Portal

Isla arrives with Lark in the maze at Cronan’s tomb and immediately unleashes power through shademade metal infused with her Wildling blood. Lark counters with lethal hedges and roots, but Isla’s armor and blended abilities—Nightshade shadow, Starling energy, and Wildling resilience—negate each attack as Isla grows stronger by embracing her darkness.

When Lark blinds and suffocates Isla with vines, Isla senses Oro and Grim nearing but refuses to rely on them. Instead, Isla animates her shadow to retrieve a feather hidden in her pocket. Using it, she loosens Lark’s bindings, breaks free, and tortures Lark by scorching the feather—exposing that Lark stored part of her soul in it to mimic Aurora and spy.

Isla then channels all six realms’ powers into Cronan’s coffin, using her portal-crafting skill to rupture space. The coffin explodes into a yawning, dawn-lit portal. Anticipating Lark’s return if simply banished, Isla declares she will ensure Lark cannot come back.

Feeling Oro and Grim besieged by dreks, Isla uses Cronan’s blood-enchanted sword to command the creatures to disperse and not harm anyone. The sword’s tie to Cronan also lets her seek him beyond. She intends to push Lark through the portal and follow, since a portal can only be closed from the far side, where Lark’s resurrection power is complete—and where Isla could kill her and reclaim that power to restore the dead she’s taken.

In a recalled visit the previous night, the augur revealed that the otherworld’s name had been deliberately forgotten, but the prophet carved it into his own bone. Isla obtained the bone, learning the name she needs to traverse: Skyshade.