Malcolm seizes Saeris Fane’s wrist and forces the quicksilver coin from her, taunting her about her rare Alchemist bloodline and the full set of elemental marks on her fingers. He fixates on Saeris’s mating mark, reveals he has long watched Kingfisher, and vows to claim him while using Saeris to restore his power and raise an army.

Refusing to submit, Saeris stabs Malcolm in the throat with a hidden dagger to buy time, but Malcolm retaliates by punching through her abdomen, leaving her bleeding out so Kingfisher will find her dying. As Malcolm gloats, Saeris steals the pouch from his belt; when Malcolm snatches it back and finds it empty, she reveals the coin is still in her hand.

Saeris flips the coin onto the obsidian, triggering a violent wind that tears through the labyrinth and amphitheater as the trapped souls chant “Annorath mor.” The tortured Higher and Lesser Fae turn to ash and are swept away, freed at last, destroying Malcolm’s promised “army.” Enraged and distracted, Malcolm is vulnerable; Saeris staggers up, takes Solace, declares that only the gods are eternal, and decapitates him.

Malcolm’s head and body ignite in blue flame, and Solace erupts with ancient power that fractures the obsidian and sets the amphitheater burning before the energy finally dies out. In Saeris’s mind, Kingfisher reports that Madra fled into quicksilver when the wind hit, and that Lorreth is handling Belikon and Carrion as their swords begin channeling again, while Kingfisher races to find Saeris.

Saeris fades in and out of consciousness and wakes to Taladaius—Malcolm’s powerful second—standing over her as Kingfisher kneels beside her. Taladaius warns Saeris will die within minutes; Kingfisher offers to give Saeris part of his soul, but Taladaius refuses because Kingfisher already gave too much to Lorreth. Taladaius insists there is another way: turning Saeris. As Saeris slips under, Taladaius demands clear consent, and Kingfisher answers for her—“She consents”—as the world goes dark.