Jekua

Summoners travel from all over the world to compete in the biggest Jekua tournament in the Volukho Isles: the Makanuele Rumble. Alani's sacred pilgrimage brings her group to bustling Makanuele at this crucial time. Her next stop is at the heart of the city, deep within an ancient crater. The church led her along this path, but as the journey grows more difficult, she questions whether it is a path she wants to walk at all. Meanwhile, Balt and Niona have been training for weeks just to earn a spot on the tournament bracket, but the competition is fierce. Facing savage Jekuas and harrowing environments, every battle may bring them closer to the champion's title-or else bring their journey to a premature end. Yet as the group struggles with their inner demons and the mounting pressures of the tournament, greater dangers are prowling in Makanuele's streets.

Ever since he was a kid, all Balt Vana wanted was to be a world-renowned Jekua Summoner like his grandmother, battling other Summoners in front of audiences of thousands. From where he stands now, living up to the Vana name feels impossible. But when his best friend Alani–an initiate at the local Church–is sent on a pilgrimage to find her path in life and the god she will follow, Balt sees the perfect opportunity to launch his career by escorting her across the archipelago and its purple seas. The islands are filled with monsters to imprint and Summoners to battle, with every victory bringing him one step closer to his dream. It will take more than just his family name to reach the same heights as his grandmother, but Balt won't stop until he does. Balt's journey continues at the Volukho Wildlife Center: an enormous wildlife reservation that houses rare, endangered Jekuas in a jungle called the Qwisdeep. Traveling through the reserve's lush greenery and glowing flora with magical monsters in his sights is the best experience Balt could have ever dreamed of. But Alani is growing increasingly frustrated having to remind her friend that this is not a vacation, it's her pilgrimage, and that they are here for the Church. The whole reason he's even on this journey is to aid and protect her, but he has always had a one-track mind, and nothing matters more to him than imprinting Jekuas. While the jungle may be home to countless beautiful creatures, there are also untamed dangers lurking in its shadows, and Balt's reckless nature may very well get them stranded in the Qwisdeep.