With the help of Lorelei’s medicine, Noah survives the poisoning. While recuperating in her care, their relationship deepens, turning into a budding friendship.

At some point, Lorelei confesses to him that the rest of the knights have started calling her by a strange nickname - Shimshi. This forces Noah to open up about the peculiarities of his domain and its inhabitants. Shimshi, in the native language of Norden, means white swallow - a messenger of the Mother Above, Norden's diety, rumored to be able to heal any ailment. Upon further inquiry, Noah confesses that his best friend and most trusted knight, Gregor, is actually a Binshi - member of the white-haired, blue-eyed indigenous people of Norden, who are rumored to possess magical abilities and drink human blood.

In the following days, Lorelei learns that Gregor, besides being Noah's friend, is also his former page, with Noah being knighted at age 15 by the Emperor before being sent to Norden.

Arriving in Yalda, Norden’s capital, Lorelei travels to the Duke’s keep - Castle Ildemar. There she is introduced to Noah’s step-daughter, Shana, who is also a Binshi. The little girl does not accept Lorelei as her mother and shows obvious animosity despite Noah’s best efforts to placate her. She also meets Saya, Gregor's Limerian wife, who becomes Lorelei's lady-in-waiting and friend.

After weeks spent in the castle, Lorelei, accompanied by Jessup and Rish, a female Binshi warrior, has a sightseeing trip to Yalda. En route, Rish, who is Gregor’s cousin, narrates the story of how Noah became Shana’s guardian. Shana is a special existence for the Binshi - the last member of a clan of prophets and keeper of the Binshi’s spiritual heritage. Her father, Yanosh, was a close friend to Noah and the leader of all Binshi in Norden. Yanosh, being the Star-gazer of his people, made a prophecy tying Noah’s fate to the prosperity of the land, all to the dismay of many of his kinsmen. A group of fanatics, The Cult of Pure Blood (also known as the Red Hands), are against the peaceful coexistence of Limerians and Binshi. They began killing any mixed families between Limerians and Binshi, one of their victims being Jessup's oldest sister. This prompted Noah and then-young Gregor to helm a manhunt together with Jessup's father, Baron De Mar. Sometime later, the Red Hands destroyed the entirety of Yanosh’s clan, deeming them traitors, with Noah managing to save only Shana. In one of his many altercations with the Red Hands, he received the horrible wound to his face.

Learning about the past, Lorelei feels like an intruder in the family Noah has created. Jessup and Rish try to lift up Lorelei’s spirits and the three go to the Glassmaker District in Yalda. There, Lorelei is lured by a mysterious old woman and given two tear-shaped pendants that are supposed to be charms of protection for couples in love.

While going through the city, Lorelei encounters a little thief, who is being punished for stealing bread. The child, a half-blooded Binshi, begs her to save his little sister who is very sick.

In the meantime in Castle Ildemar, Noah discusses with William De Mar, Norden’s Steward and Jessup's older brother, the situation in Norden. In his absence, bandits have been raiding some remote Binshi hunting camps, resulting in a flood of refugees to Yalda. William also suspects that there is human trafficking involved and that the Red Hands are, at the very least, partially pulling the strings of the operation. A suspicion is raised that Baron Rowell, one of Norden’s five barons, is also participating in the raids.

On Lorelei’s side, she and her entourage follow the half-blood Binshi boy, Kai, to a shantytown on the outskirts of Yalda, where the Binshi refugees gather. Lorelei tries to help Kai’s sister, Anuk, but is interrupted by Noah, who is making an inspection of the vagrants’ camp. After a small altercation, Noah agrees that Lorelei remains in the camp to help Anuk and anyone else in need. In the process, they learn that Kai and Anuk’s Limerian mother was killed while the children and their Binshi father were imprisoned in a mine, but Kai and his sister managed to escape. Noah connects the attack with the bandit raids and Kai begs him to save his father and the rest of the prisoners from the mine, volunteering to guide the Duke there.

As Noah prepares to leave with some of his men for the bandit hideout, Lorelei gives him one of the two tear-shaped pendants as a good luck charm.

In the following days, they both ponder over the amulets they share and the budding feelings for each other that neither one is willing to acknowledge openly.

Remaining in the camp, Lorelei leads a makeshift hospital and takes care of the refugees. One day, a young girl is found drowned near the camp. Lorelei inspects the body and deduces that the girl was not drowned but strangled. This leads her on the path to discover a child-smuggling ring operating in the vagrants’ camp. Everything turns even darker when Lorelei and Anuk are kidnapped by the smugglers.

Lorelei struggles to save herself and Anuk, convinced that Noah is far away and unable to help them. In her desperation, she even speculates that he might see her kidnapping as a convenient way to get rid of his unwanted wife. Alas, her plan is thwarted and she is dragged to the leader of the smugglers - the silver-masked Master Argente. It turns out that he intends to use Lorelei as a goodwill gift for his deals with the Red Hands.

In the meantime, Lorelei’s aides try everything possible to find her. Gregor reveals that he is much more than a simple knight. The legends about the Binshi are true. He is a powerful shaman, able to use soul magic. With risks for his life he manages to cast a spell to locate the traffickers’ hideout in order to aid the search parties. His opponent, however, also has a shaman who has been provided with a special drug by Master Argente that enhances his magic.

Failing to locate Lorelei, her friends are presented with more bad news. The enemy has conjured several powerful beasts from beyond the grave - drals - that endanger the search parties. Only Shana, as the current Star-gazer, and Gregor, the most powerful shaman present in Yalda, are able to purify them. But Shana is still too young and hasn’t awakened her powers and Gregor can’t defeat them all alone.

Amid their despair, Noah returns early from the mine raid. With the help of Gregor, the two devise a plan to suppress the deals while the search for Lorelei is ongoing. Gregor notices the tear-shaped amulet on Noah’s neck and rejoices - Lorelei’s gift turns out to be more than just a trinket. It is a twin-drop - a Binshi artifact exchanged between lovers, and capable of alerting the bearer of dangers to their partner by creating a soul-link. With its help, Gregor finally manages to find Lorelei’s location.

Riding off to save Lorelei, Noah encounters several drals but he and his people emerge victorious. But the plots of the enemy are twisted. Their shamans have used Lorelei’s twin-drop to change the appearance of one of their own in an attempt to assassinate Noah. Luckily he sees through the trickery and thwarts their plan.

While raiding the enemy camp, Noah and his companions manage to locate and save Lorelei and Anuk, as well as a few other kidnapped girls, but are separated in the process. Noah, Gregor, Rish, and her twin sister, Rasha, escape with Lorelei through a secret tunnel to the outskirts of Yalda. There they encounter the most evil of all Binshi magic - a dhrowghost, created by torturing and killing a human child. This evil creature is beyond even Gregor’s abilities. On the verge of death, the group is saved by the appearance of Shana’s soul projection, who manages to purify the demon.

However, the victory is bittersweet. Lorelei is touched by the dhrowghost’s miasma and seemingly doomed to an agonizing death. Oddly enough, instead of dying immediately, she seems mostly fine, though weak and in pain.

Rushing her to the castle, Noah is met with more bad news. Forcing her powers to awaken early has put Shana into a deep sleep. Furthermore, none of the Binshi present is able to purify Lorelei.

On the verge of despair, Noah is also forcefully put to sleep by a possessed Gregor, the spirit taking over his body later revealed to be Yanosh. Yanosh secretly heals Lorelei and explains to her the reason behind her reaction to the dhrowghost's powers. Her body is that of a nesvet - a vessel meant to be possessed by higher spirits. According to him, people overtaken by such spirits are mistakenly revered in Limeria as Saints. Yanosh warns Lorelei that, due to her lack of attachment to life, due to a missing life-core, she is an easy target for spiritual possession. He performs a spell that is intended to protect her but warns her that it is only a temporary solution. He then leaves Gregor’s body, demanding Lorelei keep his involvement in her healing a secret.

After recuperating for a day, Lorelei decides to meet with Noah to discuss the recent events. Unfortunately, she stumbles on a private conversation between him and William De Mar. It turns out that Noah allowed her to remain in the refugee camp with the intention to use her presence to observe the enemy’s movements. William, however, reduced her guards, making Lorelei an appetizing bait for the Red Hands. Yet another blow is that Saya was also partially involved in the scheme.

Deeply wounded, Lorelei confronts Noah. Plagued by guilt, he does not deny it and even accepts all the blame. This prompts the distraught Lorelei to reaffirm that their marriage would end after the set year is over and Noah won’t engage with her afterward. Then, she leaves the room.

After allotting punishments for William and Saya, Noah is left alone in his study. He ponders over his mistakes and his guilt. He even tries to throw away his twin-drop but is incapable of doing so.

That same night, the whole castle is magically put to sleep. It is an ancient magic accompanying Shana’s full awakening as a Star-gazer. In a trance, Shana makes a prophecy, connecting the fates of Lorelei and Noah:

“The fate of Norden rides on the wings of a bird.”

“As the Beast falls, the Swallow triumphs.”

“When flowers bloom under the Beast’s feet, the hearts of people quake.”

“As the White Lady heralds war, the Beast howls in agony.”

“For the Sun to shine over Norden, the Swallow must be devoured.”

During that time, the shadows of Yanosh and Shana’s mother, Orhana, protect the child. Just as the last verses of the prophecy are spoken and Shana faints, an intruder appears. The leader of the Red Hands, Akh-Moren, has managed to use the remnants of the dhrowghost’s miasma to control someone from Lorelei’s rescue party. Akh-Moren and Yanosh clash, but Yanosh’s spirit is too weak after healing Lorelei. Before he is defeated, Yanosh manages to break the sleeping spell on the castle and alert the Binshi Elders of a looming threat. But before he can do more, his spirit breaks, leaving a trace of snow behind. Leaving the body of his spy, Akh-Moren uses the remains of Yanosh’s spirit to assume his identity and prepares to lead Shana on a path toward darkness.