Wings of Starlight

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of graphic depictions of violence.

Clarion wakes after accidentally falling asleep at her writing desk and is escorted to the studio of the royal seamstress, Patch, where Patch and Aurelia await her. As Clarion is fitted for her Coronation Ball gown, she struggles to reconcile the extravagance of the festivities with the truth of what’s happening in Winter. Aurelia tries to advise her to enjoy the fleeting moment before her coronation, likening it to summer’s brief bloom, but Clarion can’t fully embrace the sentiment.

That evening, she returns to the border, seeking comfort from Milori. They sit together on the bridge and talk. Clarion is still frustrated that she can’t control her magic, and Milori again challenges the idea that she must suppress her emotions to use it. He argues that her magic emerges not despite her feelings but because of them, especially when she’s trying to protect others. For the first time, Clarion allows herself to imagine a different way of wielding her power. She leans across the border, and they kiss. As they do, her magic flares to life.