Chapter 7

Rin, sleepless and panicked aboard the Seagrim, realizes she has no opium. Denied by the physician on Vaisra’s orders, she confronts Vaisra, who refuses, strikes her, and demands discipline to master fear and rage rather than numbing them. Rin returns to her cabin to endure agonizing withdrawal and hallucinations of Altan’s condemnation.

The next day, Nezha steadies Rin on deck as they pass desperate refugees along the Murui. He explains the postwar chaos: scattered Mugen brigades turned bandits, shortages, and provincial disorder. At night, in despair, Rin tries to drown herself, but Suni restrains her and talks her through the pain with a parable, staying with her as she vomits and breathes through the waves.

Days later, the Seagrim crosses a drowned town choked with corpses. Nezha blames Daji for a dam breach used to halt the Federation. Rin confronts Chaghan and Qara, who insist their role must remain secret to avoid turning the Dragon Army against the Cike; Rin, bitter, agrees to the lie.

On the seventh day, Rin’s fever and pain break. In a controlled test before Vaisra, she summons and shapes fire, then stops at his command, proving new restraint against the Phoenix’s urges. Vaisra presents Altan’s metal trident, recovered from Chuluu Korikh, and insists Rin can be better than Altan; Rin accepts it, grief-stricken but resolute.

Recovering, Rin eats with Nezha, discusses Kitay’s refusal to cooperate, and reflects on being made for war. They speak candidly about scars—Vaisra’s blow to Rin and Nezha’s disfigurement—while Rin, newly shorn and steadier, feels the first durable measure of control returning.