Grey leads Kier to the fortress, using the Isle’s abundant power to heal his injuries. Kier notes the intensity of the power trying to enter him. They find the fortress perfectly preserved, untouched by its years underwater. The Isle is surrounded by thick fog that Grey believes is a temporary shield against the inevitable invaders that will seek entry. Kier casts an additional shield over the fortress, an act that costs him no energy. From the turret roof, Kier describes the power as feeling like Grey herself. He apologizes for forcing her to reclaim Locke. Grey insists that she will always come for him.

She tries to tell Kier the truth about his death but cannot bring herself to admit what happened to him. Instead, she reveals only that their binding has made him a Locke, which is why their enemies hunted him. Kier reaffirms his devotion to Grey, and they decide to deal with the bodies of the dead—both the residents of Locke and the invaders. They agree to burn the Eprain soldiers’ bodies, per their tradition. Kier gathers linen sheets to wrap the dead, and they head toward the great hall in Osar, where Grey’s family died. At the door, Kier supports her as she prepares to enter.

Inside the hall, the bodies are perfectly preserved, as if time has stopped. Grey realizes that most died not from battle but from the magical shockwave that she unleashed when she submerged the Isle. Overwhelmed with guilt, she collapses. Kier begins carrying bodies outside without judgment. They work for hours, separating the dead into two pyres. Kier observes that time does not seem to be passing normally. When Grey finds her grandmother’s body, she flees. Kier comforts her on the cliffs.

Later, Kier tells Grey that he has found the bodies of her parents. She discovers Alma and Isaak entwined together near Retarik’s tomb, surrounded by bodies that have been impaled by the thorny vines of Isaak’s final defensive act. Grey breaks down and sobs, and Kier holds her. She wraps her parents’ bodies in linen, first collecting her mother’s jewelry and her father’s sword. In the basement, they find only ash and bone fragments of Severin. To take care of the bodies, they ignite funeral pyres with mageflame, then transport the remains of her parents, grandmother, and Severin to the Ghostwood, where they dig a grave. As they lower the shrouded bodies, Grey reflects that she would be burying Kier as well if she had accepted Kitalma’s first offer. She considers telling him the truth but once again remains silent.

At the fortress, Grey bathes and feels peace, as if the Isle is relieved that its dead are buried. Kier builds a fire while Grey makes porridge. As they eat, Kier offers to leave if she wants, but Grey declines, knowing that leaving the Isle could kill him. She explains that on Locke, she is a conduit for limitless power, which is why the sovereign traditionally marries a mage. As time passes, they practice with the power and ward certain rooms for themselves. 

Grey admits that she wants peace. Kier promises to get her whatever she wants. She considers telling him about Kitalma’s choice, but she realizes that if she were to give him the option, Kier would sacrifice his own freedom so that she could keep her power. She debates the merits of telling him versus keeping silent, and she begins to consider sacrificing her power without consulting Kier on the matter at all.

After several days of preparation, Grey wakes to realize that the goddess’s timeless fog over the island has lifted. Kier has spotted approaching ships and is dressing for war. They share an intimate moment before their allies arrive. Grey dresses in her mother’s armor-like clothing and puts on the Locke signet ring.

At Maerin harbor, they greet their allied forces, including Commander Reggin, Commander Dainridge, and ambassadors Ikaaron and Yearna. Grey officially names Kier as Commander Seward. In the war room, they learn that only two days have passed in the outside world. When a Scaelan master addresses Grey by her first name, Kier publicly corrects him, insisting that she be called Locke. Ikaaron delivers an ultimatum from Epras and Luthos: Grey must marry a suitor of their choosing within three days or face an attack. Grey refuses.

From the tower, Grey surveys the Isle, which is now bustling with allied forces. She and Kier reunite with Leonie, who has arrived to run medical operations. After the evening meeting, Scaelas speaks with Grey alone and chastises her for recklessness. He reveals he was once Isaak’s Hand, before Isaak married Alma; Scaelas is also a well, and he tells Grey that losing her would be like experiencing her father’s death all over again. Later, Kier comforts Grey as the two lie in bed.

An attendant from the allied nation of Cleoc gifts of clothing and silver armor from Sela. That evening, Grey works in her mother’s warded office, persisting even though Kier tells her to rest. An hour later, Leonie arrives with wine, sent by Kier to check on her. Leonie reveals that she has known of Grey’s true identity as Locke for a year.

Needing a confidant, Grey admits to Leonie that Kier died; she then explains the choices that the goddess offered her. She explains that because she has rejected the option to let Kier stay dead, she can either keep her power and trap Kier on the Isle forever, or surrender her power so that he can have his freedom. Grey tearfully confesses that she has decided to give up her power because Kier has already sacrificed everything for her.

She looks up and sees a furious Kier in the doorway; he has overheard. He severs their magical and emotional tether, cutting her off from his feelings, and asks Leonie to leave. Alone with Grey, Kier confronts her, incensed that she did not tell him of his death. He orders her not to give up her power and accuses her of making a unilateral choice. When Grey says that her decision is motivated by love, he challenges her pattern of framing self-sacrifice as love, then leaves the room.