The Songbird and the Heart of Stone

Mische and Asar grow increasingly exhausted as they continue their journey toward the Citadel. After reaching a gateway, Asar leads them into Morthryn; this deep in the Descent, it’s a shell of what it is near the surface, all crumbling walls and deteriorating furniture. When Mische can barely hold onto consciousness, Asar insists she needs to drink and offers her blood from his vein. Initially, Mische refuses: Though she needs blood to survive, she never consumes blood from a live source, whether human or vampire, as it would sever her last connection to her humanity. However, Asar insists that she will die without it. Reluctantly, Mische agrees to take 10 drinks. The act of drinking from Asar triggers a powerful surge of pleasure for both of them, awakening a strong sexual desire. Afterward, Mische offers to let Asar drink from her to regain strength, and he takes five drinks, simultaneously bringing her to sexual release. When the moment passes, Mische asks Asar to stay with her. Asar agrees, lying beside her, and the two fall asleep together.

Mische wakes up feeling overwhelmed with shame after giving in to her desire for Asar and feeding from him. She struggles with feelings of guilt, believing she has sinned and betrayed Atroxus. This inner turmoil affects her behavior, making her distant and detached, which confuses and disheartens Asar. They find proper clothing in Morthryn and continue their journey. Eventually, they enter the Sanctum of Secrets and press forward toward the Citadel.

After journeying for a while in silence, Asar, frustrated by Mische’s emotional distance, asks about their previous night. Mische doesn’t open up about her inner turmoil and instead attributes her behavior to exhaustion. When they reach the Citadel, they find it eerily empty, with no signs of life or activity. As they explore, they don’t get far before Ophelia reappears and forcefully drags Mische away.

Mische emerges in her chambers at the Citadel. She prepares for her binding ceremony to Atroxus, with her sister Saescha helping her get ready. However, Mische is uncertain whether this is a vision or a real experience, and she attempts to reach Saescha’s consciousness. Saescha appears to become lucid and embraces Mische, but the embrace soon turns suffocating as Saescha tries to crush her. Mische breaks free, and Saescha laments that Mische has failed her. Asar arrives, but Mische refuses to let him harm Saescha. They discover glyphs along the room’s walls, which Asar activates to open a doorway. Mische, Asar, and Luce pass through, finding themselves in a temple. In the center, they discover a marble box covered in divine markings, but it has been broken open and is empty.

Believing the relic has been stolen, Mische and Asar are uncertain of how to continue. Mische kneels at an altar to pray, and though Asar doesn’t believe in prayer, he kneels beside her to offer comfort. Mische begins crying and asks him how he helps wraiths pass to the Underworld. Asar reveals that the deeper the wraiths are, the harder it is to help them. He confesses that he has never succeeded with wraiths so deep.

Mische mourns her sister’s death, blaming herself. She believes Saescha had everything to offer, while she only had her light. Without it, she fears she’ll have nothing. Asar disagrees, telling her that her worth doesn’t come from Atroxus. He chose her because she already had value. Even without her light, Mische has much to offer, including Shadowborn magic, a kind heart, sharp wit, wisdom—and potentially, his love as well, if she’ll accept it. His words inspire Mische to finally embrace her desire for him. She asks him to show her what love should feel like.

Asar and Mische have sex at the altar. Afterward, Mische falls asleep, but her rest is interrupted when Atroxus visits her in a vision. He angrily chastises her, calling her foolish and impulsive for her actions. He is enraged by her affront. Mische awakens to find Atroxus standing before her in the flesh, realizing with shock that the visit was not a dream but a real confrontation.

Atroxus commands her to dress and explains that the blood spilled on the altar has thinned the veil between realms, allowing him to cross into the mortal world. Atroxus is disgusted with Mische and filled with hatred. Mische questions Atroxus about her sister Saescha’s fate, asking how he could allow her to be trapped in the wraith form. This question reveals a horrible truth: Atroxus doesn’t even remember Saescha’s name. Angered that she’d suggest he’s responsible for Saescha’s fate, Atroxus forces Mische to relive a deeply repressed memory—the moment after Malach turned her and left her for dead. That night, when Mische tried to stumble home, Saescha found her in the streets. However, Mische, consumed by ravenous hunger, attacked and killed her sister.

Atroxus orders Mische to complete her task. When she asks what will happen to the Sanctums afterward, Atroxus dismisses the Sanctums as places of suffering and believes the world will be better off without them. Mische, however, argues that not all of it was bad, as Alarus fueled it with his love. Atroxus counters that Alarus’s love was not as pure as it appeared, having been tainted by his many mortal lovers before Nyaxia.

Atroxus directs Mische to look beneath the surface of the Sanctum of Secrets for a hidden relic. Before he leaves, Mische asks Atroxus for two things: to help her sister and to spare Asar’s life. Atroxus agrees to both, promising to give Saescha the mortal life she should have had and spare Asar if Mische completes her task.

Mische wakes up in a different part of the temple, disoriented, and reunites with Luce and Asar, who also ended up in different areas. Mische asks Asar if he saw something, and he claims it was Malach, though Mische senses he’s lying. They discover they are now beneath the floor where they originally were. They descend further and find an unmarked tomb with a phoenix carved on its door. Mische draws upon Atroxus’s power to open the door.

In the chamber, they experience another of Alarus’s memories. In it, Alarus reveals that he hid a golden arrow—the weapon capable of destroying a god—in the Sanctum of Secrets, a weapon originally intended for Nyaxia’s heart. Alarus hoped it would never be found. Mische and Asar claim the golden arrow, and Mische knows this is the weapon Atroxus wants her to use to kill Alarus.

Mische and Asar journey toward the Sanctum of Souls, and during their travels, they discuss the love story of Alarus and Nyaxia. Mische expresses her desire to believe that Alarus truly loved Nyaxia and never intended to use the golden arrow as a weapon. However, Asar plays the role of the realist, pointing out that Alarus still kept the weapon, suggesting that people often hurt those they love. Mische refuses to believe that hurting loved ones is inevitable. She longs to believe in a world where, sometimes, people are happy together for their entire lives—a world where things just work out. Later, as they rest for the night, Asar asks Mische if she has any regrets. While Mische admits that she has many in her life, she assures Asar that one thing she will never regret is him.

The sexual tension between Asar and Mische continues to build, but Mische resists giving in again, even though she does not regret their previous encounter. She remains aware that Atroxus is closely watching her, and if she continues to provoke him, he could renege on his promise to spare Asar. Along their journey, Asar becomes more insistent about training her magic. Mische starts to sense desperation in his tone and grows suspicious. Asar justifies his forcefulness by explaining that the journey has worn him down and that he will need Mische’s extra strength to successfully complete the resurrection ritual.

They eventually reach the doorway to the Sanctum of Souls, situated in the center of a field of poppies. Before entering the Sanctum, Asar asks Mische to sit with him in the poppy field, where they share a quiet, intimate moment. Asar asks Mische what sunlight feels like. When Mische describes it, Asar relates it to the joy and hope that music brings him. Asar notes that when Mische came to Obitraes, she came to preach the light to vampires. He thanks her, telling her that she has shown him the light and succeeded in her mission. Mische doesn’t like this conversation, as it feels like a goodbye. In return, she tells him she thinks he’ll make an incredible king and will make the world better. They kiss, rise, and pass through the doorway to the final Sanctum.