Talasyn arrives at the Nenavar Dominion after a long flight over open ocean. She is struck by the archipelago's lush beauty—jade-green islands, pearlescent beaches, and crystal-clear waters—and feels an inexplicable sense of familiarity and belonging. Shortly after arrival, she witnesses a massive eruption of violet-hued magic from a Sever unlike any she has encountered before, which she connects to the Sardovian Coast legend of the Fisherman's Warning. She speculates about a unique breed of Nenavarene aethermancers.

Talasyn navigates the outlying islands in fog, docks her wasp airship inside a mountain cave to avoid detection, and begins a grueling multi-hour hike through dense, humid jungle toward the Light Sever. Along the way, she encounters exotic flora and fauna, including tiny primates that seem to vanish before her eyes. Climbing a massive tree to survey her position, she is overwhelmed by fragmented memories—rough hands on her face, a city of gold, a woman's voice promising they would find each other again—and begins crying without fully understanding why. She then witnesses the Light Sever erupt from a northern peak, its golden radiance calling to her blood.

As she continues trekking, Talasyn reflects on half-formed memories and unsettling feelings of recognition tied to Nenavar. She recalls a dream in which a woman comforted her and called her by a different name, one she cannot remember upon waking. These fragments hint at a hidden past connected to the Dominion, and a buried instinct warns her that if "they" found out something about her, she would be hunted. She pushes onward through the jungle at night, following the pull of the Light Sever to a vast, ruined shrine complex overgrown by jungle. At its center she finds an ancient fountain with dragon-shaped spouts—the nexus point of the Light Sever.

Before Talasyn can commune with the Sever, Alaric Ossinast confronts her. They engage in a fierce, skillful duel across the moonlit courtyard, exchanging barbs and blows. Alaric reveals that a traitor in Sardovian ranks disclosed her mission. Talasyn manages to pin him with a dagger to his throat, but he retaliates by tearing down a tree with shadow magic, forcing them apart. When he pins her wrists, both suddenly lose access to their magic—the Lightweave and Shadowgate simultaneously vanish from them.

Thirty Nenavarene soldiers emerge from the ruins, armed with iron tubes that fire violet magic and carrying metal birdcages on their backs. Their officer, who speaks Sailor's Common with an unfamiliar accent, stares at Talasyn with recognition, disbelief, and sorrow before issuing an order. The soldiers fire streams of violet magic at both Talasyn and Alaric, knocking them unconscious.