Favorite

Isla wakes in the forest on Oro’s lap, her Nightshade power unraveled and flooding her with voices and sensations. Memories of Grim surface, but Isla refuses to share them with Oro and vows never to return to Grim. Fearing she might harm others, she rejects training among Wildlings.

Oro flies Isla to Wild Isle, where everything is already dead, quieting the clamor slightly. He explains she is unintentionally summoning the world and that control will reduce the noise. Isla’s body rebels; she vomits and begs him not to leave. Oro promises to stay.

They move into the Place of Mirrors for safety, where only Wildling power functions. Avel and Ciel guard access, and Ella supplies clothing and Starling soup. Isla endures days of fever, chills, nausea, and headaches while Oro feeds her, hydrates her, and watches over her without rest.

During a quiet moment, Isla doubts her worth and deflects with jokes as Oro clumsily ties her hair. He notices details about her—like how her hair shines—and admits her eye color became his favorite. When Isla calls herself weak and broken, Oro counters, declaring, “You are my favorite everything,” and later says he loves the parts she dislikes about herself.

Buoyed but exhausted, Isla drifts to sleep as Oro continues his vigil. Their trust and intimacy deepen, even as Isla’s powers remain volatile and her memories of Grim begin to resurface.