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Nomad is startled but relieved when Zeal appears at the vault, muddy yet alive after the storm. They acknowledge they shared the same plan to seize sunhearts and hurry, knowing Beacon has roughly an hour left and the return flight could take forty-five minutes. Zeal explains he barely piloted their ship back to shadow after Rebeke collapsed, then returned alone to steal fresh sunhearts to power a faster escape.

As they slip away, the Cinder King spots them and summons guards and Charred. He fixates on Nomad, demanding a duel and boasting that power defines life. Pressed, the Cinder King admits he took a sunheart from a sick offworlder he later burned to ash, keeping the trophy among his possessions.

Nomad sprints past the Cinder King, boards the king’s ship, and smashes the trophy case to seize the faintly glowing offworlder sunheart. Praying in Alethi, Nomad feels the sunheart draw heat from him, easing the crust of his Torment and granting him the ability to act decisively without locking up.

Nomad then leaps back into the storm and races to Elegy’s grounded ship, where Charred swarm the deck and batter the cab. Inside, Zeal and a recovering Rebeke strain to hold a rear door shut. On deck, a familiar Charred charges Nomad; empowered by the sunheart’s cooling, Nomad punches the attacker aside, drawing the attention of the surrounding Charred.

With Charred converging and Zeal and Rebeke besieged, Nomad revels in his renewed control. He raises his fist, ready to fight through the boarders so they can power the ship with fresh sunhearts and attempt a desperate return to save Beacon before time runs out.