Chapter 76

In a private sanctuary hollowed within a cliff, Kaan and the narrator share intimate moments of feasting, music, and love. Kaan presents her with his málmr necklace, which bears a scale from Ahra the Great Silver Sabersythe that he obtained from Gondragh after receiving a divine message about proving himself worthy of their love.

The narrator reflects on her life with Kaan in their hidden space within the hollowed cliff, describing it as a bubble separate from the outside world. Each cycle, they feast together, and Kaan plays music while she sings to him about The Shade and her fallen family. During an intimate moment, Kaan kneels before her and removes his necklace—a málmr—revealing that its pale half contains a scale from Ahra, the Great Silver Sabersythe. He explains that Ahra visited him in a dream, instructing him that he must secure one of her shed scales to prove himself deserving of their love and strong enough to face future challenges. Kaan successfully obtained the scale from Gondragh and survived the journey. The narrator now treasures the málmr, channeling her love into it even when apart from Kaan, and desperately prays to the Creators to keep him safe and alive, as the thought of losing him—given how much she has already lost—is overwhelming.