Eshonai arrives at Narak to a massive crowd, transformed by a new form. Her skin bears tight ridges, red lightning flickers from her fists, and her hairstrands have returned. She feels a sharp, driven clarity, convinced she knows how to save her people.

Venli pushes forward as Eshonai effortlessly leaps a chasm without a running start, landing amid red lines of energy. Eshonai proclaims an end to the listeners’ losses and a new future for both peoples. Thude notes her red eyes and hesitantly references warnings from the songs, but Eshonai dismisses the concern as a sign of what she has become.

Venli confirms the form—stormform—and asks about its capabilities. Eshonai asserts the winds obey her and that she can sense a tempest beyond the rhythms, something building into a highstorm. She claims that with enough listeners in stormform, they can bend the storms to their will and bring them down upon their enemies.

As the crowd hums to Awe, Eshonai announces that the Storm Rider intends to aid the humans, but Venli’s discovery offers salvation. She urges the listeners to claim independence and promises to sweep the humans from the land like leaves before a tempest.

The gathered listeners begin to sing, their excitement swelling. Eshonai exults in their response, even as she deliberately ignores a voice deep within that screams in horror, foreshadowing the dangerous cost of this new power.