As the Shallows storm continues into their fourth day at sea, Kai narrates from his cabin where Paedyn sits between his legs reading. They have spent two days like this, with her stories distracting them from the relentless swells and even steadying Kai’s seasick stomach. They banter about staying the night together despite the crew’s gossip, and after Kai pleads, Paedyn agrees to stay, resuming their reading and trading playful jabs until they fall asleep.

Kai wakes to thunder with a splitting headache, notices Paedyn asleep beside him, and moves to cover her with a quilt. He suddenly realizes a detail is wrong—he counts about ten freckles—and, sensing abilities within himself, detects a nearby Illusion power. When he tosses the blanket, the figure vanishes: Paedyn’s presence was a planted Illusion. Kai deduces he has been drugged and that Paedyn was taken from his bed.

Arming himself, Kai bursts onto the rain-lashed deck where wind and waves batter the Reckoning. Shouting for Paedyn, he spots figures at the far railing and, feeling the powers within him respond, identifies an Illusionist, a Tele, and a Gust among them. As he closes in, he sees there are actually four figures: three men and Paedyn, bound and gagged, being lifted to the rail in the storm.

Unleashing his trained lethality, Kai uses the Tele’s power he has captured to hurl the Gust user overboard, then advances. The Tele wraps an invisible noose around Kai’s neck with his ability, choking him. Kai endures, feints a punch, and draws his sword in the same motion to slice the Tele across the stomach, dropping him and breaking the choke. Blood runs across the deck as Kai steps over the wounded man toward the Illusionist holding Paedyn.

Kai presses his blade to the Illusionist’s chest and demands Paedyn’s release. The man declares he would rather die than see an Ordinary on Ilya’s throne. Kai drives his sword into the Illusionist’s heart, but in the same instant, the Illusionist throws Paedyn over the railing.

Kai dives for the rail as Paedyn plummets toward the raging sea. The gag slips, and she screams while locking eyes with him. With the mortally wounded Tele’s power flickering within him, Kai lashes it out like a rope, catching Paedyn around the waist and suspending her above the waves despite searing pain and the ship’s violent lurches. He hauls her upward through crashing water until, at the critical moment when their eyes meet in shared terror, the Tele’s power dies within him.