Chapter XV: In Red
Contains spoilersOverview
Gabriel raced back up the ridge as Laure Voss ambushed the blacksmiths and sisters, threatening the avalanche plan. In a brutal battle, Charlotte and several keepers fell, but Astrid and the sisters bought moments for Gabriel. Gabriel, invoking the Esani bloodhymn, burned Laure to ash with his bare hand. He then lit the ignis, triggering the avalanche that swept the Endless Legion down the mountain as the Forever King’s mind vowed vengeance.
Summary
Gabriel realized Laure Voss had struck the ridge from behind, slaughtering the Hearth brothers who had set the ignis charges and leaving no one to light them. He ordered Aaron and Baptiste to hold the slope and be ready to retreat, then sprinted back toward the tower of Sanael where Charlotte and the sisters were firing from cover. In the darkness and storm, Laure—blood-drenched and monstrous—closed on the tower as blackthumbs and keepers fell.
Gabriel confronted Laure, his aegis burning bright as he hurled his last silverbomb and struck with Lionclaw. Laure’s stone-hard flesh and strength overwhelmed him, and she hurled him into the tower. Charlotte and the sisters shot Laure with silver rounds, cracking her skin and staggering her, allowing Gabriel to drive Lionclaw into Laure’s chest. Laure ripped the blade free, taunting that she was a Prince of Forever and could not be slain.
Charlotte invoked the Mothermaid and advanced, but Laure threw Lionclaw, splitting Charlotte’s skull and killing her instantly. Laure then mounted Gabriel, choking him and cruelly claimed responsibility for atrocities at Lorson, naming Gabriel’s family—his mother, Celene, and Amélie—as victims.
Astrid struck Laure across the head with Lionclaw, declaring Gabriel no frailblood and giving him an opening. In a surge of rage and clarity, Gabriel grasped Laure’s throat and consciously invoked the word “Esani,” channeling the bloodhymn. Laure’s flesh blackened and burned beneath his hand; her blood boiled and eyes melted as she screamed for her father. With a final cry, Laure Voss disintegrated into ashes in Gabriel’s grip.
Gabriel ordered Astrid and the surviving sisters to take shelter, then raced to the buried ignis. With Aaron and Baptiste fleeing the advancing horde, he found the matchlines, lit the fuse, and sprinted for the angel statue’s outstretched hand. The ignis detonated, fracturing the storm-loaded snowpack and unleashing a massive avalanche down Gabriel’s peak that tore the Endless Legion from the mountain.
As the avalanche roared, Gabriel felt the Forever King’s mind pierce his own, a father’s eternal vow for the death of his daughter: “I have forever. I am forever.” The chapter closed with the avalanche’s devastation and the Forever King’s promise of limitless vengeance.
Who Appears
- Gabriel de León
protagonist; fights Laure, invokes the Esani bloodhymn to burn her to ash, lights the ignis and triggers the avalanche.
- Aaron de Coste
brother-in-arms; holds the line below and retreats before the avalanche.
- Baptiste
brother-in-arms and Aaron’s lover; fights on the slope and retreats before the avalanche.
- Laure Voss
Prince of Forever; ambushes the ridge, kills multiple defenders, is ultimately destroyed by Gabriel’s Esani-fueled grip.
- Prioress Charlotte
leader of the sisters; orders silver volleys, is killed when Laure throws Lionclaw through her skull; status: dead.
- Astrid
Esani scholar and ally; supports from the tower, strikes Laure with Lionclaw to save Gabriel.
- Keeper Logan
sister; seen dead on the ridge; status: dead.
- Keeper Micah
sister; seen dead on the ridge; status: dead.
- Brothers of the Hearth (blackthumbs)
forge brothers; set ignis charges, many slain by Laure.
- Endless Legion
undead horde; surged up the pass and was swept away by the avalanche.
- Forever King (Fabién Voss)
ancient enemy; does not appear physically but psychically vows eternal vengeance after Laure’s death.