, seizes the Water Scepter, and learns he is the true Gayan royal.
Euyn

Euyn is the exiled Yusanian prince whose claim to the throne motivates much of the early mission. His secrets, brutality, and love for Mikail fracture the group, and his fatal wager with Quilimar proves he can wield the Golden Ring before he dies.
Royo

Royo is a formidable fighter seeking to free Hwan and avenge Lora by killing Bay Chin. His relationship with Aeri becomes a major emotional arc, but his demand for honesty leads him to leave her after discovering her concealed amulet.
Tiyung

Tiyung is Count Seok’s son and Sora’s imprisoned ally in Idle Prison. His captivity reveals palace schemes, his desire for redemption, and his importance as a possible better ruler than the Baejkins.
Hana

Hana, operating publicly as Zahara, is a poison maiden and acting spymaster who secretly aids Tiyung while serving dangerous palace interests. Her love for Sora and skill at infiltration make her central to Tiyung’s survival and the flow of coded intelligence.
King Joon

King Joon is Aeri’s father and the principal antagonist whose pursuit of Dragon Lord relics drives the realms toward war. He manipulates multiple agents, leaves Qali Palace at a critical moment, and appears at Quu with Wei’s fleet.
Queen Quilimar

Queen Quilimar is Khitan’s ruler and keeper of the Golden Ring, protected by the Rule of Distance after an assassination attempt. She reveals major truths about Baejkin bloodlines, kills Euyn during the ring wager, and later makes a pragmatic truce against Joon and Wei.
General Vikal

General Vikal is Quilimar’s powerful military commander and closest gatekeeper. She controls access to the queen, leads Khitan’s forces, and guards Aeri during the harbor crisis.
Count Seok

Count Seok is Tiyung’s father and Sora’s personal enemy. His forged indentures, trafficking of Daysum, and wider criminal influence make him a central source of Sora’s vengeance and Tiyung’s shame.
Daysum

Daysum is Sora’s beloved sister and the person Sora most desperately wants to save. Her sale to pleasure houses and later reported death reshape Sora’s motives and Mikail’s decisions.
Bay Chin

Bay Chin is Umbria’s ganglord and the man tied to Royo’s ruined past. He helped frame Hwan, profited from violence, and is finally turned to gold by Aeri at the Quu harbor parley.
Hwan

Hwan is Lora’s father and the imprisoned man Royo has long sought to free. His arrest and stolen businesses connect Royo’s personal quest to Bay Chin’s criminal power.
Lora

Lora is Royo’s lost love, killed by gang retaliation meant for him. Her death explains Royo’s guilt, his loyalty to Hwan, and his hatred of Bay Chin.
Chul

Chul is Sora’s father, once hunted by Euyn but spared. The truth that he refused to sell Sora and Daysum overturns Sora’s core belief about her family.
Fallador

Fallador is the exiled Prince of Gaya and Mikail’s contact in Quu. He provides early intelligence and later helps rescue the group during the seizure of the Water Scepter.
Gambria

Gambria is Fallador’s cousin in Loptra and an ally with a past connection to Quilimar. She rescues Mikail’s team, joins the mission to Quu, and reveals that Mikail—not she or Fallador—is the true Gayan royal.
Lyria

Lyria is Gambria’s Marnan wife. She helps rescue Mikail, Sora, and Euyn from the failed Staraheli mission but is angered by Gambria’s decision to continue toward Quu.
Luhk

Luhk is the surviving Yoksa priest of the Temple of Knowledge. In exchange for funeral rites for the murdered priests, he guides the group to records on the Rule of Distance and relic lore.
Ambassador Zeolin

Ambassador Zeolin is the Yusanian diplomat in Khitan whose cowardice and betrayals give Mikail important intelligence. He provides access to the Sky King banquet and later delivers Quilimar’s truce offer.
General Salosa

General Salosa is a Yusanian military leader tied to orders against Mikail, Quilimar, and Tiyung. At the harbor parley, he tries to strike Royo and is turned to gold by Aeri.
Ailor

Ailor is Mikail’s father, a former king’s guard imprisoned with Tiyung. He confesses past atrocities, then sacrifices himself by taking Tiyung’s collar when assassins come.
Nayo

Nayo is Hana’s brother, formerly freed through Tiyung’s secret intervention. Disguised as the guard Jimi, he helps Hana and Tiyung escape Idle Prison.
Prince Omin

Prince Omin was Aeri’s predatory uncle. Aeri killed him during an assault, took the Sands of Time from him, and has lived with the consequences of that night.
Lord Sterling

Lord Sterling is Tiyung’s uncle and owner of the pleasure house where Daysum is reported to have died. His later murder adds to the uncertainty around Daysum’s final circumstances.
Prince Calstor

Prince Calstor is Quilimar’s young son. His safety is Quilimar’s first priority when war drums announce the attack on Khitan.
Priest King Uol of Wei

Priest King Uol is Wei’s ruler, present with the fleet at Quu. His forces use the Water Scepter to dominate the harbor, making Wei a decisive threat in the realm-war crisis.
Water Scepter bearer

The Water Scepter bearer is the young Weian royal who parts Quu’s harbor for the parley. Mikail kills him to seize the relic, causing the sea to crash back.
Thom Salosa

Thom Salosa is a Yusanian officer who carries Mikail’s Flaming Sword during the Quu battle. Mikail kills him to reclaim the relic.
Staraheli

Staraheli is the long-dead northern leader whose head is one of the Rule of Distance exceptions. The attempt to retrieve the head becomes a trap when the mausoleum proves empty.
Dia

Dia is the small owl Aeri protects and feeds, whose loyalty later helps save Aeri and Royo from the amarth sentinel. The amarth keeps Dia in its care after sparing them.
Amarth sentinel

The amarth sentinel is the telepathic creature that confronts Aeri and Royo after they steal the black egg. It warns of war, recognizes Aeri’s kindness, spares them, and foretells a painful choice of love.

Themes

Mai Corland’s Four Ruined Realms is driven by the question of what power costs—not only to those crushed beneath it, but to those who seize it in order to survive. Across its intersecting missions, betrayals, prisons, and battles, the novel repeatedly tests whether vengeance, loyalty, and love can remain moral when kingdoms are built on exploitation.

Power as corruption and inheritance. The Dragon Lord relics embody the seductive danger of absolute authority. King Joon’s pursuit of the Crown, Sword, Ring, Scepter, and Sands of Time threatens to turn political conquest into near-divine domination. Yet the relics also expose bloodline myths: Euyn’s fatal use of the Ring proves royal blood while destroying his hopes, and Mikail’s revelation as Gayan royalty recasts identity as both burden and weapon. Aeri’s fusion with the Ring and amulet makes her powerful enough to sink fleets, but also newly isolated and desired by every faction.
Secrets, trust, and the damage of withheld truth. Nearly every alliance fractures over concealment. Aeri hides her identity and the Sands of Time; Euyn hides what he knows about Sora’s parents and later his own doubts; Mikail hides Daysum’s death from Sora. These choices are often made “for protection,” yet the book shows that protection without consent becomes another form of control. Royo’s heartbreak in the epilogue crystallizes this theme: love cannot survive on tenderness alone if truth is repeatedly denied.
Vengeance versus mercy. Characters are pushed toward revenge by real atrocities: Sora’s rage at Seok for Daysum, Royo’s vendetta against Bay Chin, Mikail’s grief after Euyn’s death. But mercy persists in small, defiant acts. Sora antidotes the Marnan guard she was meant to kill; Mikail refuses to murder Luhk despite Euyn’s urging; Ailor sacrifices himself for Tiyung, a stranger. The novel does not dismiss vengeance, but it asks what remains of a person who lets vengeance become the only law.
Chosen bonds against ruined bloodlines. Families of birth are often sources of harm—Baejkin abuse, Seok’s trafficking empire, Joon’s schemes—while chosen loyalties keep characters alive. Sora and Aeri become sisters in purpose; Royo and Aeri’s romance grows through rescue and vulnerability; Hana aids Tiyung despite old wounds. Even Euyn’s death matters because of Mikail’s love, not his claim.
Survival as moral transformation. The realms are “ruined” not simply by war, but by systems that make cruelty practical. Yet characters such as Tiyung, Aeri, and Mikail keep changing under pressure, suggesting that ruin is not the end of identity. The final move to Gaya promises revenge, but also raises the series’ central tension: whether the wounded can remake the world without becoming its next tyrants.