He is not the hero they remember. This is not the world he knew. Thirty years have passed since the bloody battle of Njorn Pass, since Rikard Mazrem traded his life away to the Alterra to save his dying men. Defeat became victory and an empire was born. For decades, the people of Carce have revered Rikard as a hero. But now Rikard has returned to find the world changed. Or perhaps he is the one who has changed…