Dianna awakens in a Whitcliff hotel room beside Samkiel. She recalls that feeling his life slipping away gave her the strength to superheat herself and burn out Gathrriel like a virus.

Whitcliff is a hub for illegal trade where no one asks questions. Dianna is comforted by the return of her ring and their connection. As they discuss what happened, Dianna wonders if Gathrriel’s mate, Vvive, was violently taken from him.

Samkiel feels lost, as ancient texts have proven false. They pinky promise to trust in themselves. Dianna touches the bruise on Samkiel’s neck, noting his slow healing. He confesses that Gathrriel would have killed him and that he will always choose her over the world. She tells him that being a hero is overrated and mentions wanting peace and maybe a family.

Samkiel promises to give her anything. That night, Dianna dreams of Gathrriel telling her to find his broken palace and consume what remains of him to gain power against the gods. He reveals that other gods are alive who will target her as they did Vvive. Dianna wakes to see a raven on the windowsill before it vanishes.a

The next morning, Samkiel listens as Dianna recounts her dream but dismisses the idea of surviving gods. He tables discussion of Gathrriel’s palace to focus on immediate threats.

In Whitcliff, Dianna marvels at the city carved into cavern walls. She suddenly stops as if seeing something but recovers quickly. At a local eatery, they freeze upon seeing Miska. The child runs into Dianna’s arms, sobbing that her captors planned to sell her.

Her captors, Kaden and Isaiah, emerge from a back room. Dianna pushes Miska behind them as the brothers prepare to fight. Samkiel magically moves Miska outside, telling her to run and hide. Kaden tackles Samkiel, who observes that Kaden’s blood is black. Kaden is surprised to find that Samkiel, his power strengthened by his protectiveness of Dianna, can summon an Oblivion dagger even without his ring. Terrified, Kaden prepares to fight to protect Isaiah.

They battle fiercely. When Dianna rips out Isaiah’s piercing with her teeth, Samkiel uses the distraction to stab Kaden, who disintegrates into black particles. Isaiah charges in grief but dissolves into smoke. Confused, Samkiel turns to Dianna as her eyes widen. Their bond snaps, and she crumbles into ash. Samkiel’s grief unleashes a storm as a voice remarks on his temper. He turns to see a being wearing his face, shrouded in Oblivion: Death.

Enraged, Samkiel attacks Death, holding his Oblivion dagger to Death’s throat. Unfazed, Death calmly tells Samkiel that Diana, Kaden, and Isaiah are not truly dead. Death needs Kaden and Isaiah alive, and he will bring all three back only if Samkiel agrees to do as Death commands. Samkiel realizes that he has no choice and asks what Death wants. Death explains that a witch is carrying a medallion with the power to destroy the world. Death wants Samkiel, Dianna, Kaden, and Isaiah to work together to find the medallion. He suggests starting in the Otherworld. Samkiel reluctantly agrees, and Dianna, Kaden, and Isaiah return to life.

In their hotel room, Samkiel inspects Dianna for wounds, telling her that Death has tied her life to Kaden’s and Isaiah’s. Dianna sees Oblivion sparking on his shoulders and kisses him to calm his panic. The kiss escalates into desperate passion as he affirms that she is alive.

Afterward, Samkiel admits that Death was right to call him controllable through her. He confesses his belief that he is not meant to rule because he will always choose her over the world. Dianna reassures him that together they are strong enough.

Samkiel relays everything Death said. Dianna expresses skepticism about his motives. He explains that their first stop must be to see Killium for a new ring to contain his volatile Oblivion power.

Imogen is mentally present but unable to control her body after being captured. She stands as a forced sentinel aboard a warship, watching Milani speak with her brother Ennis. Nismera has sold Imogen to Milani, who commands the largest fleet in the realms.

Milani explains that Imogen is bait, but her true target is now Dianna. She taunts Imogen, claiming that they are sisters since Samkiel left them both.

Milani announces that she has a special gift from Nismera. Ennis hands her a dagger pulsing with magic to ensure that Samkiel will be hers forever. Trapped, Imogen fears for Samkiel’s safety. Her mind drifts to Isaiah, wishing he would find her again.

Samkiel and Dianna interrogate Kaden and Isaiah. Kaden dismisses Miska’s kidnapping as collateral damage. When Samkiel threatens torture, Dianna intuits that Nismera betrayed the brothers. Kaden confirms that she tried to forcibly take their blood, but his is tainted.

Dianna opens her mind, sharing her painful history with Kaden. Samkiel experiences her shame, her fractured relationship, and the deep hatred from his manipulation. In her mindscape, her inner beast seeks comfort from him. He vows to protect her.

Samkiel announces their trip to the Otherworld. Kaden offers his help in exchange for Isaiah’s freedom once the bond breaks. Samkiel refuses.

Outside, Dianna explains that she can feel Kaden and Isaiah through the bond. She reassures Samkiel that she feels only hatred for Kaden. Despite his jealousy, Samkiel accepts the situation while vowing to kill Kaden once the bond severs.

That evening, Dianna braids Miska’s hair. Miska recounts her ordeal, and Dianna struggles to control her rage upon hearing that Nismera struck her. She is surprised to learn that Kaden healed Miska, reinforcing her belief that he has changed.

Dianna explains the bond tying her to Kaden and Isaiah. Miska becomes distraught, begging not to be sent away. Dianna comforts her, promising that this is her home.

At Miska’s request, Dianna gets into bed with her and hums a lullaby from her own childhood. After Miska sleeps, Samkiel appears. He says Cameron and Reggie will stay with Miska, and he will arrange extra security. They share a loving exchange before he leaves.

The group arrives in a ghost town in the Otherworld. Samkiel leads them to a ruined brothel that housed his friend Killium’s base. They find a ransacked workshop where Samkiel grieves over dark ashes.

When Isaiah makes a callous remark, Samkiel attacks him, but Dianna and Kaden intervene, reminding Samkiel of the bond. Dianna notes that the ashes match Oblivion’s signature. Kaden reveals that Nismera used Samkiel’s old ring, but it dissolved. He then tells Dianna that Samkiel doesn’t need a ring to summon Oblivion because he is Oblivion. Hurt but sympathetic, Dianna tells Samkiel gently not to hide things from her again.

At their campsite, Isaiah’s voice invades Dianna’s mind. They realize the bond created a telepathic link between Dianna, Isaiah, and Kaden. Samkiel orders Kaden to shield himself from her thoughts. Kaden says he already did, satisfying Samkiel’s possessiveness. Kaden agrees to teach Isaiah to block the connection.

That night, Kaden reflects on Samkiel’s terrifying Oblivion power. Disturbed by sounds from Samkiel and Dianna’s tent, he walks away, and Isaiah joins him. They discuss entering the Otherworld, where gods are hated.

Isaiah touches Kaden’s shoulder and recoils, saying he is unnaturally cold. Kaden reveals that he no longer feels temperature, believing part of Death followed him back. He feels disconnected from everything except his love for Isaiah and Dianna, and his hatred for their father. He believes the bond is the only thing tethering him to existence.

He makes Isaiah promise to flee and live his own life afterward. Isaiah confesses that their exile centuries ago was his fault: His celestial lover betrayed him. He kept it secret, fearing abandonment. Kaden absolves him of guilt.

After Isaiah retires, Kaden stays awake all night, watched by a midnight bird, reflecting that seeking penance is a task he would rather avoid.

After hours of hiking toward the Otherworld, Dianna reflects on the journey. When she asks why they cannot teleport, Kaden explains that such methods would alert the Otherworld to Samkiel’s presence.

As they climb higher, mysterious voices lure Dianna toward a cliff edge. Samkiel breaks the spell. They reach what appears to be a beautiful bridge, but Kaden reveals it as an illusion. The enchanted forest melts away, revealing twisted trees and monstrous bugs that attack. Samkiel summons a shield of Oblivion that incinerates the creatures.

They approach the real bridge, a forbidding stone archway. As they prepare to cross, Isaiah suddenly snaps Samkiel’s neck from behind. When Dianna attacks Kaden in rage, he overpowers her, says it is the only way, and snaps her neck.

Dianna wakes in a memory-dream of lying with Samkiel. She then regains consciousness in a torch-lit catacomb. Kaden stands nearby. After attacking Kaden, Dianna meets Eryx, a prince of the Otherworld. He reveals that they are not yet in the Otherworld proper but in his own domain.

Eryx informs them that civil war erupted among the seven princes when Nismera took power, leaving only three survivors. Umemri now sits on the throne as king of the Otherworld. When Kaden explains that they came seeking a favor, Eryx says only the king can grant such requests. Dianna introduces herself and learns that Kaden gave one of Eryx’s wives to him long ago.

Kaden and Dianna realize their mission has become far more complicated.

Samkiel wakes with neck pain, bound by vines. Isaiah stands guard, having taken Samkiel’s rings to prevent him from summoning weapons. When Samkiel threatens him, Isaiah breaks his neck again to keep him unconscious.

After regaining consciousness, Samkiel summons Oblivion without his rings and breaks free. He fights Isaiah, who argues that entering the Otherworld would start multiple wars and doom them all, forcing them to fight both Nismera and the Otherworld simultaneously.

Samkiel insists that Dianna means everything to him. Isaiah challenges him about what kind of king he will be: one who rules over followers or a graveyard. Reluctantly, Samkiel agrees to wait but warns that if Dianna is not returned within an hour, he will end everything. Isaiah returns his rings, and Samkiel immediately contacts Dianna through their bond to monitor her safety.

Connected to Samkiel through their bond, Dianna watches Kaden bow to Eryx, who explains that Umemri seized the throne during the Otherworld’s civil war. Samkiel instructs her never to bow to anyone, as she is queen of her own realm, Rashearim.

Eryx elaborates on the civil war, naming the three surviving princes: himself, Aeron, and Morana. He alludes to a tragic history involving a god in love with an Ig’Morruthen. When Eryx claims that Samkiel beheaded Umemri’s wife, Dianna defends her husband, explaining that they only killed monsters that attacked first.

Eryx’s skeletal army escorts Kaden and Dianna to a massive cavern with a lava pit below. Umemri sits on the throne, a towering creature with tentacles. When ordered to kneel, Dianna refuses. The other princes watch as tension builds.

The princes escort Dianna and Kaden onto a platform above molten lava. Umemri again demands they kneel. Dianna refuses. Morana, an ethereal prince, hisses at the insult, while Aeron, a massive, orc-like prince, lounges nearby.

When Umemri reaches toward Dianna, Samkiel arrives with Isaiah and warns him not to touch her. Umemri accuses the gods of arrogance. As Umemri’s taunts enrage Samkiel, Dianna attempts to restrain him while the other princes prepare to fight.

Umemri reveals that he has made a treaty with Nismera and plans to rule forever. He claims not to fear Samkiel until Samkiel reveals his ability to summon oblivion without the ring. Visibly frightened, Umemri orders them to leave. Once expelled, Eryx appears and privately advises them to find Camilla, who now carries the medallion, likely in Goldpass. The group travels to the northern city.

While training, Xavier is summoned to a council meeting. Inside, he finds gods gathered around a magical map. Blayne, a council member, reveals holographic images showing Samkiel with Kaden and Isaiah, suggesting that Samkiel has become a traitor.

Xavier refuses to believe it. However, when shown more evidence, his certainty wavers. Blayne asks if Xavier notices anything different about Samkiel, but he sees nothing.

Blayne then reveals information about Cameron: Their first meeting was built on lies, and Cameron fabricated an injury to avoid the mission that resulted in Xavier’s sister’s death. Xavier later explains to Jaycee that he already knew Cameron was secretly involved with Elianna, who worked for Nismera.

Overwhelmed, Xavier breaks down. He explains to Jaycee that Cameron has been with Kaden the entire time, and he no longer understands how Samkiel and Cameron can stand to be near Kaden and Isaiah without killing them. He feels betrayed and abandoned.

Camilla, Vincent, and Elianna arrive in Goldpass. The wealthy city appears peaceful. While Elianna searches for a bathroom, Vincent explains that they are safe here because the city is close to The Eye, a rebel group that kills anyone from Nismera’s ranks.

Camilla asks Vincent about her magic. He admits he has been watching her sleep to ensure she is safe. She kisses him, but Elianna interrupts. As they stand in the courtyard, Elianna is suddenly impaled from behind. Dianna appears and rips out her heart, tossing it aside and joking that she always wondered whether Elianna had a heart.

Dianna confronts Camilla and Vincent, revealing that she knows about the medallion and intends to kill Vincent for betraying Samkiel. Camilla steps protectively in front of Vincent. Despite their former friendship, Camilla declares she will fight for Vincent because she must stand for someone.

Dianna attacks, but Camilla uses her magic to defend them. They flee with Dianna in pursuit. Vincent insists they split up so he can be a distraction. He professes his love for her, but Camilla refuses to leave him.

When Dianna catches up, Camilla fights back using powerful magic while Vincent summons weapons. The battle intensifies when Samkiel arrives, followed by Kaden and Isaiah. Camilla unleashes an intense burst of magical power that temporarily incapacitates them. As Camilla and Vincent attempt to escape, five massive warships appear in the sky. Nismera’s armada has arrived.

Dianna and Samkiel extract themselves from the rubble. They agree to split up from Kaden and Isaiah to search for Camilla and Vincent before slipping into the crowded streets. Winged soldiers drop from the ships, and one projects images of the fugitives. The crowd parts, exposing Dianna and Samkiel.

Dianna steps forward with raised hands. The commanding officer, Ennis, removes his helmet and greets Samkiel, showing off new metal arms. Ennis insults Dianna, angering both her and Samkiel. He announces that he will take Samkiel back alive, then charges.