Buried by the collapsing Pit, Paedyn was telekinetically yanked from the sand by Kai, who suspended her and drew his sword for a killing strike. At the last instant, Kai steadied her with his hand, his face torn between duty and compassion. Paedyn told Kai it was okay to let her die in the Pit where Adena had died, trying to save him instead. Emotion broke through Kai’s mask; he released his Tele hold and fell to his knees with her, apologizing.

Kai told Paedyn to follow his lead and called out moves as they traded blows, crafting a believable fight for the watching crowd. After a flurry of strikes and throws, Paedyn disarmed Kai of her dagger and gained the upper hand, straddling him with the weapon poised. Instead of killing him, she pressed the dagger into Kai’s hand and aimed it at herself, saying she was ready.

Kai refused her sacrifice and turned the dagger toward his own chest, stating he wanted to save her and perhaps atone for past failings. Despite Paedyn’s frantic resistance, Kai used his strength to push the blade into himself. Paedyn begged him to stop, but the knife slid inexorably deeper until it was buried to the hilt, and she screamed as he bled out.

Cradling Kai’s head in her lap, Paedyn pleaded for a Healer and urged Kai to heal himself. He admitted he was poor at healing and that this wound could not be mended. As his life faded, they held hands, shared fragile words, and Paedyn promised she was there with him. Kai smiled weakly one last time, then died with his eyes fixed on the sky.

In shock, Paedyn confessed repeatedly that she loved Kai and unleashed a scream of grief that silenced the arena. When Sights approached to move the body and broadcast his empty gaze, she threatened them with a sword but could not stop them from dragging him away. She stumbled after, devastated, blaming herself as his ruin.

Rising, Paedyn turned her rage on King Kitt in the glass box, accusing him, “He was your brother!” She seized the sword and advanced toward him, demanding he look at her. Kitt met her eyes with disbelief and despair, but before Paedyn could act further, an unseen assailant grabbed her from behind and pressed a cloth over her nose. She collapsed into unconsciousness, the agony briefly gone.