The Throne of Broken Gods

Kaden surveys the molten iron gathered in the Halls of Yejedin, proud of his progress. Tobias mocks him for visiting Dianna, warning that she will soon surpass him in power. Kaden counters that Dianna’s capture by Samkiel serves his plan, distracting their enemies while he amasses resources.

In a separate chamber, Kaden uses a black pool to commune with a mysterious being he calls “my king.” The voice chastises him for turning Dianna into an Ig’Morruthen and for caring about her, reminding him that the ritual to unseal the realms will kill her. Kaden pleads to modify the spell so that it will take only part of her essence. The voice reluctantly agrees, provided Kaden succeeds in opening the realms. When Kaden admits that Santiago is dead, the voice demands that he bring Camilla as a replacement “spellcaster.”

Left alone, Kaden recalls the early days of Dianna’s turning, when she became powerful faster than expected. Under his command, she killed for the first time, and they shared a passionate moment. Later, Alistair and Tobias scolded him for his attachment, warning that it would jeopardize their mission.

Back in the present, Kaden confides to a shadowed figure that he remembers the moment he “broke” Dianna: She found him with another, and he coldly told Dianna that she was only a weapon. He recounts how her kindness vanished after that day. As he leaves, he pats the shoulder of the figure (now revealed to be Azrael, the celestial of death) and vows to make Dianna love him again.

Vincent wakes Logan, urging him to act before Dianna becomes a greater threat. He believes that Dianna must die. Logan refuses, arguing that Gabby’s death shattered Dianna but that her core remains good. He compares her pain to losing an amata. Their argument ends abruptly when shadowed creatures fill the doorway, and both collapse.

Dianna lounges in her cell, watching Xavier and Cameron toss snacks into each other’s mouths. She teases them about their obvious affection until Dream Eaters (creatures, also known as Baku, who can create or dispel nightmares) appear behind them and pull the celestials into sleep. Roccurem arrives, and Dianna insists that it is too late since the map is gone. Roccurem counters that it is not.

Dianna goes to Samkiel’s room, where the Baku keep him trapped in dreams. As she searches for the ring that holds her forsaken blade, she finds a strip of photos of her and Samkiel together. The memory brings tears. Garleglish, leader of the Baku, comments that Samkiel still dreams of her. Grief overtakes her as she kisses Samkiel softly before retrieving her ring from the bedside table.

Samkiel dreams, aware that something forces him to remain asleep. He hears Dianna’s voice and wakes slightly. Roccurem’s six eyes appear, and the prophet speaks directly to Samkiel’s mind. Roccurem insists that Dianna is not a monster, only “broken.” He admits that he and the Baku are restraining Samkiel so that Dianna can choose her destiny.

Samkiel rages against the manipulation, but Roccurem urges him to wield his love for Dianna as strength. Samkiel does, breaking free from the dream and blasting through the building, but Dianna is already gone. He frees Logan and Vincent from the Baku and then helps Cameron awaken Xavier. The group realizes that Dianna escaped and that Roccurem allowed the Baku inside.

Vincent convinces Samkiel to attend the Celebration of the Fall (of Rashearim), including the masquerade ball that evening. Samkiel scolds Logan for searching for Neverra but soon admits his own turmoil. He confesses that Dianna made him feel human for the first time in his immortal life, yet her loss has left him hollow. Logan tells him that love is not weakness and that rulers need hearts as much as strength. He reminds Samkiel that he gives others hope and that saving Dianna will be no different.

Logan questions why Vincent insists that they attend the masquerade but agrees that it will reassure mortals. During the event, a guest complains about sinkholes. Suspicious, Logan sneaks away to investigate. He discovers corpses moving crates of iron deep underground. The sight chills him. As he turns to leave, Dianna ambushes him and feeds from his neck.

Dianna demands to know why Logan is in the cave. He admits that he is searching for Neverra, defying Samkiel’s orders. A grinding noise then fills the air, and Dianna identifies it as a summoning beacon. Tobias (one of the Kings of Yejedin) emerges from a portal, followed by several monsters. Dianna throws Logan against a wall to protect him as a massive creature sniffs for life. She shields them both in darkness.

When Logan realizes that she plans to enter the portal, he tries to stop her. Dianna admits that she intends to destroy Kaden, expecting that it will kill her. Logan accuses her of selfishness, saying she does not realize how her loss would impact Samkiel, and insists on accompanying her. Reluctantly, she agrees.

Dianna and Logan arrive in Yejedin, where Logan’s celestial blood glows blue beneath his skin. Dianna tries to abandon him, but he refuses. They argue, and she shoves him into a river. As they infiltrate the castle, Logan explains the legend of soul ties and the Mark of Dhihsin; the mark’s appearance formalizes one’s bond with a soulmate. It disappears when one member of the couple dies, which typically kills the other, as well. Logan challenges Dianna’s emotional detachment, calling her strong but deeply afraid. He asks if she ever imagined a future with Samkiel, but she refuses to answer. They sneak through sewers, kill a sentry golem, and reach a balcony overlooking winged creatures stirring molten metal for weapons. Dianna orders Logan to find Neverra, giving him a stone that will allow him to create a rift and return home.

After he leaves, Dianna recalls her promise to protect Gabby and releases her power, turning into her wyvern form. Thunder cracks as she annihilates the factory and everything within.

Logan runs through collapsing halls as Dianna’s fury shakes the ground. He finds Neverra chained and frees her. Weakened from healing her, he carries her to safety while Dianna’s screams echo through Yejedin.

Above the burning city, Dianna destroys every building in sight. As she nears the citadel, another wyvern—Tobias—attacks. Tobias drags her to the ground, and both shift to human form. Tobias mocks her wounds, telling her that they can only die or be mortally wounded in their true forms. Dianna draws her blade and attacks.

Tobias ridicules Dianna’s weakness and claims that no one ever loved her. She lures him toward explosive chemicals, letting them detonate when he grabs her. Wounded and bleeding, she fights back, demanding to know Kaden’s plan. Tobias sneers that Gabby was never Dianna’s blood sister. Before he can strike again, Logan and Neverra intervene. Furious, Tobias transforms into his Ig’Morruthen shape.

Tobias summons the dead to fight for him. Logan and Neverra realize that Dianna’s wounds are not healing and that her strength is fading. They urge her to call for Samkiel, but she refuses. Neverra insists that Dianna cannot fight alone.

Neverra’s plea echoes words that Gabby once said to her, piercing Dianna’s rage. Remembering a lesson with Samkiel that every creature has a weakness, she studies Tobias until she finds it. She taunts him, baiting him into lunging.

Tobias swallows Dianna whole and then turns on Logan and Neverra, who vow to face death together. However, Tobias then convulses, and Dianna erupts from within him, burning his body from the inside out. A new cry splits the sky as Kaden arrives. Dianna orders Logan and Neverra to flee, but they refuse. Softly apologizing, she agrees to leave with them.

Samkiel dreams of his father, Unir, who warns him that Dianna is too powerful and that he has ignored divine signs. When Unir stabs him, Samkiel wakes, gasping. He hears Logan’s voice begging forgiveness but finds Logan gone.

Rushing to the guild hall, he discovers Vincent with Roccurem. Enraged to see Roccurem, Samkiel accuses him of treason. Roccurem replies that he no longer serves Samkiel but Dianna. As Samkiel’s power flares, Roccurem insists that neither of them can control Dianna’s choices. Before Samkiel can strike, a vortex opens. Logan and Neverra emerge, followed by Dianna, unconscious and bleeding. Samkiel catches Dianna as the portal closes, glimpsing Kaden’s red eyes on the other side. Dianna whispers that she had nowhere else to go before fainting.

Logan and Neverra reunite with The Hand. The others rejoice at Neverra’s survival. Samkiel, uncharacteristically emotional, hugs both of them. They recount what happened in Yejedin: Dianna killed a King of Yejedin, destroyed a weapon forge, and unleashed chaos. Neverra shares how Kaden captured her and Gabby and how Dianna’s scream shook Yejedin when Dianna lost Gabby. They reveal that Kaden is building an army larger than the combined forces of all of Onuna.

Neverra warns that Kaden still needs Dianna. Samkiel resolves to take everyone back to the Council of Hadrameil. When Neverra asks about Dianna, Samkiel says that she remains asleep. Neverra then reveals that she carries a message for Dianna from Gabby.

Samkiel reflects on catching Dianna as she fell from the portal. Roccurem visits, claiming that he still works to help them both. Samkiel demands to know why Dianna has not woken after a week. Roccurem assures him that she is exhausted from overusing her power but will recover. He urges Samkiel to keep Dianna in Rashearim for her safety.

When Roccurem asks about Samkiel’s dreams, Samkiel refuses to share them with anyone and does not describe them now beyond saying that they involve his own death. Jealousy stirs when Roccurem speaks fondly of Dianna. After Roccurem leaves, Samkiel remembers Logan’s advice: to be honest about his feelings. Sitting beside her bed, he begs the unconscious Dianna to wake.