Gideon Sharpe watches his brother, Alex, collapse after taking a bullet meant for Gideon. Rune Winters catches Alex and sinks to the ground with him, and Gideon sees Alex cradle Rune’s face as Rune kisses him goodbye. The realization that Alex wanted Rune with him in his final moments shatters Gideon as he understands Alex is truly dead.

Gideon drops to his knees in the stone square, overcome by grief and guilt, mourning that he never got to say goodbye and believing he has failed everyone he loves. His cry is cut short by a sudden, deafening boom and a spreading darkness that makes it seem as if the sun has been swallowed.

The ground begins to quake violently, and Gideon smells blood magic mixed with salt like the sea. Struggling to keep his balance, Gideon watches as daylight returns and a black chasm rips open in front of him, separating him from Alex’s body. Ocean water pours into the void, turning the split earth into a barrier that protects the witches from the people closing in to kill them.

As dust rises and chaos erupts, Gideon searches for Laila and Harrow, hearing Harrow shout orders while fearing either could be swallowed by the widening gap. Through the gray haze, Gideon sees Cressida Roseblood on the far side of the chasm with Seraphine beside her and Rune on her other side, all watching him.

Cressida retreats into the dust with Seraphine following, and Rune holds Gideon’s gaze a moment longer before she, too, vanishes. Gideon clenches his fists and swears he will never stop hunting Rune Winters. In the aftermath, a delicate crimson moth flutters above the chasm, hardening Gideon’s resolve as he recognizes the symbol of the Crimson Moth.