Contents
Chapter 90 — Grim
Overview
Isla dons Cronan’s crown, subjugating him and revealing a time-hidden blade that can end him. She asks Grim to join her, but Grim glimpses a future where going with her means his death. He betrays her to survive, portaling the crown away and attacking, and Isla escapes devastated.
Summary
As Isla forces Cronan’s crown onto her head, reality ripples and Cronan is driven to his knees. Empowered by the Threads of Time within the crown, Isla shows Grim a vision of a blade capable of killing Cronan across all his scattered souls, hidden in another time. She asks Grim to join her, needing his portaling to reach it.
Grim wavers, drawn to Isla and the hope she offers. At the water’s edge, the pool reflects futures, including Isla holding the very blade against him. When Grim steps into the pool, he sees branching possibilities and realizes that if he goes with Isla now, he will die; survival lies only with Cronan.
Torn between love and fear, Grim lets himself be pulled close, remembering their bond and the life they might have had. As their foreheads touch, he apologizes and uses his unique power to breach Isla’s defenses, portaling the crown away from her and hurling Cronan out of the pool with shadows.
Grim then turns his darkness on Isla to imprison her and prevent her from finding the blade. In that instant, something tugs at him, and he locks eyes with Isla, who realizes the betrayal. The pool and Isla portal away, leaving Grim with the image of her devastation as she escapes.
Who Appears
- GrimTorn between love and survival; foresees death if he follows Isla, steals Cronan’s crown, attacks Isla.
- IslaSeizes Cronan’s crown, subjugates him, reveals a time-hidden blade, seeks Grim’s help, then escapes betrayed.
- CronanMomentarily forced to his knees by Isla’s crown power before Grim portals him from the pool.