As the annual Palentine’s Day celebrations came to a close, Iris confessed that she still had unresolved concerns about the mysterious Voice in the Mist who appeared at the end of the year. Who were they, and what did they mean by their foreboding prophecies, threats of war, and strange weaponry? Why did they vanish so suddenly, and where did they go? Estella encouraged her to follow her hunch and investigate further. After noticing that the Cosmic Solarium Kith seemed particularly affected by something out in the Tatters, Iris planned a quick trip with Lycus and Hypothesis, and discovered that the local Ulusives were complaining of a strange, familiar "vibration" in the Tatters that was similar to the one that first drew them to the Solarium.

The source of all of the stress was revealed when nightmarish creatures mounted an attack against Hope! Although Nicholas told Iris to stay with him in Hope, Iris was resolute that she had the ability to save Hope by finding the Voice in the Mist, so she set off into the Tatters while he led the people of Hope to safety.

Sure enough, Iris managed to find and confront the mysterious of Oracle of Autumn, who introduced herself as Chrysa and explained how to battle the monsters, known as the Snarls. To save Hope, a contingent of volunteers would need to fight their way to her home Remnant: the Golden Colosseum.

However, when Iris and the students of Hope reached the mountain, they discovered it seemingly abandoned. Chrysa explained that in order to see through the magical mists of war, they needed to complete further training.