Chapter 23 — Oro

Oro paces his throne room, desperate to help Isla and open the tidepool portal after Grim’s departure to Nightshade. Frustrated with the seemingly useless Threads of Time, he accidentally unravels one and is plunged into moving visions of Sunlings from bygone eras that pass through him like specters.

As Oro unwinds more, he sees Horus Rey stride into the hall, confirming the visions are real glimpses of history. Pushing further, he lands on a moment with his younger mother and father, witnessing a warmth he never knew they shared and wondering if the search for the Threads later fractured them.

Enya interrupts, breaking the vision. Seeing Oro drained, she grounds him and reminds him that Isla needs his strength. Oro admits the Threads let him witness thousands of years in seconds and confesses his fear at losing Isla’s presence entirely.

Enya pushes back with reassurance and humor, then focuses on utility: if Lark and Cronan are active, perhaps the missing founder, Horus—originally from the otherworld—holds the knowledge they need. She urges Oro to use the Threads deliberately to find relevant moments involving Horus.

Accepting the strategy despite his exhaustion, Oro thanks Enya and returns to the throne. Determined to extract actionable guidance from the past to save Isla, he begins unraveling the Threads again, intent on locating Horus’s insights.