Kaizen arrives at the Altar of the Gods with his allies: Envy, Lust, and Greed—and of course, Rukia. He chooses not to Integrate with Wrath, and loses it all when he faces up against the Four Horsemen alone. Death ultimately kills everyone and initiates the Rebirth Cycle, and a new set of Sins and Virtues are chosen, many, many years from now. In the meantime, Kaizen wakes up in the prison cell of his nightmares, and ultimately makes The Deal with Wrath, who welcomes him into Hell and shows him the true meaning of the Rebirth Cycles, and the truth he's sought so long to find. One day, Kaizen hopes to free his friends from Purgatory.
After some time, Kaizen returns to Rukia, who have both arrived on a new planet, on a continent called Salvatica. Jules, the newest reincarnation of Wrath, is born to Evelyn and Liam Tideshaper, who must flee their home when they are hunted down by the cultists who foretold the Sins' arrival that very same night... Kaizen and Rukia save Jules and his family at a serious cost—both go MIA for nearly two decades. Rukia missed her chance to kill Pastor Zeke at this point, though she had no way of knowing how that would affect Jules years from now.
No one is really sure wtf Rukia was up to during all of these years.
Jules Tideshaper and his friend Cyrus are hunting with Liam when a Warg comes across their way, as well as a hidden Rukia in the bushes. Shortly after, a Shrine arises in Coralhaven, and Cy learns of Jules' Sinful nature. Jules learns that his teacher, Isolda, also has suspicions of his identity. When Jules and company agree to approach her, their plans go awry quickly. The Shrine's Boss emerges and begins killing everyone around, including Jules, who becomes possessed by Wrath. Soon, all of Coralhaven knows about his identity, and Cy helps rescue Jules from both possession and captivity. With a little bit of help from Isolda and Liam, Jules and Cy escape Coralhaven alongside Rukia, and have their first, brief run-in with the Alter Pirate, Davy Jones, as well as Maddie.
Foolishly, the boys trust Rukia to captain their ship overnight, when they run into Katarina Waverunner, who they quickly learn is Envy, and her Familiar, Whiskers. They quickly meet her adoptive father and venture out into Aquilantis and run into Pastor Zeke, who learns of Jules' identity. Ragnar, Felix, and Selene are all the crowd. The Painter saves the gang from captivity, and leaves behind a message for them to find them as a sort of recruiting challenge. Cy eventually convinces The Painter to train them as well, and they attend Hydromage Tryouts to test his abilities, which is where Cy first truly runs into Selene. Cy and The Painter make a Binding Vow, wherein the Alter promises to train Cy to become an Alter, and Cy promises to get him the forbidden Time Rune afterward, in a time limit of 10 years. Kat says goodbye to her father, who gives her a red crystal necklace she can use one time to communicate with him. Jules and co. train with The Painter for two years, and during the meantime, Rukia (and loosely Kaizen) train Jules on how to meditate and line up their souls for future Integration. During this time, Cy gets really rich for the first time in a gambling scheme with Selene (sadly he continually loses all of his money because his friends are complete morons).
The Blind Beggar saves Jules from certain possession in Aquilantis, and as a result, Jules is able to remove Kaizen from Patience's altar, which incidentally gives Patience Jules' location while he is interrogating his parents back in Coralhaven. The bastard puts a spell on Evelyn to force her into labor and give premature birth to Azura, Jules' little sister. The following morning, The Painter is in a foul mood and says he must take his leave. He issues one final examination to them, wherein Cy is able to showcase The Painter's ultimate lessons in the Inked Arts. Around the same time, Patience meets with Pastor Zeke, the other Iron Maiden followers, and Maddie and her crew, and informs them he knows Wrath is there in Aquilantis, under their noses. Maddie departs for Siren's Cove.
The Painter takes his leave, but leaves them with one more assignment: Capture Shrines in Coralith. Just as Jules and the others depart Aquilantis to see Pop, they are attacked by Iron Maiden Hunters. Jules fights Ragnar, Kat fights Felix, and Cy fights a masked Selene. Eventually they escape the town after—allegedly—destroying it, and decide to flee for Siren's Cove and capture their first Shrine. Cy almost singlehandedly captures it, but Maddie and her crew step in at the last moment. After a lot of infighting and suspicion, Jules relinquishes the Shrine to Maddie and they make their escape, while Maddie claimed the Vessel. Jules learns of Salty Pete and Maddie's connection to Davy Jones, and they begin to suspect she is an Arcanic, whether Sin or Virtue.
Jules forces them all to return to Coralhaven, where shit goes down. Jules dives off on his own adventure, to visit his family and capture his Shrine alone. He reunites with his father, meets his baby sister for the first time, and has an all-out fight with his mother, Evelyn. He leaves for the Shrine, and enters alone. Inside, he fights the Warg and Shrine Boss, a Leshen. Wrath attempts to make deal after deal with Jules, who finally agrees so he can escape with his life. Jules receives the first piece of the Sound of Fury at the cost of control over his body.
Stolen novel; please report.
Cy does some digging into his past, ultimately torturing his orphanage house-mother in the process, and learns he has some tie to The Etherealist Faction. Eventually he and Kat meet up with Liam, but their reunion is interrupted by the Iron Maidens. Cy bests Selene, Kat defeats Felix, and Liam takes out Ragnar, but Zeke threatens his family, insinuating Patience is on his way to capture them now. Because Liam abandons them, Cy and Kat are taken hostage by Zeke and co. They are tried in front of the Coralhaven populace, and Kat is beheaded. Just before Cy is executed, Jules arrives in the crowd, possessed by Wrath, but in possession of the Sound of Fury. Jules fights the entire horde of Iron Maiden Hunters, and ultimately destroys Coralhaven in the process. Cy retreats and fights Selene one last time, and she stabs him in the heart with an Enchanted blade. She puts him to sleep in a jail cell, having found a loophole in her mission to "deliver him to justice." When Cy awakes, he discovers that the woman who was falsely imprisoned as Isolda has died because he never freed her. He reunites with Kat and they go wait for Jules on the ship. (Also, at some point before, Wrath mentioned the term Magi to Pastor Zeke.)
Jules awakens in the forest after Wrath went on a total rampage upon Patience threatening his sister's life. He returns home and finds Evelyn dying, and he tries to save her. Ultimately she asks for his forgiveness, and they make amends before she passes away. Jules brings her back to the ship, completely broken and shattered. Kat is also struggling with having died so many violent deaths, so Cy takes charge and takes them to Lighthouse Point to capture the next Shrine.
Kat tries to bring Jules back around, and succeeds to the point where he has to take responsibility for his mental health. Cy goes in the Shrine alone and endures a trial on all the wrong things he's done in his life. Kat eventually joins him, and he has to choose between sacrificing himself or her. He obviously chooses to sacrifice himself, and the Djinn takes his heart. In the process, Cy learns that his Vessel is able to reverse sacrifices made by anyone the blade touches, and he is restored to life without Selene's Enchanted dagger in his heart. He has also gained his own, albeit very limited, form of Regeneration from his Vessel, but he can still die. If you ask him, he'd rather have an offensive Vessel, but it'll do.
Meanwhile, Jules trains with Kaizen on Integration with both his body and the Sound of Fury when Maddie arrives suddenly. They ultimately agree to team up to find out what The Iron Maiden is up to with Zeke, and Jules and co set their course for Marina Veridia, but not before a belated birthday celebration where they all unlock their Systems together, and at least 10x their Ryoku pools. Cy blows past them all and achieves Rank 2, while Jules and Kat are just at the cusp, trapped in Rank 1.
Maddie gets with Davy Jones and plans a sneak attack on Marina Veridia and the Iron Maidens while Patience meets with Zeke. He learns that The Iron Maiden is reanimating dead bodies, and has gifted Zeke some dark item. When Jules and co land on Marina Veridia soil, Davy Jones has delivered them the chaos they need to infiltrate, although it was nothing like they'd planned for. Jules and Cy run into two Soldiers they'd met and fought with back in Coralhaven, and keep pressing through to the Shrine. Eventually Maddie arrives, and they stage fights that take them all closer to their goal, until Selene and undead Ragnar and Felix arrive. Selene and Cy go off to fight, while Ragnar drives Jules closer to Zeke. Kat runs into the Shrine, and Felix follows. She is given choices between many different Vessels, and ultimately chooses to gouge her eyes out and put a new one in and defeats Felix.
Meanwhile, Cy and Selene fight until Ragnar joins them, and Cy's Vessel proves capable of severing The Iron Maiden's ties to the zombie. Cy learns that Selene is bound by some Binding Vow that compels her to do someone's dirty work, and he severs her arms with Tensa, his Vessel, and relieves her of her obligation. Together, they take out Davy Jones' Kraken, and Cy narrowly avoids a fight with the Alter.
Jules and Zeke talk until they are interrupted by Maddie and crew. Unsatisfied with what Jules has uncovered, Maddie takes the safer bet and fights Jules. Jules fights the pirates and Zeke, ultimately Integrating with Rukia and Kaizen before Wrath withholds his powers, desperate to make a deal because Death is afoot. Zeke eventually takes communion in the form of The Black Sacrament, and sells his soul for collective power as a Judas Priest. Just before Jules dies, Wrath freezes time and gives Jules one more chance to "Integrate with Wrath." Jules listens as an idea forms in his mind. Eventually, he finds the loophole and Integrates with Kaizen, who is Wrath, and his powers are restored.
Jules faces Zeke, who initiates the Soul Sacrifice, killing thousands of people around, including Thorn Redwood. Maddie loses her mind, and Kat has to bring her back from madness. Cy arrives with an unconscious Selene and joins the fray. Jules is able to defeat Zeke, and using his Seal, rids Zeke of all his Wrath and returns him to a human from his ghoul form. Everyone tells Jules to kill him, but Jules wants to find out as much information as he can about The Iron Maiden, The Black Sacrament, and Death as possible first—but stricken by her own wrath and grief, Maddie decapitates Zeke and closes that door forever.
The following day, Jules reveals that Commander Krakenbane gave Jules and his friends immunity for a time, as they saved the day. He also gives him a lead on Lust in Shinsora. Jules and co. pay their respects to Thorn with Maddie and learn that she is the 6th Virtue, Diligence. They make amends and agree to help each other in the future. She takes one fragment of the broken Black Sacrament, as well as Jules and Davy Jones. Cy seeks out Jones before they leave, asking him questions about Selene, Isolda, becoming an Alter, and the Magi. The Alter replies in such a way that sparks a curious theory in Cy's mind, but he holds off on saying anything about it for now. Selene joins Jones' crew, and they go their separate ways. Jules and co set off for Shinsora, unaware that one of Charlotte's spider eyes was already left behind for Zeke in their cabin.
It is revealed that Patience meets with Wrath, and that they have been plotting together for some time. Patience is tasked with helping Jules open his Seal, so that Patience can gain his ultimate goal. Shortly after, Kaizen and Wrath meet up again as old friends and conspire how to end the Cycle with Jules.
