Chapter 16

The protagonist and Kaan escape upward through the Citadel as Moltenmaw dragons and the Tri-Council's battalion close in from above. They discover Pyrok's brother Roan, a scholar imprisoned for his knowledge of the Book of Voyd, and learn that news of impending moonfalls has sent Bothaim's citizens to shelter within the arches, believing them protected. The group enters the High Treasury and the protagonist, drawn by the mysterious Fate Herder, discovers and steals the legendary Book of Voyd—an ancient, dangerous artifact that has killed or maddened those who have attempted to handle it.

The protagonist climbs the twisting staircase with Kaan close behind, resolved to protect him at any cost, echoing the mantra 'Keep him alive' in her mind. They emerge at a massive hole carved through the Citadel, where Pyrok stands with his brother Roan, a thin scholar bearing wounds from shackles and spectacles askew beside a spray of blood. Pyrok reveals they killed approximately eight Wardens and tossed them down the hole. Overhead, Moltenmaws circle in battle formation—the Tri-Council's battalion responding to news that Bothaim's populace believes the Citadel's arches are runed to protect against moonfalls. Kaan produces white robes scavenged from the dead guards. The group moves through ornate doors, where the protagonist confirms that the urns flanking them contain corpses. They enter the High Treasury, a vast white circular chamber with hundreds of duplicate doors and captured moonlight hanging from hooks—a place Essi had wished to explore. The protagonist notices a pair of doors marked with silver aurora-like etchings and sees a silver shimmer gathered before them. Drawn by the mysterious Fate Herder and the promise of something powerful to protect Kaan, she opens the doors and enters a domed obsidian chamber ringed with lethal runes—runes she inexplicably walks past while the others stand ashen. Inside, a small silver book manifests on a black plinth: the Book of Voyd, allegedly written by the God of Aether and the source of all documented runes. Roan confesses he was caught trying to read it and sentenced to death for announcing that the Citadel's protective runes match those within its pages. The protagonist decides to steal the book to spite both the Fate Herder and the corrupt Tri-Council. Roan warns that the book is deadly to touch bare-handed, having killed or driven mad previous attempts at retrieval. The protagonist strips cloth from her cloak, lifts the ice-cold book, and bundles it before Kaan urgently orders her to escape the chamber.