After the previous night’s fight, Diem and Henri travel back toward Lumnos in strained silence. Diem is haunted by how badly she wanted to hurt Henri, fearing that the destructive force inside her could harm the people she loves if she cannot control it.

Diem finally apologizes and admits that Henri may have been right that something in her is broken. Henri apologizes too, reassures her that he will always be there, and the tension between them eases enough for him to share the truth behind his rebellion.

Henri explains that a year earlier he watched one of the Descended kill a mortal boy in a careless riding accident, then treat the death as a nuisance. Enraged, Henri armed himself and waited for days to kill the Descended man, but a mortal stranger stopped him and redirected his desire for vengeance toward an organized cause: the Guardians of the Everflame, a surviving mortal rebel network from the Blood War.

Henri reveals that the Guardians are secretly gathering weapons and information until mortals are strong enough to rise against the Descended again. He asks Diem to join because her access to the palace as a healer could provide valuable intelligence, though Diem is troubled by the thought of betraying healer vows or using medical trust to harm patients.

Diem refuses to fully commit but says she will think about it, partly because the rebellion might give her anger a purpose and help uncover the truth about Auralie’s disappearance. She firmly makes Henri promise not to involve Teller, and Henri reveals that the Lumnos cell is led by a woman, though he refuses to identify her.

As the journey continues, Henri speaks with renewed pride about the Guardians and his missions. Then he confesses he has loved Diem his whole life and begins to ask for a deeper future with her, but Diem panics, says she cares for him and wants no pressure, and avoids letting him finish what seems to be a proposal, leaving both of them unsettled on the ride home.