Demon Bandit Loki suffers from horrific memories as information from her mind is extracted. She fought Nextkin before, which are a type of human/machine hybrid that is faster, stronger, self-healing, and able to conjure weapons. She also meets Klaus's brother Heiden, who offers to make a deal with her. Meanwhile, two rival SMITHS, Mr. Blind and Bilal, and Bilal's striker Jakari, are on Cast and Ms. Clock's trail, following them to the kingdom of Alter. Ms. Clock instructs Cast to keep a low profile and wait for information to reach them as Alter is not as friendly as it may seem. However, Cast isn't very good at being inconspicuous and refuses to wait around when Klaus could be in danger. After making a scene, authorities are soon knocking on Ms. Clock's door. The king knows they are in Alter.