No one said anything for a while.
Fin turned the ring over in his hand, watching the sapphire catch the light. It had a strange shimmer to it—not just pretty, but alive somehow. Like it was watching him back. He slipped it onto his finger. It was a perfect fit, of course.
"Well," Deryn said after a beat, forcing a grin, "guess we're officially bonded for life now."
"Until we're not," Ephy said, voice flat.
Her smile faltered.
Fin glanced at them both. Something had shifted, and they all felt it—even if no one wanted to name it yet. They weren't going to be together forever. That was the truth. At some point, they'd be pulled in different directions. And when that time came, the rings might be the only thing left tying them together.
"We'll still find each other," Fin said, not quite sure if he was trying to convince them or himself.
Ephy didn't answer. He just got up and leaned against the wall, arms crossed, face unreadable as always.
Deryn broke the tension with a dramatic stretch. "Alright. I'm officially emotionally exhausted. And tired-tired. I'm calling it."
She left with a casual wave.
The door clicked shut behind her, and the room fell quiet again. Fin and Ephy sat in silence. For a minute, it was fine. Then it wasn't.
"You okay?" Fin asked.
Ephy didn't look at him. "I don't trust easy," he said. "But I trust you. And her."
Fin blinked. That… wasn't nothing.
"Thanks," he said softly.
"Don't make me regret it."
Then he left, too.
And just like that, Fin was alone again.
He looked around the room—his room, but somehow it didn't feel like it anymore. Not after everything that had happened. The air felt thick, like the walls were holding their breath.
The brands on his chest pulsed faintly. Opposite powers, same rhythm. He began to get lulled into sleep by the drums on his chest. He closed his eyes, leaned back in the chair, and let himself feel it—just for a second. But then a familiar voice resounded inside the room.
"My, oh my. You kids are breaking my hearts."
Fin shot upright, eyes scanning the room. His pulse spiked.
A man was lying on his bed, perfectly relaxed.
Before Fin could say a word, the man spoke again.
"Don't you recognize me? Ah, the youth. No respect for their elders. I could've sworn I made quite the first impression."
"…Walter?" Fin asked, his voice tight.
"Oh yes, dear. It's me." Walter beamed. "You remembering me fills my heart with joy."
He managed to recognize him not because of his face but because he was wearing the exact bright and excentric clothes as the day they first met
Fin didn't move. "How did you get here? When?"
Walter waved a hand. "Ah, when and how—boring questions. The real one is why."
Fin's stomach twisted.
"You see—I know you did not talked about it with your friends since it's a very unpleasant subject but the seeds of a war are growing."
"What do…" Fin tried to say but was interrupted
"Tatatata, let me finish" Walter cut him off with a wag of his finger. "Since your two friends are nobles they will be exempted from participating but you." he paused "You my friend will be sent to the front lines."
"First of all, I know you but I don't really. You are just a man that appeared before me the day of the Godfall. Hell I don't even know if you are real, I've been prone to hallucinations you know." Fin said questioning reality all together.
"I understand completely, I can't tell you who or what I am to this world but I can prove that I am real pretty easily." Walter said confidently
"And how would you do something like that." Fin argued
"Ah it is fairly simple you know…you just have to touch me—and you'll be sent into a nightmare if I am real and won't if I am not." Walter said with a smile
Fin gulped and didn't say anything.
"Hey chop chop, I am already pissing of a lot of people by being here."
Fin still didn't do anything, instead he just got stiffer
"Well I guess I will have to take things into my own hands, and by things I mean you."
With that Walter suddenly disappeared in gust of wind only to come back less than a fraction of second later behind Fin and grabbed his forearm.
"I just want to say that I don't know what you are going to see but I am sorry in advance."
And just like that Fin consciousness faded and reappeared inside of a nightmare.
Fin found himself wearing a suit — not purple this time, but deep blue. He stood on a small altar, hands clasped around a woman's. She was beautiful. Black hair, violet eyes, and a smile that could've lit a city. Her dress was woven from daisies — real ones, he thought — white petals flowing down her frame and trailing across the floor like a river of flowers.
He felt… happy. Not just content — elated. His chest swelled with warmth that wasn't his own. The emotions were too big, too loud. He realized quickly: he wasn't himself. He was in Walter. In his body, in his head, feeling what he had felt.
There were people everywhere. Two groups of them — one seated on his side, one on hers. Everyone dressed like royalty. Fin wanted to take in more details, figure out why he was here — but the body moved without him.
"I do," Walter's voice rang out, full of joy.
And then he kissed her. Long. Almost too long. Fin's cheeks flushed — his or Walter's, he wasn't sure — but he knew that Walter wanted the kiss to last forever.
Fin didn't know what to feel. Embarrassed? Touched? Violated? He didn't know if this counted as his first kiss or someone else's ghost.
But then — the sky turned red.
Not just red — bleeding.
Thick drops of blood poured from above, hitting the ground in heavy, wet thuds. The guests began to scream. They tried to run, but the moment the blood touched them, they collapsed. Twisting. Convulsing. Dying.
Walter — through Fin — threw himself over his bride, trying to shield her. It didn't matter. They both fell. The daisies soaked crimson, turned black.
Then, all the blood on the ground surged inward, pulling itself together like it was alive. And from the center of the gore, something rose.
It wasn't human.
It was tall — too tall — with crimson skin stretched tight over long limbs. Its face was smooth, except for the eyes: glowing pits of red. Horns spiraled from its skull like roots. No mouth. No voice.
It gathered the bodies of the guests in its arms like a bouquet and devoured them whole.
Then it walked toward the bride. Step by step.
Walter tried to move. Couldn't.
The thing reached out — but stopped. Rubbed its belly like it was full. Turned. Smiled without a mouth.
And walked away.
The sky turned blue again. The blood vanished. The air was still. He was now alone with his suit that had turned purple from the mix of blue and the red from the blood.
And Walter began to scream.
"I'LL KILL IT," he shrieked, slamming his head against the altar. "I SWEAR TO THE GODS, I'LL KILL IT—!"
Fin could feel it. The mind he was trapped inside was breaking. Shattered, splintering, screaming.
And then—
The nightmare was over.