There are times eight-year-old Nok thinks he should've died in the gutter where Nahm found him. But, Nahm raised him to believe that - despite his burns and bad leg - living is good. At least, it was good, until three hired thugs chase Nok deep into the sewers beneath Goryo. There, he discovers an illegal relic from ancient times: a brain in a box. With the forbidden knowledge of centuries past at his fingertips, Nok finds a new reason for living: revenge. Ohma is a politician, and granddaughter of the God-Emperor of Earth. Haunted by the death of her mother, her aspirations center on a position in the Emperor's court, where she hopes to elucidate the mystery of her mother's suicide. To get there, she'll need a Feat: an act of renown legitimizing her ascension to angelhood. If she can bring Nordland - a long-time rebel nation - into the fold, her dream might be attainable... but the cost of her ascension is greater than she could have ever predicted.