Helena flies south from the Novis Mountains on Amaris with Kaine barely conscious in front of her. Terrified that Kaine might die after being freed from Morrough, Helena keeps checking his heartbeat as they follow the river through the night. Amaris eventually lands near a hidden hunting cottage, where Helena and Kaine stumble inside and collapse together, briefly acknowledging that they have done what they once promised: escaped.

When Helena wakes, her tortured back and damaged left wrist hurt badly, and Kaine is struggling with the shock of being human again. Helena warns Kaine that his soul may take months or years to reintegrate and that he must not use vivimancy, animancy, or the array because he can no longer regenerate. Kaine agrees, but Helena’s fear remains acute because the Abeyance will not wait and they must keep moving toward the coast.

After another night of flight, Helena wakes beside Kaine in the open and is overwhelmed by the fragile reality of their freedom. Examining Kaine more carefully, Helena finds his vitality unnatural and dangerously tenuous. Her anxiety escalates into panic as she imagines enemies finding them and Kaine dying because he still carries habits formed by immortality. Kaine grounds her by explaining that they have left no trail and that Helena must now trust his caution as he trusted her.

Kaine then notices Helena’s left hand. Helena admits that the array damaged her ulnar nerve beyond repair, leaving two fingers numb and curled, but she tries to dismiss the injury as worthwhile because it saved Kaine. Kaine is shaken and angry that Helena treats her own permanent harm as acceptable, while Helena secretly arms herself with daggers as her fear of being caught grows.

They continue hiding by day and flying by night, reaching another cabin near the coast. As they rest together, their desire and possessiveness surface after years of stolen moments and forced separation. Afterward, Helena realizes the burns on her back no longer hurt because Kaine healed her despite her warnings. Helena panics, fearing he endangered his fragile life, but Kaine insists he cannot live if Helena is always the one paying the price for him. Helena concludes that they must stop hurting themselves for each other if they want to survive.

At nightfall, Amaris carries them onward until the sea appears, confirming that they have reached the coast. Kaine guides them away from the river toward a small light near a village. Amaris lands outside the lit house, and the door opens to reveal Lila standing in the warm light.