Everything or nothing. Life or death. There is no third option. Neither ancient forces, nor outsiders, nor Chaos itself finds another way to preserve the integrity of the world—except by destroying Archduke Maximilian Valévsky. Send him on a mission that can be completed only in one case—by dying. But if he doesn’t complete it, everyone dear to Maximilian will die too. It seems like a hopeless situation. Someone will surely die. But who? Maybe the world itself, which sets such harsh conditions?