Balthazar confronts the woman in Severa’s body, and Empress Eudoxia calmly confirms that she abandoned her failing body, stole Severa’s, and even accepted her brother Michael’s marriage proposal because it offered the easiest route back to power. Eudoxia admits that seeing the world after her supposed death has soured her on the throne, and she says she might even let Alex keep it. Rather than resume their duel, Eudoxia proposes that Balthazar join her, arguing that together they could terrify Europe and perhaps even break his Papal binding.

Balthazar is tempted by Eudoxia’s beauty, talent, and ambition, but he ultimately refuses. Balthazar says he no longer wants freedom for its own sake because he now believes he serves the Second Coming in Alex. Eudoxia is intrigued rather than enraged by the refusal, and the two part alive, with mutual respect and the promise that they may meet as adversaries again.

Outside the Athenaeum, Brother Diaz and Baptiste face the ruined remains of Eudoxia’s monstrous creation as it lurches toward them. Diaz desperately prays over Saint Beatrix’s vial, thinking for a moment that a miracle has stopped the abomination, but the truth is worse and better at once: Vigga tears her way out from inside the monster. Vigga emerges in wolf form and turns toward Diaz, but Baptiste steps between them and bellows that Vigga’s behavior is unacceptable. The command briefly checks the beast, suggesting some part of Vigga still hears her, but the wolf remains dangerous.

At the same time on the Pharos, Alex tries to help the badly wounded Sunny escape, only for Duke Michael to ambush them and knock Sunny unconscious. Michael rekindles Saint Natalia’s Flame, declares that Troy will be renewed under his rule, and reveals that he poisoned Alex’s mother and blamed Eudoxia, starting the civil war for his own gain. Michael corners Alex at the shattered edge of the lighthouse and offers her death or suicide, but Alex refuses to submit. She tricks Michael by begging, then punches him, bites his nose, knees him, and gouges his eye. Before Michael can finish strangling her, Jakob of Thorn erupts from the flame, still impaled and burning, and hurls himself into Michael. The two men go over the edge together and vanish into the night below.

Afterward, Balthazar leaves the Athenaeum expecting to boast of his triumphs, only to find the gardens drenched in gore. Brother Diaz is kneeling in shock, Vigga has reverted to human form and is catastrophically wounded, and Baptiste is missing until Balthazar realizes the mangled corpse between them is hers. Vigga vomits blood, offal, black hair, and what appears to be one of Baptiste’s gold teeth, making clear that she killed and partly consumed Baptiste after losing control. Horrified and furious, Balthazar demands to know what Vigga has done.