Coronation

Isla visits the Wildling newland and is struck by how diminished and malnourished her people are. They unexpectedly bow and credit her with breaking curses, saying Terra told them. Isla admits her past deceptions and new Starling power, invites candid questions, and learns from Wren, a village leader, that many Wildlings remain traumatized by hunger and survival. Wren urges Isla to prioritize helping the younger, needier Starlings first.

At the Starling coronation on Lightlark, Ella confirms Moonling’s absence as Isla faces a wary crowd. Oro crowns Isla quickly to steady her nerves. An ominous rumble becomes a cataclysm as the ground splits, spewing winged, reptilian, near-humanoid beasts. Oro incinerates dozens, but more pour through the fissure, resisting most powers and tearing through the crowd. Azul and Skylings fight with wind; Sunlings defend with flaming blades.

Isla, desperate to help, tries to access Wildling, Starling, or Oro’s linked power and fails. A lunging beast halts inches from Isla, studies her, then screeches and withdraws. The entire swarm flees toward Nightshade. Oro seals the fissure, but the islanders’ wounds fester with creeping, shadow-like lesions.

Amid the carnage, onlookers accuse Isla of colluding with Nightshades, citing the creature that spared her. Azul lands with a severed beast head, silencing the crowd, while Oro checks Isla and issues orders. Overwhelmed by deaths and guilt, Isla resolves to retrieve Wildling elixir to heal the injured but collapses in panic, fearing Grim orchestrated the attack.