53 Meryn

Amid flying rubble, the Mother Priestess snatches the opalescent Tear before Meryn and Anassa can reach it. The gem’s light turns harsh, the priestess’s hands begin to smoke and melt, and violent tremors rip open a black pit that swallows the shattered goddess statue. Stark yanks the priestess free with shadebending, and Meryn wraps and stows the Tear, realizing its magic continues to ravage the city even unwielded.

With the ground collapsing, Meryn and Stark flee the square and decide to evacuate Linsfall. Meryn summons Noemi and Venna while Anassa and Cratos navigate the quaking streets. They rally residents from their homes, drive crowds toward the gates, and Meryn smashes the main doors open with shadows as the flow bottlenecks.

To widen the escape route, Meryn and Stark fully link their minds, combining brute force and precision to lift an entire section of wall and set it safely outside the city. Noemi and Venna arrive; Stark passes the bound Mother Priestess to Noemi to guard while he and Meryn split up to rescue more people. They brace collapsing buildings with shadebending, Stark diverts to save a child, and Meryn clears an overturned cart at the southern gate with Daemos power.

When the shaking finally stops, they regroup on a ridge overlooking a devastated Linsfall and the vast pit where the statue stood. Meryn confirms the Tear is secured—likely an aspect of destruction—and steels herself. Stark retrieves the captive priestess from Noemi, and Meryn confronts the woman, demanding answers about Killian’s plans.