Four Ruined Realms

Euyn suggests that they try to outrun the avalanche on the sled. Sora argues that they won’t make it and that they should abandon the sled. They jump from the sled and crowd under a nearby overhang. Euyn thinks that they are going to die; the califers and sled get covered in snow and pushed into a gorge.

Eventually, Euyn realizes that the overhang is keeping them from being completely buried in snow. He admires Sora’s knowledge about the mountains and her willingness to save them even though they lied to her.

As the snow stops falling, Euyn finally tells Sora that her father refused to sign her over to be an indentured servant. Instead, Seok forged her father’s signature. Her father killed the judge who accepted the forgery. Sora punches Euyn.

Now dressed in warm clothes, Aeri admires the snow. Royo says that they need to set up camp before it gets dark, and Aeri is shocked that they aren’t staying in an inn. Royo points out that there are no inns in that part of the world. He says that he’ll keep her warm and finds a spot that isn’t covered with snow. Aeri feeds their horses as Royo sets up the tent and begins cooking.

Aeri, who can’t cook, is surprised that Royo is a good cook. They admire the Lights of the Sky King. Royo says that Aeri is more beautiful than the lights, and they kiss.

The lantern, oil, paper, ink, and food that Zahara gives to Tiyung make prison more bearable. He waits for her to return, but several meals are delivered, and she doesn’t come back. He worries that she’ll never return and that he’ll die in prison. Tiyung prays, asking to see Sora again before he dies, but mostly for Sora to be safe.

After he falls asleep, another prisoner is brought to his cell. When he wakes up, Tiyung worries that the man is there to kill him.

Mikail understands Sora’s anger at Euyn’s lie of omission, but he prevents her from killing Euyn. Mikail asks Euyn why he kept the secret, and Euyn says that it wouldn’t have made any difference because Seok, who is royalty, is more powerful than Sora’s father, Chul, a commoner. Sora prays aloud that Euyn is treated the same way as Daysum and walks away.

While giving Sora space, Mikail asks Euyn if he’s keeping any other secrets. He claims that he isn’t, but Mikail thinks Euyn is lying.

Aeri gets on Royo’s lap. He puts his hand inside her shirt, which she likes until he touches her necklace, which contains the Sands of Time. She stiffens up and stops kissing him, and Royo thinks he’s taken things too far. He cleans up their dinner bowls and pot, burying the leftovers far away from their camp. At first, he thinks that Aeri could never love someone like him. Then, he worries that her necklace is from a lover.

Tiyung thinks that his new cellmate, who is old enough to be his father, looks familiar and guesses that the man is a soldier. The man admits that he was in the king’s guard, and says he isn’t there to kill Tiyung. However, he doesn’t reveal the crime that got him imprisoned.

When their meals are delivered, Tiyung warns his cellmate that the food is filled with maggots. Instead, he gives the man some of the food that Zahara brought. The man says his name is Ailor, and Tiyung introduces himself.

Mikail, Euyn, and Sora arrive in Loptra and check into the inn. Sora goes to get clothes, and Euyn sets up traps in his room at the inn. Mikail goes to a messenger house and gets a coded letter from Zahara. It says that Tiyung is alive in prison. Mikail again thinks about why Tiyung is a better candidate for king than Euyn. A second coded letter from Zahara says that Daysum is dead.

Ailor doesn’t attempt to harm Tiyung while he sleeps. When Tiyung wakes up, he mentally compares Ailor’s looks with Mikail’s. Ailor mentions that Tiyung’s jeweled collar indicates that he is a count, and Tiyung admits that he is Seok’s son. Ailor doesn’t admit to being Mikail’s father, but he asks Tiyung if his food source can get a message out of the prison. Tiyung is worried that Zahara will never return, but Ailor offers hope that she will.

As Mikail sends out messages and buys provisions and horses, he wonders if he should tell Sora about Daysum’s death. Mikail feels sympathy for her, as he was forced to watch his family die in the Festival of Blood before he was adopted by Ailor. When Mikail gets to the dress shop where Sora is buying clothes, she smiles at him, and he can’t bring himself to tell her about Daysum.

Aeri regrets flinching when Royo touched her necklace, but she did it because she wasn’t sure how the relic would react to him because he does not have royal blood. The next night, they set up camp at the forest’s edge, and Aeri sees steam from hot springs to the northeast. She explains what hot springs are as they ride toward them.

Royo worries that the water is too hot, but Aeri undresses, except for her underwear, and gets in the water. Royo also takes off nearly all his clothes, but when Aeri jokes about him getting naked, he storms off. Aeri slips off the ledge she is standing on and falls into a deep part of the spring. She can’t swim, and the Sands of Time can’t save her. She hopes that Royo will save her, but he doesn’t. She loses consciousness.

Mikail visits Gambria, Fallador’s cousin, and her wife, Lyria. He asks about the Marnans, and Gambria guesses that there are about 10,000 of them, but since they live underground, no one is sure. Lyria, who is Marnan, goes outside. When Mikail asks about the Marnan burial grounds, Gambria says that looking for the exception to the Rule of Distance there is a deadly mission. She claims that Staraheli’s corpse is on display in a guarded mausoleum near a cave entrance. They talk about their former home, the kingdom of Gaya, and how it has changed since they have been away. Mikail thinks that Gambria is hiding something.

Royo looks back at the spring and can’t see Aeri. He calls out, and she doesn’t answer. He remembers that Aeri can’t swim and dives into the spring. He wonders what is lurking in the dark water and is willing to fight anything for Aeri. Eventually, he feels her arm and pulls her to the surface. He lays her on the ground, but she isn’t breathing. He remembers seeing someone doing rescue breathing and chest compressions, and he mimics what he saw.

Aeri regains consciousness and vomits out water. She is shocked that Royo was able to save her after she drowned. Aeri doesn’t want to get back in the water even though she is freezing from lying wet on the snow. Royo wraps her in clothes and blankets. Then, he makes a small fire in the cooking pot and has her hold it.

As Aerie warms up, Royo changes out of his wet clothes and cuts wood for a fire pit. Once it is burning, Aeri wraps the blankets around Royo and herself. Royo decides that it is a good place to set up camp and starts cooking. Aeri reveals a small cake that was in her dry clothes pocket and offers it to Royo for saving her life. He takes half, saying that she also saved his life. Internally, Royo thinks that his life truly began when he met Aeri.

Sora senses that Mikail is hiding something and notes the distance between Euyn and Mikail. She can’t process what Euyn told her; she has to focus on the mission. When they arrive at the mausoleum, she is wearing poisoned lipstick made from luminae, a plant that they found on the way. Sora doesn’t want to kill anyone but will do so to save Daysum.

Mikail throws Sora down in front of the mausoleum guards, pretending that she is his unfaithful wife and that he wants the Marnans to take her. Sora is surprised by Mikail’s force but plays the “damsel in distress.” When a guard gets close to her, she kisses him with her poisoned lipstick, and he chokes and collapses. From his hiding spot, Euyn shoots the other guards with arrows, killing them. When Euyn and Mikail aren’t watching, Sora gives the guard the antidote, thinking that he will remain unconscious long enough for them to complete their mission.

As they enter the mausoleum, Euyn and Mikail step into a trap. Sora barely escapes the net that comes up from the floor.

The next day, Royo and Aeri tie up their horses and hike to find the amarths’ nests. Aeri suggests that she go alone, thinking that she can’t use the Sands of Time to save Royo if things go awry. Aloud, she explains that he isn’t able to move silently like her. He reluctantly agrees to get her as close as possible to the nests and then stay out of the way.

As they look for the nests, Royo asks about Aeri’s necklace. She considers telling him the truth, but she understands that knowing about the magical relic is dangerous because King Joon will slaughter anyone to gain it. Instead, she says that it reminds her of her mother. Royo says that he doesn’t know how his mother died or if she was a Keeper. She was found dead in a canal, which was strange because she was a good swimmer. Aeri internally reflects on how her mother wasn’t as kind to her as Royo’s mother was to him. Aeri’s mother didn’t mourn when Aeri was supposedly dead. She tries to remember good times with her mother, but most of her memories are negative.

After a couple of hours, they find a dozen amarths sleeping in their nests. Aeri signals for Royo to stay behind and sneaks up to an egg that is not covered by an amarth. She uses the Sands of Time to freeze time and steal the egg. When she is safely away, she unfreezes time and runs.

Royo runs with her but isn’t as fast. When they get to the base of the mountain, they stop to catch their breath. As they begin running again, toward their horses, an amarth lands in front of them.