Death Lord investigation at Valdris Keep. Elena leads rescue of Aldric family. Fights necromancer servant showing physical corruption/decay. Necromancy distinguished from battle-magic through death wave. Dying necromancer reveals Death Lord soul is anchored to object beyond reach of swords.
Alexei history unfolds through memory and Victoria letter: three deaths in his past (FSB recruitment at seventeen, official termination, Prague extraction). Victoria letter warns him to identify the internal traitor who must be turned rather than killed.
Chen presents Harper with impossible choice: accept military advisors with operational control over Team Shimmer, or resign completely. Military leadership demands armed enforcement zones around all settlements. Harper consults with team.
The team travels to Frostspire Mountains following cult activity. They discover ritual instructions for weakening seals through blood sacrifice. Adeline has a direct mental contact with a Primordial that recognizes her twilight nature.
Aria wakes from her poisoned coma, rejoining Elena in leadership. Initially, Aria proposes to lead the strike team instead of Elena, but they compromise—both will go together.
A resurrected Alexei Volkov arrives at the compound, having been extracted and hidden by Victoria months before his supposed death in Moscow. His arrival triggers suspicion and paranoia, especially from Sage.
Mass territorial expansion by entity youth at Olympia settlement triggers armed civilian response. Two hundred entities move beyond boundaries. Seventy armed protestors gather demanding government enforcement.
Night ride back to Elendale after Millbrook encounter. Emergency Council session where Cordelia reveals seven seal locations. Vance challenges the team's credibility. Elowen reports cult activity at second village with sacrificial ritual plans. Team departs for Frostspire.
Elena undertakes a dangerous solo mission to harvest shadowbloom flowers in the Valdris Mountains to create an antidote for her mother's poison. She encounters an undead patrol and fights real combat for the first time, successfully protecting her team.
Nightshade inherits Wild Flowers leadership after Victoria death. Facing ninety-day Board ultimatum, she studies Victoria intelligence but identifies a fatal flaw in the exposure plan.
Sage documents accelerating ecosystem contamination across all twenty-eight settlements. Montana approaching irreversible tipping point in six months. Contamination spreading six times faster than projected.
Shadow corruption report triggers emergency Council session. Adeline investigates Millbrook village where Primordials speak through corrupted villagers. Vance introduced as military-minded opposition.
