Chapter 86 — Grim

Grim watches Cronan drag Isla through the ravaged forest toward a silver pool. Though Grim insists she means nothing, Isla’s persistence and the memories she showed him unsettle him. He senses Isla’s ruined hope but unbroken resolve, while Cronan radiates triumph at having found the Pool of Possibilities.

Cronan explains the Pool will reveal the pivotal choices he must change to access the ancient forest of portals, and that the Threads of Time will let him alter the past. He also declares that once Isla dies, Grim must surrender the diamond that now answers to him, enabling Cronan’s final conquest.

Cronan steps into the Pool, submerges his crown, and darkens the waters into a star-flecked night. After a trance, he emerges, satisfied, having gained what he sought. Grim contemplates striking but hesitates under the threat to his realm.

With his aims secured, Cronan moves to kill Isla. She neither flees nor fights, meeting both Cronan and Grim with calm certainty. Grim recognizes unexpected strength in her surrender and feels the weight of what they shared, even without his memories.

Isla locks eyes with Grim and says, “I love you.” Cronan immediately snaps her neck, fulfilling his threat as Grim watches, torn between duty to his realm and the awakening pull of a love he cannot fully remember.