See old friends and new faces in The Wheel of Time season 2 first-look photos

It's been almost two years since The Wheel of Time wrapped up its first season on Amazon Prime Video — almost enough time to make you think, if you didn't know any better, that the Dark One really had been defeated in that climactic showdown with Rand al'Thor (Josha Stradowski) and Moiraine Damodred (Rosamund Pike). Alas, evil is stronger than that, and the wheel keeps turning.

EW can exclusively reveal that The Wheel of Time returns for season 2 on Sept. 1, and you can get a taste of what's in store with the exclusive first-look photos below. Our heroes, who journeyed together from the village of Two Rivers all the way to the northern kingdom of Fal Dara in season 1, are now scattered and caught up in their own individual adventures.

Having learned that he is in fact the Dragon Reborn, Rand has gone into hiding so that he won't harm his friends if he descends into madness like previous incarnations of the Dragon did. His mentor, Moiraine, has now lost her connection to the One Power, and her emotional relationship with Lan (Daniel Henney) along with it. While Moiraine returns to her hometown of Cairhien, Egwene (Madeleine Madden) and Nynaeve (Zoë Robins) begin their Aes Sedai training in order to learn how to control their own access to the One Power.

There are also new faces to meet in season 2. Mat Cauthon has been recast, with Dónal Finn taking over the role from Barney Harris. And as teased at the end of season 1, soldiers of the Seanchan Empire have arrived from across the sea in order to conquer their ancestral homeland.

Just as season 1 covered The Eye of the World, the first novel in Robert Jordan's book series, season 2 will mostly cover the next book, The Great Hunt — but don't be surprised to see some elements from other books as well, since the show only has eight episodes per season to tell this massive story.

"This season is a lot of screaming, crying, fighting, and two people talking in a room," showrunner Rafe Judkins teased at New York Comic Con last year. "We did build that groundwork. You know who these people are, and now you get to see them go on these journeys. The journeys Robert Jordan created are epic. It's a gift for people who know the books to watch the show, because they see contained in each of these characters the path that's in front of them. In season 2, we're on that path. By the end of the season, eight episodes later, it's just massive. I'm excited for people to see it."

Check out the first-look photos below.

Jan Thijs/Prime Video Representatives of the Seanchan Empire, alongside Loial (Hammed Animashaun) and The Dark One (Fares Fares) in 'The Wheel of Time' season 2

Jan Thijs/Prime Video Dónal Finn as Mat Cauthon in 'The Wheel of Time' season 2

Jan Thijs/Prime Video Rosamund Pike as Moiraine in 'The Wheel of Time' season 2

Jan Thijs/Prime Video Madeleine Madden as Egwene in 'The Wheel of Time' season 2

Jan Thijs/Prime Video Daniel Henney as Lan in 'The Wheel of Time' season 2

Jan Thijs/Prime Video Zoë Robins as Nynaeve in 'The Wheel of Time' season 2

Jan Thijs/Prime Video Josha Stradowski as Rand al'Thor in 'The Wheel of Time' season 2

Jan Thijs/Prime Video Aviendha (Ayoola Smart) and Perrin (Marcus Rutherford) in 'The Wheel of Time' season 2

Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.

Related content:

• The Wheel of Time cast teases new faces and 'massive' scale in season 2

• The Wheel of Time showrunner answers our burning questions about the season 1 finale

• Meet Moiraine: Rosamund Pike explains what interests her about The Wheel of Time

• Welcome to The Wheel of Time: Take a magical first look at Amazon's new fantasy adaptation