Two years after fleeing the enslavement of Kadeshian general, General Yada, Rae Salvar does all she can to survive the besieged city of Yekel. While her work at the outer wall and business selling scarves keep her from poverty, her secret identity as the Crimson Cord, a street fighter in Yekel's Dark Market, is what Rae enjoys the most. But when General Yada threatens Rae and demands she finds the recently escaped Seer, Devora Medee, Rae is desperate to do anything to locate the Seer and give her over to the general and Kadesh. However, a mysterious fighter enters the Dark Market and defeats Rae. With her undefeated title ruined and her life crumbling around her, Rae begins to wonder if the path she's on will lead to her freedom from Kadesh or her destruction.