Recap: Vol. 1 and 2 - The Struggle So Far (SPOILERS)

Volume 1 - Rising

Our story began with Zai, a frame operator and soldier in the Sunrise Sword - an allied Rebellion against the Kingdom of Aviye and its foreign masters, the Hegemons. A Nightraven, she and her squad operated independently in the valley region of central Aviye.

While guarding an ambush point, they intercepted a convoy taking a prisoner to port for exportation. That prisoner, Dr. Amri Jeng, revealed a terrible secret about the Ascendants - powerful warriors kept by the Hegemon nations to suppress nations like Aviye.

The secret of the Hegemons was that they maintained their Ascendants through the brutal practice of culling potential Ascendants - known as Risers - and allowing their Ascendants to consume the souls of their victims.

The second revelation Amri shared was that the Second Ascendant of Lightning was no longer pinned down in northern Aviye, and had come south to devastate the Rebels.

Deciding to return to base, Zai separated from her team in order to rescue the village of Zuret, which had come under attack by Kingdom forces. Finding themselves separated, the Nightravens encountered a traitorous squad that had been sent to retrieve Amri.

After a confrontation in Lutis Village, the squad of traitors was disarmed and their vehicles taken. Deciding to lay a trap for the one who sent the squad, Zai disguised herself as Amri and had Fenri Lorn pretend to be her escort to the Mt. Dakun base. Though the trap was successful, it came at the cost of Sergeant Lorn's life.

Arriving at Mt. Dakun, the Nightravens took a well-deserved rest. The discovery that Zai had stepped onto the path of Ascendance was met with curiosity and approval by the remaining rebellion leadership as they consolidated their forces in the wake of the Lightning's attacks. Amri and Zai began training and eventually discovered a third Riser amongst the rebel ranks, an officer named Xiaodan Xu.

The intrigue of traitorous elements within the Rebellion came to a head when General Jiang, who was in charge of the northern rebels, declared the creation of an East Aviye Republic, and called on the Rebellion to join him. The rejection of his capitulation to the Hegemons meant a civil war between rebels was unavoidable.

Eventually, Amri, Zai, and Xu grew capable enough to risk using their powers more openly. In a test-run called Operation Hatch, Zai and Xu engaged Jiang's Separatist forces while back at the base, Amri interrogated a traitorous officer under the supervision of Colonel Cao. The operation went smoothly, until in a sudden flash the Second Ascendant of Lightning appeared.

Though she tried to fight back, Zai was very quickly overwhelmed despite being equipped with her combat frame. Before Zai could be captured however, a shot taken by Xu removed the Lightning's leg, forcing her to retreat.

Coming away from the operation with a narrow victory, the Rebels used the momentum to begin an offensive campaign against General Jiang's army, allowing the Risers time to rest and recuperate.

Amri's attempt at using her powers to interrogate a prisoner proved to have a significant amount of backlash, enough to disembody her as her spirit recovered. It was in this state that an ancient Ascendant, Shenmi, who had been living in Lutis Village as a doctor, revealed herself to Amri.

The revelation from the Second Lightning that Zai was to be captured instead of killed prompted a confession from Zai, who revealed that her father, Colton Sommer, was Usona's ambassador to Aviye.

Recovering from the battle would take time, and after deciding to trust Zai's instincts and seek the aid of Shenmi, the three Risers were able to advance their power and training thanks to Shenmi's help. The price of her help, however, was keeping her a secret from the rest of the world, as well as vowing never to train children for the purposes of war.

The trio agreed, and later on Zai and Amri solidified their growing romantic relationship.

Returning to Mt. Dakun, the trio prepared for a massive operation to end the Separatists. Intending to perform an all-out push against the city of Nurezhin, Zai came up with a plan that would utilize Xu's unique capacity for stealth. While Zai operated to open up the front and distract the Second Lightning, Xu was to disable the bombers provided by Usona, a leading country in the Hegemony, in order to prevent the use of etherium bombs against the Rebels.

Attending the flight to deploy Xu to her zone of operation, conducted by Captain Cheng Hong, Amri attempted to recruit the man, having discovered he was a Riser. She was forced to use her powers to defend the plane when they came under attack by enemy fighters, but the Captain agreed to be trained.

Though one flight of bombers was able to take off, Xu succeeded in her mission of disabling the airfield. During the battle, the Second Lightning engaged Zai once more. Still weak from the loss of her leg, and not anticipating Zai's remarkable progress, the battle soon turned in favor of Zai. Fleeing for the second time, the Lightning attempted to consume the soul of a prisoner named Yuu Xia, but with the help of a foreign Riser named Kivi, Yuu was instead able to deliver the killing blow to the Second Lightning. Zai arrived in time to rescue Yuu and Kivi from the prison in which they were being held.

With defeat drawing near, General Xiang attempted to flee the city along with Ambassador Sommer, only to be stopped by Xu at the airfield where they fled to. Xu dispatched the General and captured Sommer, ending the Separatist threat once and for all.

Yet all was not calm in victory. Hours after Separatist resistance collapsed, a second enemy Ascendant, the Ascendant of Steel, was deployed to destroy the captured bombers and wreak havoc. Xu was able to drive him off, but much of the captured technology was destroyed.

At the conclusion of the Schism War, Amri was granted resources to begin a school for training people on the path of Ascendance. Zai returned to the front, in order to bring the more distant Separatists to heel and combat the renewed war with the Kingdom. Xu, meanwhile, was appointed a special agent within Army Intelligence, and made contact with her counterparts from Siveron, a nation opposed to the Hegemon's alliance, and a potential ally of Aviye.

Aviye's future was getting brighter, but far away in Usona, the true power behind the Hegemon's Ascendants cared little for the loss of the Second Lightning. The Master, as he knew himself, had his sights set on a massive war that would unfold between the major powers of the world. The tale concluded with a brutal ritual of combat, siblings slaying each other for the chance to become the Third Lightning, while the Master dined.

Volume 2 - Reunification

Two years after her defeat of the Second Lightning, Zai prepared for the final siege of Escator, the capital of the Kingdom of Aviye.

While securing a bridgehead for the Rebellion, she was challenged to a duel by the Ascendant of Steel. Zai won their contest, slaying the man, and removing the final obstacle to the success of the Rebellion after over a decade of civil war.

Xu and Quynh, in their capacity as spies, investigated rumors of a strange illness in Tavas, a village of the desert. There they discovered the wreckage of an unfamiliar craft being claimed by Fulcrum, their Siveronian contact, as well as the bodies of men who had been turned to glass by the desert sands and burning fuel. A mystery remained in the form of three dead villagers, who had been exposed to a substance that killed them in a brutal fashion.

Within the city of Escator, a long-standing student revolt led by a woman named Shuyin Jie had seized control of the Usonan Embassy, discovering the complex had been a nest of spies all along. The revolt inspired a group known as the Free Officers of Aviye to perform a coup against the remaining leadership of the Kingdom and turn over the capital to the Rebels.

King Adbeld had fled into exile at the mercy of his Usonan masters, and so the efforts of the Prisian Ascendant known as the Spider could create so much chaos in the waning days of the Kingdom. A terrorist group known as the East Izhvahni Solidarity Movement performed attacks across Escator, and Aviye.

Placed in charge of search and rescue efforts with the First Ascendant Battalion, Zai was witness to the bombing of the Silk Tower. During the escape, she rescued a Riser named Taio Jie, Shuyin's missing son who had been captured and turned into one of the Spider's puppets.

Xiaodan Xu's partner, another discovered Ascendant named Quynh Meng, was captured by the Spider. After a daring rescue, Xu discovered that the EISM had taken their forces into the desert, and resolved to apply herself in defeating them.

Amri, meanwhile, was caught up in the day-to-day struggles of running her school and delving into the lost history of the Ascendants that once lived in Aviye. Her school, codenamed The Ranch, was hidden in the valley north of Lutis Village. Having married Zai, she made the decision to adopt a war orphan and Riser named Maya.

Zai and Xu, in need of rest after stopping EISM plots in Escator, made their way to the Ranch to recover. However, by bringing Taio along with them, they inadvertently allowed the Master to attack the Ranch, channeling his consciousness through the Spider and into Taio.

The Master attacked the Ranch, intent on discovering the source of Aviye's Ascendants. Despite the limits of Taio's body, the Master easily defeated Xu and Zai. Just when all hope seemed lost, Shenmi appeared and fought off the Master until she was able to seal Taio's qi away, rendering him unable to use his powers or be used as a puppet.

Shenmi revealed that the Master was once a man named Marcus, a merchant's son who coveted the power of Ascendants and help bring about their ruin in Aviye.

In conversation with Shenmi, Amri finally realized a middle path between dedication to the past and the needs of the present. This was enough to allow her to achieve Apotheosis, becoming the first true Ascendant of Aviye in centuries.

The decision was made to dismantle the Ranch, and Amri returned to Escator with Zai.

While Xu and Quynh went into the desert, partly for Quynh to begin the path of becoming a doctor and partly for Xu to continue her hunt for the EISM, Zai returned to her search and rescue operations in Escator. Rumors began to circulate of the EISM using some sort of gas weapon that could turn some victims into berserkers before killing them.

Captain Hong, flying a seized Usonan fighter, began to perform reconnaissance missions into the desert, in an effort to find where the EISM was hiding. He intercepted Izhvahni fighters who were testing Aviye's airspace, but was led by them into an EISM trap. Escaping under fire, Captain Hong identified an EISM supply point, which Xu would come to investigate.

Xu's investigation of the supply depot turned deadly when she was discovered inside by one of the Spider's minions. The woman attacked with a qi whip, and only through quick thinking, efficient qi use, and the help of grenades was Xu able to escape from her foe.

In the city, Amri and Zai visited Amri's alma mater, but an attack on the city necessitated Zai's help. A Spider agent had attacked a secondary school, and in her attempt to locate the agent, Amri determined that they had abducted two hostages.

Once rescue efforts were complete, that night Zai and Amri coordinated to search through the city and locate the Spider agent. Zai found the agent, heavily drugged and only partially coherent. In the fight that followed, Zai incapacitated the agent and rescued two girls, Rui and Ehuang.

In the desert, Quynh set herself to work trying to unravel the mysteries of the enemy gas weapon, a sample of which had been retrieved by Xu during her attack on their supply depot. After intuiting how to delve into the substance with her perception, she discovered it to be a modification of a traditional Aviyan medicine that had once been used to aid Risers.

After learning who she was, Rui began to stalk Zai, begging to become her student. Zai refused again and again, but Rui persisted.

Before Quynh could share her discovery, the village came under attack by the EISM. In the initial volley, Quynh was trapped and exposed to the red gas.

Sensing Quynh's trouble, Shenmi reached out and aided her, keeping her alive just long enough to resolve the contradictions within her and achieve Apotheosis. Using her new powers, Quynh was able to neutralize the poison within and create an antidote for the gas.

Having evacuated the civilians via tunnels, Xu and her soldiers remained in the town to keep the EISM occupied, ensuring the villagers could escape. Xu had been able to call in backup by temporarily escaping the EISM lines, but returned. After a fight with a knife-wielding Spider agent, Xu and Quynh reunited, and Quynh was able to pass on the antidote to those that needed it.

After once again rejecting Rui's request, Zai headed out to break the EISM siege and rescue her friends. Unbeknownst to her, Rui had snuck aboard a truck, and remained undiscovered until she was caught attempting to hitch a ride on Zai's frame.

Furious, but sensing Rui's resolve, Zai made a deal with Rui that if she stayed where she was and remained safe, Zai would train her. Rui accepted the deal and Zai went off to battle.

The Spider was waiting for Zai, and taunted her into battle with all of his agents. After a harrowing fight with the Spider's agents, Zai and Xu eliminated the threats only to discover that the Spider Xu killed was actually an agent in disguise.

The real Spider remained in Izhvahan, but not for long as he had cut a deal with Colonel Cao. A deal that would allow him to enter Aviye under Cao's protection.

Though Zai wished to pursue the EISM to the death, ultimately Colonel Cao was placed in charge of the counter-terrorist operations. Many elements of the EISM would subsequently escape into Izhvahan.

In the period that followed, Quynh resigned from the Army to pursue her medical career. Zai, busy with organizing the First Ascendant, proved negligent in her training of Rui, despite becoming the girl's legal guardian.

Returning to Lutis so that Zai could check in with General Suleika, Zai and Amri arrived to discover that Shenmi had passed on. They met her granddaughter, and Maya adopted Jiji, who was Shenmi's favorite pangolin.

Shenmi left Amri a mysterious box, one that could not be opened by normal means.

Rui, bored, began to act out, which culminated in a fight with a martial artist named Kwon. After the fight had ended, Rui attacked Kwon with a technique that, unbeknownst to her, caused his qi to become active. Rui then ran from the scene, believing Amri and Zai would not forgive her.

Amri arrived to discover Kwon's state, and after ensuring the boy would be taken to the hospital, deduced a method to activate the qi of others based on Rui's unwitting technique.

Zai, returning after laying the groundwork for Rui's entry into the Army, was able to track down Rui with some help from Amri. They bonded as Zai carried her back, and Rui was allowed to come along for her first mission: Escorting a train for an exchange of prisoners, amongst whom was Ambassador Sommer.

During the train ride, Sommer recognized Xu, and was able to leverage a threat in order to seek an audience with Zai. Confronting the man, Zai refused to listen, not caring if Sommer revealed her lineage. She left him alone, only to discover moments later that Sommer had been thrown off the train. An unscheduled stop also occurred at the same time, and Zai decided to retrieve Sommer before resolving the unknown.

After running along the tracks to retrieve the body, Zai discovered that Sommer had been assassinated. She returned with the body, only to discover that Fulcrum had boarded along with a girl named Vanya, Siveron's first discovered riser, who Siveron had negotiated the training of under Amri.

In Anhalt, Zai met a mysterious woman who invited her to dine upon her return trip. Confronting Xu about the assassination, Zai deduced that Ambassador Sommer was assassinated to protect her. Though she accepted Xu's logic, Zai found her friendship sorely strained by the event.

Back at her new facility, Amri discovered that she was pregnant with Zai's child. 

After Anhalt, the company proceeded to Svizra, a neutral country in the Continental War that was now raging in the north. The exchange occurred without incident, but as part of the bargain, Zai had agreed to duel the Third Ascendant of Lightning.

Xu, in her wanderings, was run into by a Riser named Finn Alister, who was attempting to escape from the Ascendant of Water, who had been sent to gather readings on Zai using a strange device. After rescuing him, Xu brought him before Zai, and together they decided to allow Finn to return with them to Aviye.

The next day, Zai began her duel with the Third Lightning. While Zai won, the fight was much closer than expected and resulted in damage to both her combat frame and the foundation of her qi.

After the duel, Zai discovered that Xu had arranged to steal the device from the Ascendant of Water, an act that would have dire consequences on the journey home. On the way back, an avalanche was used to derail the train before Zai and her company found themselves under attack by the Ascendants of Water and Fire. The prisoners Aviye received in the exchange were killed, and after ordering an evacuation, Zai and Xu engaged in combat with the enemy Ascendants.

With her frame and foundation damaged in the duel, Zai was not able to perform well in her fight. The Ascendant of Fire was able to get onto the back of Zai's frame and begin melting his way through.

In a desperate gamble, Zai put everything she had into her defense before arranging for her frame to detonate. A large piece of shrapnel ended the life of the Ascendant of Fire when it pierced his throat. Though the Ascendant of Water begged Zai and Xu to save him, it was too late. Enraged, the Ascendant of Water stole the soul of her sibling before it could be transmitted back to the Master. Using the surge of power, she disabled Zai before continuing her assault on Xu.

Only the timely intervention of Rui, Vanya, and Finn prevented the fight from ending in defeat. The Ascendant of Water fled, and the passengers were rescued by Fulcrum, who arrived in a Siveron version of the mysterious craft that Xu and Quynh had found in the desert.

While the prisoner exchange was occurring, Quynh attempted a delicate operation on Taio, using techniques learned from Amri and developed on her own to replace the foundation of Taio's qi. The healing brought the man back to consciousness, and a grateful Shuyin Jie.

Upon returning to Aviye, and travelling to Amri's new facility, Zai confessed that she'd been far more hurt than she let on. Her entire qi foundation was crumbling.

Amri, having discovered the means to open Shenmi's box, revealed that Shenmi had left her a Knowledge Core. An ancient formation of qi that contained much of the old Ascendant's wisdom. Using it, she was able to devise a new system for qi development, and by applying what she'd learned with Zai, was able to reforge her foundation into a nexus of qi cores that would make her more formidable than ever.

As her apprentice, Rui underwent similar training as Zai, developing her qi into claws as she discovered her own capabilities.

Kivi, now Kota's Ambassador to Aviye, had secured a deal with the new government to protect her nation, though she wished also to protect the Federation of Elu that Kota also belonged to.

Xu returned to a promotion, receiving the rank of Major and command of her own base of operations for the Nightravens. One of her first tasks was to oversee the testing of the Type 1-A Combat Frame, Aviye's first production-line frame with Ascendant soldiers in mind.

Receiving the frame, Zai made the decision to allow Rui to train with it, unintentionally binding the frame to her since much of the superstructure was forged with etherium, which was being explored for its spiritually conductive properties.

After teaching Rui the basics, Zai revealed a gift left to her by Shenmi. Calling it her Raven Armor, Zai produced a frame made entirely of spirit that enabled her to fly.

From there, preparations were made to leave on the Kota expedition.

Zai revealed to Amri that she wished to hunt down the Master, hoping that ending him would also remove the threat of the Hegemons and ensure peace. Though Amri advised Zai to temper her expectations, she ultimately agreed to support her wife, deciding on the name Yue for their child.

Early birthdays were held for Rui and Maya, to give Rui a proper sendoff. However, after the party, Rui had heart broken as Ehuang severed their relationship, unwilling to endure years apart.

Despite the trials behind her and the trials yet to come, Zai and Rui departed Aviye, ready to face the future.

Little did they know that the Master's plans were not done yet. In Prisia, he confronted the Ascendant of Water, having decided on what terms he would end the Continental War.

The story concluded with Amri, struggling to care for her child, Yue, who was born with a void in her qi that threatened her life.