Left alone with King Ulther, Diem wrestles with fear, grief, and uncertainty. She thinks of Auralie as both a mysterious public figure and her comforting mother, then approaches the dying King as a healer rather than an assassin. Seeing Ulther alone and near death, Diem takes his hand and recites the Rite of Endings to ease his passing.

Ulther suddenly wakes with unnatural clarity and grips Diem with impossible strength. He says Diem has finally come, claims that others foretold her arrival, and calls her the Devourer of Crowns, Ravager of Realms, and Herald of Vengeance. As the Crown of Lumnos manifests above him, Ulther’s voice changes into an ancient female voice that commands Diem to give Luther a gift when the end comes and blood has spilled.

Ulther collapses back toward death just as a guard enters and finds Diem armed, shaken, and beside the agonized King. Luther returns, examines Ulther for wounds, and suspects Diem despite her protests. Hurt by Luther’s mistrust, Diem angrily demands arrest or release, then leaves the room after Luther tells her she is free to go.

Diem storms from the palace, but Luther follows and protects her from a hostile guard. Outside, Luther catches up to Diem and confronts her. Their argument turns charged and dangerous when Diem holds Brecke’s dagger to Luther’s throat; Luther does not fear death and dares Diem to kill him, then asks to die with the taste of her on his lips. They kiss passionately until Diem pushes him away, frightened by how strongly she responds.

The confrontation shifts into a deeper revelation. Luther accuses Diem of lying to herself, insists he can feel her power, and says she is no more mortal than he is. Diem rejects the claim in panic. Luther then releases Diem and Teller from Auralie’s bargain and asks Diem to return as palace healer because he needs her, but Diem announces she is quitting healing entirely for reasons she cannot fully explain.

As Diem prepares to leave, Luther asks whether she also saw the battlefield vision before the armory roof collapsed. Diem cannot answer his hope that their story is only beginning, because she believes their worlds and causes may make them enemies. Instead, Diem offers one practical olive branch: she tells Luther about the hidden hole in the palace garden wall that she gave the rebels access to, then runs back toward Mortal City.