Chapter 70

The protagonist receives a cryptic parchment lark and rusted key that lead her through hidden passages to a secluded cliff dwelling. There she finds Kaan waiting with a prepared meal, who offers her the space as a gift and tells her he will leave if she wishes—she chooses instead to be with him.

During aurora fall, instead of the usual carving and meal ritual, the protagonist discovers a half-folded parchment lark and a rusted key. After folding the activation line, the lark flies down stairs toward Slátra's hutch and into a shadowed tunnel. The protagonist uses the key to unlock doors along the way. As a storm approaches, the lark becomes waterlogged and struggles to fly, so the protagonist cups it in her hands and follows its nudging direction through the jungle. Initially fearful that this might be an ambush orchestrated to steal the Aether Stone, she presses on and discovers a dwelling carved into a cliff face—a hidden home. Inside, Kaan sits at a prepared stone table with colk and canit root stew. He tells the protagonist that he is gifting this place to her but does not expect to remain with it, offering to leave immediately if she wishes him gone. The protagonist's response is immediate and physical—she moves toward him before he finishes speaking, describing their connection as a collision between fire and ice that will eventually dissipate but that she welcomes.