Book Recap
Iron Prince
Book 2 Recap· Released
TL;DR
Fire and Song follows Rei, Aria, Viv, Catcher and their squad through the Sectionals tournament, where they face top Users from across the Astra System. Rei and Aria suspect his CAD, Shido, is stronger than it seems, powerful figures begin to act on the 'Iron Prince of Galens', and the tournament is attacked from outside before the book ends.
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I · The Main Plot
Where We Start
Rei has finished a first semester at the Galens Institute, rising from the weakest cadet to one of the strongest in his class. His Device, Shido, is widely considered the most fearsome CAD in the school. The Sectionals tournament has arrived.
Major Plot Points & Spoilers
- Rei, Aria, Viv, Catcher and a few unexpected squadmates enter Sectionals against some of the best Users in the Astra System. There are three competitions split by year: individual duels, team battles and wargames.
- The squad is given an official team name, Firesong, something fans had long asked for in the setting.
- In the wargames, all three other teams rush Firesong in the semi-finals, but they still make a good showing. In team battles, they eliminate the enemy team in 15 seconds despite being a man down.
- Rei and Aria meet in the individual matches. As Rei is about to land the final blow, the arena is hacked and he is nearly killed by S-ranked dueling projections.
- Rei's S-ranked Growth seems to leak to his teammates: Catcher and then Cashe develop rare abilities, and Aria evolves advanced armor at an improbable rank.
- Viv, determined not to be left behind, gets a week of unfettered access to a training field from Dent and fights S-ranked projections over and over.
- Kamiya Haruto puts his megacorp's future at risk to bring Rei under its protection. Near the end, Rei agrees to the deal shortly before the company was about to make a disastrous deal with its competitor.
Where the Book Leaves Off
Viv's CAD evolves and grants her a user-unique ability, Endwalker, and Rei accepts Haruto's protection deal. The wider fallout of the hacked arena is not verified in our sources, and nothing past this point is covered.
II · Characters & Personal Progression
Romantic & Personal Status
No romance is confirmed by our sources. Rei and Aria face each other in the duels, but nothing about their relationship is verified. TV Tropes says Haruto wants to keep his 'grandson' safe; whether that grandson is Rei is not stated, so we do not claim it.
Inner Circle Check-In
- Aria: Squad leader of Firesong. Faces Rei in the individual duels and develops advanced armor at an improbable rank.
- Viv: Rei's best friend, who trains obsessively and gains the unique ability Endwalker at the end.
- Catcher and Cashe: Both develop rare abilities, which the book's fandom attributes to Rei's Growth spilling over to teammates. Which abilities is unverified.
- Captain Valera Dent: Grants Viv access to a training field for a week.
Key New Faces & Factions
Head of a megacorp who risks its economic future to get Rei under his protection. His family tie to Rei, if any, is unverified.
Rei's CAD, now named. Rei and Aria begin to suspect it is more powerful than it appears.
Whoever hacked the arena to nearly kill Rei is not identified in our sources.
The blurb says powerful entities who noticed the 'Iron Prince of Galens' begin to act, some supporting and some opposing him. They are not named in our sources.
III · End-of-Book Stats & Power Gains
Current Rank / Grade
Rei is one of the strongest in his class after one semester. Exact grades and levels are not verified.
Dao / Path / Class Evolution
Rei and Aria begin to suspect Shido is more powerful than it appears. TV Tropes describes Rei's ability Type Shift as an Arsenal Shift on the scale of the whole CAD, though it does not give the volume it is first shown in.
Major Skill & Body Gains
- Viv: the user-unique ability Endwalker, from her CAD's evolution after a week against S-ranked projections.
- Aria: advanced armor evolved at an improbable rank.
- Catcher and Cashe: rare abilities, not named in our sources.
IV · Extras: Empire, Gear & World State
Territory & Faction Upgrades
The squad is now named Firesong. Rei accepts the protection of Kamiya Haruto's megacorp, a major faction upgrade.
Signature Gear & Vessels
- Shido, Rei's CAD, called the most fearsome in the school.
- Aria's advanced armor.
Ticking Clocks
- Whoever hacked the Sectionals arena, and the powerful entities that noticed Rei, are unresolved.
- A megacorp's competitor was courting Rei, and the protection deal has just changed that balance.
- Rei and Aria's suspicion that Shido is far stronger than it appears is unexplained.