Maximus trains alone at a graveyard, practicing martial skills despite being taunted by others for his past and obsession with maintaining a mother's grave. Elsewhere, a desperate follower reports that their protective barrier has been broken, pleading with a powerful master for help. The master offers a cold deal: a woman must marry a chosen man to resolve all conflicts. The woman reluctantly agrees, but she is harshly belittled as unworthy. Meanwhile, it is revealed that Maximus’s true power, the Wyrmspine, is ready to awaken, setting the stage for a decisive change that threatens everyone involved.