Volga sets down with Lyria on a remote beach bristling with railgun-like launchers linked to orbital escape pods. Determined to flee, Volga drags Lyria toward a pod, explaining that Fá keeps autopiloted vehicles in orbit and that they can fire between shield gaps to reach space.

Lyria breaks free, accusing Volga of running rather than saving her. Volga admits fear: though some braves revere her blood, the jarls call her unnatural and would kill her. Lyria pushes back, reminding Volga of the thirteen killed, including Sigurd, and the kidnapped children, insisting she face the stains on her hands.

Lyria invokes Darrow’s trust and frames a stark choice: flee alone and lose all people, or return to face the fathers and jarls she wronged. As the Pandora appears embattled by the Daughters and Diomedes, and crowds chase Darrow and Fá across the islands, the wider battle underscores the urgency of the decision.

Convinced, Volga chooses to return and face her mistakes. Lyria refuses to be left behind, proposing they protect each other. Volga accepts, and instead of carrying Lyria like a child, agrees to fly with Lyria on her back as they head back into the fray.