In this first volume of the novel, we are introduced to a number of characters and their stories. We learn that the novel is set in the home of the Emperor elias, the 14th-century ruler of the Roman Empire. In this chapter, we learn that his son has been trained to wear armor, but that he has just turned ten years old and is therefore not yet ready for the real thing. The Emperor tells the boy that he will go to his vault and meet him in the field of battle. The first pillar of armor, he says, is that a person is immune to physical harm. The second pillar is that his mind will not be affected by anything on the battlefield. The third pillar says that the mind will reject an artificial organ, like a body rejecting a synthetic one. The fourth pillar says, "the mind will accept it as your body rejects a synthetic organ" .