The Reaper Morana has summoned her twin brother, Mortimer, to an out of the way mausoleum in the middle of a swamp. When the albino Korv arrives, she tells him of her recent attempts to track down what she thinks may be a rogue – or untrained – Reaper.

The trail leads into Draco County, where Morana would not be able to operate without drawing the attention of another Reaper who has a crush on her. Mortimer agrees to follow up on his sister's leads, as they both think the recent eruption of souls from the castle of the Necromancer King heralds the arrival of a new Champion of Nala – and thus, likely, a new Champion of Amena, since Morana sensed that the Shadow was gone from its long resting place.

Mort heads to the town of Gormless, and interviews a Rhian trying to till the fields. There he's filled in on the story of the dragon, the necromancer and the various parties that allied together to deal with them. The name of the 'Little Death' that came with them matches what his sister told him: an Eeee looking like Sunala, named 'Nightmare' – or Alptraum. Learning that everyone involved headed towards Draco County after the battle, Mort goes to look over the Castle and confirm that the Shadow is gone.

If the Shadow or the Light are on the move, the Reapers need to know about it: so Mort heads for Draco County.