Chapter 38

After nearly drowning in the river, the protagonist is rescued by two warriors from the Boltanic Plains who speak an unfamiliar language. Before they can take her anywhere, the legendary Fate Herder—a massive, shape-shifting feline creature—appears and physically herds her toward the warriors, forcing her to accompany them up a cliff path despite her resistance.

The protagonist regains consciousness clinging to a log in a rushing river within a gorge still in The Burn region. She drifts until snagging on debris, where two large male warriors from the Boltanic Plains spot her. When she attempts to swim, she nearly drowns but is rescued and dragged to shore by one of the males. She notices his bird tattoo marking him as a Boltanic warrior, the same clan Kaan belongs to. The warriors attempt to communicate with her in their unfamiliar language, examining her iron cuff and her long hair, seemingly discussing how to move her elsewhere. When she tries to escape back into the river, a massive metallic creature materializes on the opposite cliff face—the Fate Herder, a legendary beast rarely seen in physical form. The creature leaps across the river and positions itself between the protagonist and escape, forcing her toward the warriors. Despite her resistance and attempts to flee in different directions, the Fate Herder physically nudges and herds her, growling and charging at her whenever she tries to leave. The two warriors watch with reverence, treating the creature's presence with wonder. Resigned to her fate and focused on eventually reaching Rekk Zharos to kill him, the protagonist reluctantly follows the warriors up a stone staircase cut into the cliff, pursued by the Fate Herder's padding footsteps.