Joh-on decides to have the entire family move to his summer cottage in the mountains. While cleaning his regular home, Erin finds out that Joh-on used to be a teacher. But when Erin finds Nuk and Mok sick from eating some rotten food, Joh-on comes and helps Erin read a book about poisonous plants. He decides to teach Erin, Nuk and Mok about animal breeding and plants.

At a festival celebrating the Shin-Oh's birthday, Ia-lu the Seh-zan, along with a baby Ohju, are injured by an assassin's arrow during an attempt on the Shin-Oh's life.

Nuk and Mok are helping out at Kazalm and are making more work for Karisa, the dorm mother, than helping her. After considering firing them because they couldn't carry out even half the work of a single man, she decides to give them another chance and asks them to go shopping for her. They leave for town, determined not to disappoint her but end up losing the bag filled with five pieces of gold. Just as they were about to give up hope, Mok remembered how they had met Erin and had promised that they'd never be thieves again. And so they go in search of ways to earn the money back so they can return to Erin's side.

After landing, Erin is confronted by Nah-Son, the agent sent by the Mist Elders to watch over her. He tells Erin he had known Soh-yon and asks her to make a difficult decision. He tells her the story of the once-prosperous Tohda-breeding country Ophalon. The King of Ophalon was ousted from his throne when he used Touda to attack neighboring countries to complete his dream of making Ophalon even more prosperous. He is saved by a woman with golden hair and eyes, who flew on an Ohju named Luke. He manages to convince the woman of breeding Ohju to attack Ophalon and show them that Tohda are no match for the Ohju. However, the Ohju become drunk on blood and they attack the town and people into a wasteland. Afterwards, the woman leaves the Ephon Noha region and descends from the sky into Ryoza. The people there see her as a God and make her their Queen; the woman's name was "Je" the First Shin-Oh of Ryoza.

The Shin-Oh is knocked unconscious after the sudden Tohda attack on the boat-ride to the palace, and stays at Lord Kazalm's home until she recovers. Ia-lu feels ashamed of not protecting her Majesty, and awaits his punishment. Erin sees the aftermath of the attack, and decides to calm the worried men by playing "Birds of Dawn" on her harp. Ia-lu recognizes the song and finds Erin playing it. Erin tends to Ia-lu's wound from the Tohda, and she and Ia-lu talk. Erin tells Ia-lu that the Tohda attacking the ship weren't the Grand Duke's because they didn't have a mark on their tails. Erin then reveals to Ia-lu that she is a Wajyaku, and is from a Tohda breeding village. Throughout the night she tells him about her life; her home village, her mother, and how she ended up in the Shin-Oh Region. The next morning, Erin leaves for the school and Ia-lu promises her that he will keep her story a secret until the time is ready.

Back at the Royal Palace, Kahil tells Ia-lu that Dahmiyah was to wed Shin-Oh Seimiyah. He also hears that the old Seh-Zan were to be dismissed and new Seh-zan were to be introduced to the palace. Ia-lu is strongly against it, and decides to confront Dahmiyah. While there, Ia-lu learns that Dahmiyah was working with the Psi-Gamul and planned the attack on the boat. He also learns that Dahmiyah was blackmailing Erin to create an Ohju Army for the war. Meanwhile, Kahil was being ambushed by the Psi-Gamul, one of whom was Kirik. Ia-lu manages to get there in time and save Kahil. As Ia-lu confronts the unmasked Kirik, he helps him realize the mistake in his current actions.