There is a lot of focus on the ongoing war and plot this time. Maxi continues to act independently from Riftan and shows her value to the group as a mage in her own right. This continues to cause tension with Riftan, not because he is against her independence, but because he is so worried for her safety. Unfortunately, there is a lot of miscommunications between them because they can't seem to express themselves properly and compromise on Maxi's autonomy vs her safety. Despite his disagreement with her participation in the war, Riftan keeps his distance and mostly just appears grumpy and distant from afar. It's a shame, because you can tell both of them care so much for each other. Due to so much going on it seems that it's too overwhelming for them to really have the time or the privacy to reach a compromise and reconcile. It's funny because those around them seem to notice that they are only so passionately argumentative with each other because they love each other so much. I'm patiently waiting for the next installment because I really need these two to just reconcile.