With the aid of Asenath Akart, D wages a war a tireless war against his father. In the shadows, the Sacred Ancestor's grand designs are almost ready to bear fruit. And behind the scenes, a ruthless villain has his eye set on Asenath.

It hurt. More than he had expected. Most of all it hurt that he couldn't say goodbye, couldn't hold her in his arms one last time. Doris Lang was dead. D knelt at the simple stone that marked her grave and rested his forehead against its cold surface.