Four Ruined Realms Summary, Characters and Themes

Four Ruined Realms by Mai Corland is a dark fantasy epic that picks up after The Broken Blades Trilogy.

The story unfolds across warring territories, magical relics, and tangled family histories, centering on Aeri—secretly Princess Naerium—and her reluctant alliance with assassins who once sought her death. As characters pursue vengeance, justice, or personal redemption, the novel explores how trauma and duty reshape relationships and ideals.  Corland crafts a volatile, high-stakes narrative where truth, survival, and identity often collide, and every action echoes through fractured realms still reeling from past sins.

Summary

The narrative begins aboard a ship at sea, where Aeri—formerly Princess Naerium and daughter of King Joon—is confined in a cabin, fearful of her companions who once considered her an ally but now see her as a traitor.  Aeri’s lineage and past as a spy have made her a liability.

She is haunted by her own choices and her emotional bond with Royo, who now treats her with cold indifference.  Although she betrayed her father to support their failed coup, her companions remain distrustful.

Euyn, the exiled prince, questions her motives openly, while Sora, the de facto leader, maintains focus on their mission: assassinate King Joon and install Euyn on the throne.

Their mission takes them to Khitan, where they seek an alliance with Queen Quilimar, currently in seclusion.  The group’s dynamics remain strained.

Sora discovers that Euyn once hunted her father for sport, a revelation that threatens to dismantle their fragile alliance.  Meanwhile, Mikail, the ruthless spymaster, eliminates three Khitanese spies in a calculated attack.

Mikail remains devoted to the cause, though he privately questions Euyn’s fitness to rule and King Joon’s deeper ambitions.

In Khitan, the group seeks the Dragon Lord’s Golden Ring—one of five powerful relics—and aims to convince Quilimar to declare war.  The palace is sealed under strict protocols after an assassination attempt.

Mikail meets Fallador, a disgraced prince, and learns of disturbing developments within the Khitan court.  Meanwhile, Royo continues to wrestle with his grief and lingering love for Aeri, whose remorse and silence reflect her own emotional turmoil.

They begin splitting into teams, each working on parallel threads of the larger mission.  Amid this, Tiyung, an imprisoned ally, suffers solitary confinement in Idle Prison until the shocking arrival of Hana, a woman believed dead.

Now called Zahara and aligned with King Joon, she leaves him with a lantern and a letter from Sora, revealing that their assassination plan is still underway.

Elsewhere, Aeri confesses her darkest secrets to Sora, including her killing of Prince Omin, the accidental deaths of three servants, and her unnatural aging caused by a stolen amulet.  Sora, moved, reveals her own truths and insists Aeri—not Euyn—should take the throne, believing her to be the only one capable of truly changing Yusan.

Royo learns that Bay Chin, head of the Umbrian gangs, orchestrated the events that led to the death of his lover, Lora.  Mikail interrogates Ambassador Zeolin, who confirms that General Salosa tried to assassinate both him and Queen Quilimar on King Joon’s orders.

Zeolin also reveals two major secrets: Count Seok is in Khitan, and a Yoksa priest has been killed, implying a wider plot involving multiple factions.

At a lavish banquet, Aeri and Sora encounter Count Seok, who once enslaved Sora and sold her sister, Daysum.  Sora collapses from the trauma, and Aeri sacrifices more of her life force to stop time and smuggle her friend away.

This act deepens their emotional connection.

Meanwhile, Mikail, Euyn, and Royo travel to the Temple of Knowledge.  As tensions rise, they argue over King Joon’s plans to acquire all five relics and use them to achieve godhood.

Mikail is horrified by the genocidal implications of this plan and begins to suspect Euyn may be concealing key truths.

Later chapters show Tiyung forging a cautious connection with Ailor, a new cellmate who may be more than he appears.  Mikail learns of Daysum’s death from Zahara but chooses not to tell Sora, wanting to preserve her moment of peace until their mission is complete.

Gambria, an informant, provides Mikail with the location of Staraheli’s head—a relic hidden within a mausoleum.  Mikail, Euyn, and Sora attempt to retrieve it but fall into a trap.

Sora, despite temptation, rescues the others, reinforcing her loyalty.

Simultaneously, Royo and Aeri ascend the Light Mountains to steal a mythical amarth egg.  After retrieving it, they are confronted by a telepathic amarth who warns them their quest is doomed.

As Aeri attempts to return the egg, the creature shrieks, hinting that escape is no longer possible.

Later, during a formal confrontation, Quilimar murders her brother Euyn.  A fight breaks out in the palace, where Mikail and Royo kill several guards while Sora uses poison to incapacitate others.

After the violence, Mikail organizes a funeral pyre for Euyn, and the group prepares for the approaching navy of Wei.  Aeri, now bonded to both the Dragon Lord’s ring and amulet, gains enhanced power and golden eyes.

She resolves to change the world, not just survive in it.

A temporary truce is brokered with Quilimar.  Aeri, Royo, and General Vikal meet representatives of Wei and Yusan on neutral ground.

When General Salosa tries to ambush Royo, Aeri turns him and Bay Chin to gold.  Overwhelmed, she loses control and commands the harbor to drown, sinking both nations’ fleets.

Mikail realizes she now holds two relics and retrieves her as the sea collapses.

They flee with the Water Scepter and are joined by Gambria and Fallador, who reveal that Mikail is the last heir of Gaya.  In the epilogue, Aeri wakes in Gaya to find Royo walking away, heartbroken over her secrets.

Despite her sorrow, Mikail welcomes her.  Now possessing three relics, they prepare for the next stage of their revolution.

Four Ruined Realms ends not with peace, but with an uneasy promise of resistance.  The surviving characters—wounded, stronger, and hardened—face a world teetering on collapse, with nothing but each other and their vision for what could rise from ruin.

Characters

Aeri (Princess Naerium)

Aeri is the emotional and ideological core of Four Ruined Realms, a character torn between her heritage and her conscience.  As the daughter of the tyrannical King Joon, Aeri begins her journey hiding behind barricaded furniture aboard a ship filled with former comrades who now regard her as a traitor.

Her inner world is shaped by guilt, loneliness, and a desire for redemption.  Once a spy for her father, she ultimately defied him by siding with her rebel companions during a failed coup.

This act of defiance earns her little forgiveness, and she is frequently haunted by her divided loyalties and past actions.  Aeri’s complexity is deepened through her past relationship with Royo and her affection for Sora, both of whom represent facets of the life she longs to be part of, even if her bloodline threatens that belonging.

Her confession about killing Prince Omin and the traumatic effects of using the amulet that halts time illustrate the burden she carries—both emotionally and physically—as she literally ages herself to protect others.  In the final chapters, she emerges as a figure of immense power and consequence, wielding multiple relics and triggering cataclysmic events.

Despite her growing strength, Aeri remains driven by personal loss and the yearning for atonement, culminating in her heartbreaking realization that love and power are not easily reconciled.

Mikail

Mikail, the spymaster, embodies the cerebral and morally conflicted dimension of Four Ruined Realms.  Calm, lethal, and methodical, Mikail’s ruthlessness is juxtaposed with a deep-seated devotion to justice and loyalty.

Introduced as a precise killer who leaves ritualistic messages for enemy spies, Mikail operates on a knife’s edge between necessity and personal ethics.  He is often the one to mediate tensions within the group, such as when he restrains Sora from killing Euyn or interrogates Zeolin to uncover layers of betrayal orchestrated by King Joon.

Mikail’s interior life is marked by quiet suffering, particularly in the aftermath of learning about Daysum’s death.  He withholds the information from Sora to preserve her fleeting happiness, a choice that underscores his immense emotional control and protective instincts.

His evolving dynamic with Aeri, whom he eventually entrusts with a powerful relic, suggests that he sees in her a chance for the world to heal, even if it means relinquishing his own claim to power.  The revelation that Mikail is the true heir of Gaya adds a surprising twist to his identity—he is not just a shadow figure manipulating outcomes but a legitimate leader hiding from destiny.

This duality—being both the puppet master and the lost prince—cements his role as a linchpin of the revolution.

Sora

Sora serves as both the moral compass and the emotional heart of the rebellion in Four Ruined Realms.  Courageous and charismatic, she possesses a sharp strategic mind tempered by deep empathy.

Sora’s drive to kill King Joon and uplift Euyn initially anchors the group’s mission, but her faith is repeatedly tested.  Her compassion for Aeri, even after betrayal, reveals a capacity for grace, while her rage upon learning of Euyn’s betrayal is raw and explosive.

Her personal traumas—especially the discovery that Euyn knew about her and Daysum’s illegal indentures and said nothing—shatter her ideological foundations.  The dance with Count Seok, the man responsible for selling her sister into servitude, is a particularly searing moment that reveals her strength in the face of horror.

Sora’s collapse afterward, and Aeri’s use of the amulet to save her, bind the two even closer, forging a sisterhood born of survival.  In moments of grief, such as when she learns of Daysum’s death, Sora teeters on the brink of hopelessness, yet continues to fight.

Her ability to maintain emotional clarity in the face of vengeance, especially when she chooses not to abandon Mikail and Euyn in the mausoleum trap, demonstrates the evolution of a leader whose resolve is tempered by compassion.

Royo

Royo is a character defined by emotional turmoil and fierce loyalty.  Once Aeri’s lover, he struggles throughout Four Ruined Realms with his unresolved feelings for her, juxtaposed against a sense of betrayal and confusion.

His past, marked by tragedy—the murder of Lora and the wrongful imprisonment of Hwan—fuels a quiet rage that frequently surfaces.  Royo’s love for Aeri is complicated by mistrust, as seen in his initial rejection of her after she flinches when he touches her amulet.

His inner torment makes him unpredictable and emotionally volatile, especially when the group must confront Bay Chin, the man responsible for much of his suffering.  Royo’s arc is one of gradual healing, though it is laced with continual disappointment.

His role in saving Aeri from drowning and their shared trauma during the hot spring incident deepen his character’s emotional layers.  By the novel’s end, Royo’s departure from Aeri reflects a final fracture—his heart too broken by deception to remain close.

And yet, he remains a valiant fighter, reclaiming Euyn’s saber and facing down his enemies in the harbor confrontation.  Royo is a man forged in grief, whose capacity for love is as vast as his anger, making him one of the most tragic yet resonant characters.

Euyn

Prince Euyn is perhaps the most polarizing figure in Four Ruined Realms—at once a potential savior and a deeply flawed individual.  Initially presented as the rightful heir to Yusan’s throne, Euyn struggles to inspire the loyalty his title demands.

His idealism is often undermined by secrecy and poor judgment, particularly when it’s revealed that he knew about Sora and Daysum’s indentures but chose silence.  This revelation nearly costs him his life and fractures his bond with the group.

Despite his shortcomings, Euyn is not without courage.  He participates in dangerous missions, such as the mausoleum infiltration, and is often willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good.

However, his arrogance and political naivety frequently endanger those around him.  The climactic moment of his arc arrives with brutal finality when Quilimar kills him in the banquet hall.

His death triggers both grief and clarity for the surviving characters, particularly Mikail, who ensures Euyn receives a proper funeral.  Euyn’s legacy is one of failed potential—he was never the leader the realm needed, but his death galvanizes the others to take charge and forge a new future in his name.

Tiyung

Tiyung is a quieter but no less significant presence in Four Ruined Realms, largely confined to Idle Prison for much of the narrative.  His chapters are infused with psychological tension, as he endures solitary imprisonment in a nightmarish cell that erodes his sense of time and self.

The arrival of Hana—now Zahara—brings emotional turbulence, forcing Tiyung to confront the betrayal and loss he thought buried.  The introduction of Ailor as a cellmate offers Tiyung a glimmer of companionship and even hope, showcasing his capacity for empathy and introspection despite the brutal conditions.

Tiyung’s resilience is not rooted in strength or power, but in his refusal to be broken.  His storyline serves as a thematic counterpoint to the external wars being fought—his is a battle of endurance, memory, and human connection under the most dehumanizing conditions.

Though physically removed from the central action, Tiyung’s presence continues to inform the emotional stakes of the novel, especially through Sora’s remembrance and Mikail’s decisions.

Quilimar

Queen Quilimar is a study in ruthlessness and political cunning.  Her decision to murder her brother Euyn in public marks her as a figure capable of extreme violence in pursuit of control.

Though initially positioned as a potential ally, Quilimar’s alliance proves transactional at best.  She is intelligent, dangerous, and unafraid to manipulate both allies and enemies.

Her temporary truce with Mikail’s group during the final confrontation with King Joon underscores her pragmatic nature—she will cooperate only when it serves her survival or strategic gain.  Yet her presence adds a layer of unpredictability to the narrative, reminding readers that the line between friend and foe is often perilously thin.

Zahara (formerly Hana)

Zahara represents transformation through bitterness and survival.  Once presumed dead, she re-emerges aligned with the king and filled with resentment, particularly toward Tiyung.

Her renaming signals a rebirth shaped by betrayal, and while she extends a lifeline in the form of a lantern and Sora’s letter, she does so with an emotional detachment that speaks volumes.  Zahara’s complex role as both informant and former lover adds layers of ambiguity—she is neither villain nor savior, but a reflection of the toll that war and abandonment exact on the human soul.

Her return destabilizes Tiyung and rekindles painful memories, making her a symbol of the past’s enduring influence.

Themes

Betrayal and Fragile Trust

The narrative of Four Ruined Realms is saturated with betrayals both personal and political, casting a long shadow over the characters’ relationships and motivations.  Aeri’s very identity is a betrayal—first as a spy within a rebellion, and later as a daughter turning against her tyrannical father.

The consequences of her deception reverberate throughout the story, especially in her strained connection with Royo and the distrust from Euyn.  Trust is not easily repaired; every alliance is built on a precarious foundation of former grievances and half-kept secrets.

This theme intensifies through acts such as Euyn withholding knowledge of Sora’s illegal indenture, which becomes a turning point for Sora, not only in her perception of Euyn but in her understanding of the systems they aim to dismantle.  Even among allies, secrets fester.

Mikail, the consummate spymaster, holds back information to protect others, but this withholding often has unintended consequences, complicating loyalties.  Betrayal is also institutional—monarchs, ambassadors, and generals consistently break promises and act in self-interest, reinforcing the idea that personal betrayal mirrors the broader rot in the political structure.

Ultimately, trust becomes a fragile currency in a world where everyone has been betrayed before, and the act of trusting again becomes both a risk and a revolutionary act.

Trauma and Survival

Survival in Four Ruined Realms is not only physical but psychological and emotional, as characters endure trauma that shapes their identity and decisions.  Aeri’s confession about killing Prince Omin and aging unnaturally through the stolen amulet introduces the reader to a girl who has lived multiple lives’ worth of grief.

Her trauma is internalized, manifesting in her reluctance to connect and her self-imposed isolation.  Royo, scarred by the loss of Lora and the cruelty of gang violence, navigates every interaction through a lens of pain and guilt, which compounds as he loses more allies.

Tiyung’s imprisonment in Idle Prison, where torture is replaced by extreme sensory deprivation and the haunting presence of lake monsters, exemplifies a psychological torment that pushes the boundaries of endurance.  Trauma is also collective—Sora’s enslavement, the murder of her sister Daysum, and the reappearance of Count Seok drive her to the edge of emotional collapse.

Survival here is not triumphant but weary, a continual struggle that defines the characters more than any battle.  The mental scars they carry become just as debilitating as physical injuries, and yet they move forward, bound by duty, vengeance, and a sliver of hope that their pain might one day have meaning beyond suffering.

Power, Corruption, and Legacy

Power in Four Ruined Realms is multifaceted—manifested through relics, lineage, strategic manipulation, and political control.  King Joon’s hunger for the five Dragon Lord relics to achieve godhood represents the most extreme manifestation of corruption born of unchecked power.

This thirst for domination underlines a broader commentary on how power, when concentrated and deified, becomes genocidal.  The pursuit of these relics isn’t just about dominion over territories but the rewriting of fate itself.

Aeri, who eventually wields both the Dragon Lord’s ring and amulet, experiences firsthand the weight of this power.  Her transformation during the climax, where her golden energy drowns entire fleets, reveals how easily destructive potential can slip from righteous hands.

Yet Aeri’s acceptance of power comes with an introspective decision—not to rule, but to change the world.  Her struggle signifies a deeper reckoning with legacy: what is inherited, what is earned, and what must be dismantled.

Meanwhile, Mikail’s quiet realization of his royal lineage ties personal identity to political consequence, suggesting that the legacies characters flee from often come full circle.  Ultimately, the story interrogates whether power must always corrupt, or if there exists a path where power can be wielded with responsibility, remorse, and reform.

Vengeance and Justice

The line between justice and vengeance remains blurred throughout Four Ruined Realms, as characters pursue what they believe is righteousness, only to be entangled in cycles of violence.  For Aeri, the rebellion is both an act of justice for the atrocities committed by her father and a personal need for redemption.

Mikail, though methodical and politically calculating, harbors an intense sense of retributive justice, demonstrated in his execution of the guard captain and his psychological games with Zeolin.  His belief that justice must be extracted through fear and force signals a darker interpretation of morality.

Sora’s arc exemplifies the theme most heartbreakingly—her pursuit of justice for her sister Daysum becomes so all-consuming that it threatens to eclipse her sense of purpose.  When vengeance becomes personal, it fractures the group’s unity, as seen in the confrontation with Euyn and the disastrous fallout of his revelations.

Even large-scale diplomatic maneuvers, like the attempted truce with Zeolin or the showdown at the harbor, are underscored by unresolved grievances.  Justice here is often performative, illusory, or replaced by cathartic retribution.

The novel questions whether true justice is ever attainable in a world that demands violence as its currency, or whether vengeance, in its most tragic form, is all that remains when institutions fail.

Identity, Belonging, and Found Family

The tension between identity and belonging reverberates through every character in Four Ruined Realms, especially as they grapple with secret histories, shifting allegiances, and self-perception.  Aeri’s evolution from royal spy to rebel to potential sovereign forces her to reconsider who she is without the definitions imposed by birth or betrayal.

Her relationship with Royo, strained by their emotional baggage and divergent coping mechanisms, is a testament to how identity influences intimacy.  Mikail, a man without an official homeland or acknowledged lineage for much of the book, builds his identity through action and strategy rather than blood.

His later discovery of royal ancestry forces him to confront a version of himself he had never imagined inhabiting.  Found family becomes a powerful substitute for origin-based identity, offering characters a space of conditional safety and emotional authenticity.

Sora’s kinship with Aeri, and Mikail’s loyalty to the group despite personal reservations, suggests that belonging is often a choice rather than inheritance.  Yet the fragility of these bonds, constantly tested by secrets and loss, reinforces how hard it is to hold on to family—biological or chosen—in a world designed to tear people apart.

Identity becomes not a fixed essence but a construction, constantly rebuilt in the face of trauma, change, and resistance.