Contents
Chapter Twenty-Five
Overview
Apollius fully dominates Bastian on the ride from Courdigne to Dellaire, taunting Lore about destiny, love, and the spreading blight. Bastian fights through briefly and begs Lore to warn their allies. Back at the Church, Lore and Alie reach Gabe and Malcolm’s secret meeting space, where Lore openly confirms Apollius inhabits Bastian and Nyxara resides in her mind.
The confession unifies the conspirators around the true stakes: Bastian’s rapid loss of self, Lore’s looming apotheosis, and a world already rotting.
Summary
Apollius rides with Lore pressed against him, having ordered her to leave Courdigne immediately and ride on his horse while Alie follows by carriage. The fields along the road appear blighted and unnaturally silent, underscoring the world’s decay. Apollius, now fully ascendant in Bastian’s body after killing Bellegarde, taunts Lore about destiny and claims rights over Nyxara.
Apollius needles Lore about her love for Bastian and Gabriel, suggesting their feelings are manipulated by godhood and that her survival has harmed the afflicted, including Gabe. When Lore demands answers about “what’s happening to them,” Apollius withholds details. His grip betrays strain, and Bastian breaks through long enough to warn Lore: tell Gabe, Alie, and Malcolm the truth, keep away from him, and try to wait out the day until night grants him control.
They reach the Citadel at Dellaire. Bastian, still fighting, retreats to isolate himself. Lore collects Alie and heads to the South Sanctuary, where Alie leads her to Gabe’s little-used upstairs study, passing a rare “Apollius Avenging” statue. Alie admits she, Gabe, and Malcolm have been meeting in secret about Bastian—and, by implication, about Lore.
Inside the study, Malcolm questions Lore’s presence while Gabe watches in tense silence. Lore ends the pretense and states the truth: Apollius is inhabiting Bastian and it is worsening; Nyxara is present in Lore’s mind. The room falls silent before Malcolm concedes they were right, confirming the group’s worst suspicions and setting their next moves against divine possession and a world sliding into rot.
Who Appears
- LoreRides under Apollius’s control of Bastian, resists manipulation, comforts Bastian’s brief return, then reveals the possessions to Alie, Gabe, and Malcolm.
- Bastian Duval / ApolliusApollius dominates Bastian, taunts Lore, hints at wider harms; Bastian briefly resurfaces to warn Lore to tell the others and avoid him.
- AlieUnshaken by the abrupt departure, returns to Dellaire, leads Lore to Gabe’s study, and facilitates the confrontation and confession.
- Gabriel Remaut (Gabe)In his study, receives Lore’s confession about Apollius and Nyxara; silent, tense acknowledgment of the group’s fears.
- MalcolmGuarded participant in the secret meetings; skeptical until Lore confesses, then admits their suspicions were correct.