Chapter 45. Now: Maris

Maris watches the besieged city from Villa Matius, reflecting on Isara’s collapse and Ophelius’ grim credo. A palm-folded star spinning in Luca’s chamber draws her in, a remnant of Lower City tradition. Théo stands guard nearby until Luca appears in the doorway, newly returned and bloodstained.

Luca explains that Valshad will open the gates at sunrise, granting safe passage to those who flee, and that he did not find Nej among the Citadel dead. Maris notices Luca’s wound and his braided-hair talisman from her, a rare admission of faith from him. They confront their distance and regrets—Maris apologizes; Luca’s grief and exhaustion surface.

Their conversation turns to choice: Luca asks why Maris stayed, and then proposes they leave together. He argues that they are the only thing left to save. Maris resists leaving without him, then accepts when he offers to go with her, acknowledging that abandoning the fight may be their only path.

They reaffirm their bond physically and emotionally, recalling their vows and the cuff on Maris’s arm. The intimacy becomes a deliberate act of reconnection for two people “wounded and ruined,” binding their fates as they prepare to depart at sunrise, despite uncertainty about Nej and the cost to Vale and Isara.