Ithan, back in humanoid form, meets Bryce and Hunt on Avallen with Hypaxia at his side, surrounded by Ruhn, Flynn, Dec, Tharion, Lidia, Baxian, and Tharion’s wife (Flynn’s sister). Struggling to speak, Ithan finally admits why he came: he needs Sofie Renast’s body, believing Morven had it.

The group confirms Morven is dead and that Bryce now technically owns anything Morven possessed, but the conversation turns grim when the Meadows massacre is acknowledged. Ithan confesses his failures: he found and freed Sigrid as an alternate Fendyr heir, then killed her, and he and Hypaxia tried to resurrect Sigrid—only for Sigrid to return as a Reaper. Ithan hopes Sofie’s body might still be used to solve what he set in motion.

Bryce tells Ithan Sofie’s body is likely lost: Morven’s castle collapsed, leaving Sofie buried under rubble even if the remains are intact. As Ithan breaks down, Hunt suggests another angle—Rigelus once collected Hunt’s lightning for a similar purpose. Hypaxia admits lightning might help with Sigrid, but she lacks the supplies to safely contain that power.

Ruhn proposes using quartz crystals they found in the archives—one of which Rigelus used in the dungeons to capture Hunt’s power. He leads Flynn, Dec, Lidia, Baxian, Tharion, and Tharion’s wife to retrieve them. Alone with Ithan and Hypaxia, Bryce pushes past Ithan’s guilt and explains the larger crisis: everyone is infected with an Asteri parasite in the water that suppresses magic, and Bryce needs Hypaxia to create an antidote fast, even if it cannot be fully tested.

Hypaxia agrees but needs a lab, so Bryce orders Hypaxia and Ithan back to the House of Flame and Shadow in Lunathion for protection and resources, with Ithan assigned as Hypaxia’s guard. Bryce returns with Hunt carrying six sizzling quartz crystals—“bottled lightning”—for Hypaxia to use. Hypaxia and Ithan depart immediately by boat, while Ithan, hollowed out by regret and forced to postpone saving Sigrid, wonders if he has been leaving destruction behind him all along.