Elara runs through Sol’s streets, her illusion faltering when she nearly hits a spice cart. In an alley, she cuts her bindings with a hidden dagger and strips off her blood-stained dress.

Soldiers surround her in a square. A scarred soldier ignores warnings that harming her violates General Leonardo’s orders and drags her into an alley. When he assaults her, Elara unleashes nightmare illusions showing each guard their deepest fears, with the illusions becoming physically immersive. The scarred soldier collapses in terror.

Leonardo arrives with reinforcements, finding his men incapacitated. When Elara’s magick depletes, she collapses. Leonardo binds her with shadowsbane-soaked rope to suppress her magick. As she’s led away, an elderly woman asks her identity. Elara replies with a smile that she is just an “entitled bitch,” echoing the soldiers’ insults (13).

Elara is brought to the Palace of Light. In the throne room, she deliberately avoids looking at the king. King Idris D’Oro, an aging man with empty golden eyes, addresses her as Princess Elara. She corrects him that she is now queen, confirming her family was murdered. Beside Idris sits his devastatingly handsome son, Prince Lorenzo “Enzo” D’Oro, the Lion of Helios.

Idris offers measured condolences for her parents’ murder, revealing that all monarchs learned of the attack and a prophecy concerning Elara and Ariete, King of Stars, from their patron deity Leyon. Elara threatens that Ariete will hunt Idris for harboring her.

Idris reveals his purpose: He wants to kill Ariete, and Elara will be his weapon.

Elara is stunned by Idris’s plan to murder a Star. He explains that killing Ariete will cause the other Stars to fall, freeing monarchs from divine servitude. Despite hating Ariete for killing her parents, Elara refuses, fearing death by divinitas—a form of divine execution in which starlight annihilates both body and soul completely.

Idris argues that she has no choice. She cannot return while Ariete hunts her. He offers luxurious quarters and promises to train her as the weapon needed to kill a Star.

When Elara asks how they’ll hide her Asterian features, Idris summons Merissa, who will glamour her appearance. He reveals he knows Elara possesses “the Three,” a combination of all three Asterian powers—a rare occurrence in any kingdom. Prince Lorenzo’s reaction suggests he may be the source of Idris’s knowledge about her powers.

Though Elara verbally refuses, exhaustion overwhelms her. Idris announces that Prince Lorenzo will oversee her training. They exchange hostile glares before she’s escorted out.

Leonardo leaves Elara with Merissa at ornate quarters with a spacious balcony. Merissa nervously explains her role. Elara softens, realizing the glamourer isn’t her enemy.

In the bathroom, jasmine scent reminds Elara of home. She insists on being called by name and keeps her dagger close while bathing. Merissa notices the dragon tattoo—the Bellereve sigil—on Elara’s spine. They discuss The Nightwolf and the Silver, a shared mythological tale told differently in Asteria and Helios, each kingdom casting itself as the righteous figure, discovering their kingdoms tell opposing versions of the tale.

Alone, Elara uses her mental box technique to suppress panic and grief. Merissa returns and uses glamour to transform Elara to appear Helion. She reveals she’s from Aphrodea. The glamour fools others, but Elara still sees her true reflection.

Dismayed by the revealing Helion clothing, Elara dresses reluctantly. The glamour cannot hide her haunted eyes. Merissa escorts her to dinner to test the disguise.

Elara arrives at the banquet hall. She observes King Idris, Leonardo, and Prince Lorenzo at the high table, with a woman on Lorenzo’s lap. When Lorenzo sees Elara, he pushes the woman away. Idris seats Elara beside his son.

Enzo and Elara trade hostile barbs. Leonardo laughs at her calling Lorenzo a wicked rake. Enzo, calling Elara “darkwitch,” reveals he also possesses his kingdom’s Three powers, making him qualified to train her.

He demonstrates Light and fire, then reveals his third power: a seer gift allowing him to detect lies, see through glamours, and perceive souls. He tells Elara he sees shadows around her and vows to uncover her secrets, threatening to kill her if she endangers Helios.

Elara counters with her own threat. She eats in silence while Enzo allows the woman to drape over him, though his eyes remain on Elara despite his performative flirtation with the other woman. Unsettled, she asks Leonardo to escort her out. Enzo grabs her wrist, declaring training begins tomorrow.

That night, Elara dreamwalks and sees herself in a dream for the first time—an anomaly for a dreamwalker. She wakes panicked and reads The Mythas of Celestia to calm herself. A memory surfaces of Sofia, her best friend, encouraging her to sneak beyond the palace walls.

The next morning, Prince Lorenzo leads Elara on a long, silent hike through hot, dry forest. When Elara stops to rest and eat gildberries, taunting him, he storms ahead. They reach a peaceful grove.

Enzo’s insult triggers Elara’s anger. She conjures a nightmare illusion, but he destroys it with Light. Enraged, he attacks, suspending her against a tree with Light around her throat. He accuses her parents of murdering his mother, claiming this sparked the War on Darkness. Enzo calls her weak when her shadows fail to protect her.

Elara unconsciously summons a tangible illusion that physically wounds Enzo’s arm. When he begs her to stop, she relents. Enzo declares he’s done training her, saying Idris can return her to Ariete.

In her room, Elara breaks down crying. Merissa offers comfort, reminding her she’s a queen, and invites Elara to visit the kitchens if she needs a friend.

The next morning, Elara overhears Prince Lorenzo arguing with King Idris. Enzo refuses to continue training, but Idris forces compliance by threatening treason charges. Idris coldly states that if Elara kills Enzo during training, it proves she has the power to kill a Star.

Enzo leads Elara to the Angel’s Graveyard, a training location where massive, winged statues overlook red sand. Grudgingly, he questions her about her Three powers.

When Elara explains her powers, Lorenzo uses seer magick to probe her mind, sensing her mental box. Elara draws her dagger, forcing retreat. She admits she cannot wield shadows but successfully lies about not knowing why.

Enzo decides they must unblock her shadows through combat. He removes his shirt, revealing a winged lion tattoo. During sword training, he repeatedly disarms her. Frustrated, Elara breaks his rule against using magick, disarming him and holding her blade to his throat. After a tense moment, she relents. Enzo declares he must take her to Isra, an oracle, and instructs her to practice.

Elara visits Merissa in the kitchens, giving her wildflowers as thanks. When Elara complains about Enzo, Merissa advises her to trust him, insisting he always keeps his word. Merissa shows Elara the palace bathhouse with beautiful pools and a constellation ceiling.

While floating in the pools, a memory surfaces of being in the Still Sea with Sofia the night before her birthday. On her balcony that night, Elara unsuccessfully attempts to summon shadows.

In the gardens below, she observes Enzo and Leonardo sparring shirtless. She witnesses Enzo’s complete control as he defeats Leonardo with fire without singeing his clothes.

Remembering Merissa’s advice, Elara begins believing that Enzo can help her master magick. After Leonardo leaves, she continues watching, admitting Enzo is devastatingly handsome despite her hatred.

Enzo senses her watching and sends a searching ray of Light. She touches it, feeling warmth. After he leaves, a tiny wisp of shadow appears where the light had been—her first successful manifestation of shadowmancing.

That night, Elara secures her tether—a midnight-blue cord anchoring her to the waking world—and enters the Dreamlands. She selects a sandalwood-scented dream belonging to Leonardo.

In the dream, 10-year-old Leonardo breaks into young Enzo’s bedroom to rob him. Enzo fights back with Light and fire. Leonardo counters with lightning. Enzo uses seer power to discover that Leonardo needs money for a healer for his dying mother in Apollo Row’s slums.

Impressed, Enzo offers his mother a job as palace gardener and makes Leonardo his training partner. The dream shifts, and adult Leonardo realizes Elara witnessed his memory. He pleads with her not to reveal his secret, as attempting to kill the prince is an act of treason punishable by death.

Elara promises to keep his secret. Leonardo explains that he owes Enzo his life, saying that for those Enzo loves, he would set the world on fire. Elara grasps her tether and returns.

The next morning, Leonardo greets Elara, giving her peaches from his mother’s garden as thanks for keeping his secret. Merissa appears, flustered by Leonardo’s presence, revealing mutual attraction.

Enzo teases Elara about watching him train. He gives her a cloak as they venture into Sol’s bazaar, where he buys her bread. When Enzo reveals they’re visiting Isra, Elara refuses, fearing another prophecy. Enzo forcibly carries her through the city over his shoulder.

They arrive, and a boy named Rico greets them. Enzo gives the password “Three of Swords.” Inside, Isra, a beautiful half-Svetan seer, awaits. When Elara hesitates, Enzo uses a royal order to force the reading.

Isra’s icy magick probes Elara’s mind, finding her mental box and prying open a traumatic childhood memory. A mysterious, silver, cold power within Elara attacks Isra’s magick. A magical ice storm erupts. Two small shadow wisps emerge from Elara’s hands but dissipate. Enzo protects Elara with fire.

When the storm subsides, Isra reveals she saw why Elara’s shadows are blocked but insists Elara must tell Enzo herself. She describes the silver power as feeling like the dead. She shares a vision: When Enzo’s light combines with Elara’s power, their flames turn black, and a Star dies. As Elara leaves, Isra reveals Elara’s original prophecy: “You will fall in love with the King of Stars, and it will kill you both” (95).

Outside, Enzo confronts Elara for lying. She retorts that he forced both her and Isra, then mounts a horse and rides away. Enzo catches her and swings onto the horse, seating himself behind her.

He pulls her body against his as they ride up a hill toward a cliff overlooking the ocean. Enzo gallops toward the edge, threatening to ride them both off unless she reveals the truth about her fear of Light. At the last second, Elara screams her answer. Enzo halts at the edge.

Elara confesses: When she was seven years old, a Helion soldier broke into her room and forced Light magick down her throat, suffocating her from within, attempting to “cleanse” her (101). Her shadows tried to protect her but were overwhelmed. Sofia intervened until Elara’s father killed the soldier. The trauma sealed her shadows permanently. Her injuries took months to heal, and it took her a year to speak again.

Enzo, visibly shaken, apologizes. Elara rejects his pity. They ride back in complete silence.

Enzo replaces cruelty with brooding silence following her revelation about her childhood trauma. He refrains from using Light and focuses on combat drills and refining her illusions. She develops a routine: training, bathing, visiting Merissa, and dreamwalking at night. She develops friendly rapport with Leonardo, who brings her fruit each morning.

One night, Elara has a nightmare that is a vivid memory of her birthday ball. Ariete appears, murders her parents with starlight blades, and unleashes power on the guests. The starlight disintegrates everyone except Elara, shocking Ariete before Elara flees.

She wakes and goes to her balcony to practice illusions. She creates a miniature winged lion and throws the illusion across the garden. When it lands on the opposite balcony, Enzo emerges and spots her.

Using Light to write messages, Enzo teases her, then turns serious. He proposes they try to unblock her shadows again and writes a final encouraging message: “Fear is just a monster […] And monsters can be slain (106).

The next morning, Elara tells Enzo she’s ready. He takes her to the royal gardens to demonstrate how Light is used for creation. He introduces her to Kalinda, Leonardo’s mother and palace gardener, using the alias “Nova” for Elara. Kalinda gives Elara a peach. When Elara reveals Leonardo brings her peaches daily, Enzo is surprised. She explains she kept Leonardo’s secret after dreamwalking his past, which shifts how Enzo views her.

As a test, Enzo uses Light to grow forget-me-nots, giving them to Elara. She touches them without fear, feeling only warmth. She presses the flowers into her copy of The Mythas of Celestia.

Enzo later tours her through Sol, helping her grow comfortable with Light. She observes that citizens adore rather than fear him. Their training improves because Enzo has stopped speaking coldly.

Another nightmare surfaces: a memory of younger Lukas berating Elara for her inability to use shadows. Sofia later comforts her and teaches her the mental box technique.

Elara wakes and goes to her balcony, suppressing feelings into the box. She sees Enzo waiting on his balcony, as if he knew she would appear. They share a silent, determined nod. Elara resolves that tonight, she will finally free her shadows.