Chapter 89

Dianna paces a deserted neighborhood within her own mind, drawn to the first house she shared with Gabby. Inside, timeworn rooms close around her until Gabby appears, whole and present. The house fractures as Gabby insists Dianna has been suppressing her power out of guilt and demands she face it.

At a chained door, Dianna admits she locked away a part of herself. She rips off the restraints, revealing an inner archive where memories replay: calming a panicked Samkiel in Yejedin and realizing she loved him. Her Ig’Morruthen form manifests, and Dianna confesses a buried shame—she hesitated when imagining choosing between saving Gabby or Samkiel, then stayed in Silver City instead of hunting Kaden.

Gabby rejects Dianna’s self-condemnation, naming it grief and survivor’s guilt. She argues Kaden killed her, not Dianna, and that Dianna deserves happiness and love. This absolution breaks Dianna’s self-imposed cage; her powers return as the mental house steadies around them.

The structure shudders as realms open. Gabby warns that Nismera—ancient, violent, and feared even by Kaden—has returned. Gabby urges Dianna not to fight Nismera yet but to reach Samkiel first. She hints at guidance from Unir and Samkiel’s mother and that only Dianna could be reached.

As golden light claims her, Gabby promises she never left and exhorts Dianna to be relentless. Dianna accepts the truth, sheds her paralysis, and commits to racing back to protect Samkiel before Nismera or Kaden can destroy him.