Gideon is shoved off the station platform and into the empty rail yard by a witch holding his own loaded gun on him. The train carrying Rune is already gone, and Gideon forces himself not to dwell on that loss while he tries to understand why he is being taken there instead of directly to Cressida.

As they move over the tracks, Gideon stalls with taunts about Cressida, hoping to buy time and find a way out. The witch makes clear that Cressida wants his heart and threatens to tie him to the tracks or kill him outright. Gideon stays defiant, insisting Cressida will never be his queen and that others will rise even if he dies.

When the witch orders Gideon to his knees, he obeys because she has his gun and he has no clear opening to fight back. A distant train whistle sounds, but no rescue appears, and the witch switches from the gun to a casting knife, pressing it to Gideon’s throat. Gideon braces for death as she mocks him with the promise that he will not live to see the Republic fall.

Instead, a gunshot interrupts the execution. The witch is hit, drops the knife, and falls, while more shots are fired into her body until the pistol is empty. Gideon turns to see Rune standing behind him, her illusion gone and her anger blazing, revealing that she came back in time to save him rather than leave him to die.