Chapter Sixty-Four: Island Chain

Pikarn solidifies his resolve to remain on Berul, embracing his identity as the Wolverine, while Glimdrem challenges the Edan hierarchy, sowing dissent among the Trelelunin with provocative theories about their origins. The chapter alternates between Pikarn’s grounded commitment to reclaiming Kaludor and Glimdrem’s rebellious intellectual pursuit, highlighting contrasting paths of loyalty and defiance.

Pikarn’s POV: Pikarn, rekindled as the Wolverine, wakes on Berul in Oldenu’s bed, savoring the cold of Kaludor as a symbol of home. Reflecting on the Edan’s impending departure, he resolves to stay and fight the Taken alongside the Colok, a decision he shares with Oldenu, who supports his choice to make Berul a fortified Silone stronghold. Rikis informs him of Inslok’s recovery, prompting Pikarn to confront the Edan about the Istinjoln incident, where Dareun’s spirit intervened against Marukane. Discussing the Queen Mother’s desires, Pikarn suggests that Zwinfolkum, as a mother, might seek to restore her demonic children, Maru and Kane, to human form, potentially closing the Celestial Gate. Though speculative, the idea intrigues Limereu, who considers studying it at the Eleris. Pikarn reaffirms his commitment to stay, planning to connect the Sobuno River islands with Colok aid, housing thousands and clearing Taken. His fierce determination to reclaim Kaludor, even if it takes centuries, underscores his reclaimed identity and loyalty to his people, bolstered by Oldenu’s partnership and Rikis’s promise of support from New Fost.

Glimdrem’s POV: Glimdrem, brooding on Berul’s northern peninsula, contemplates the vine’s metaphor likening Trelelunin to domesticated hogs, stripped of their wild Edan essence. The vine’s claim that Trelelunin are faded Edan, diminished by leaving the Eleris, fuels his growing resentment toward Edan authority. Learning Inslok has regained coherence, Glimdrem confronts six Trelelunin warriors, provocatively suggesting that Inslok’s weakened state in Istinjoln, resembling a Trelelunin, implies they are former Edan who lost their glow, not sent to the Father Wood as claimed. His bold assertion that Trelelunin deserve equal treatment, not servitude, resonates uneasily with the warriors, though Neoboru questions its feasibility. Overheard by Inslok and Limereu, Glimdrem defies their accusations of sedition, citing his theft of the Oxeum Codex and rejecting Edan control, unafraid of the Volvrolan’s judgment. His confident challenge, met with tentative warrior support, marks a rebellious shift, as Glimdrem seeks to liberate Trelelunin identity from Edan narratives, risking severe repercussions but emboldened by the vine’s influence and his own disillusionment. The chapter contrasts Pikarn’s steadfast reclamation of his warrior identity and homeland with Glimdrem’s intellectual rebellion against Edan dogma, setting the stage for divergent conflicts—Pikarn’s physical battle against Taken and Glimdrem’s ideological fight for Trelelunin autonomy—within the broader struggle against supernatural threats.

WoG Chapter 63 — Green Ocean
WoG Chapter 65 — Far Horizon
Whispers of Ghosts — Main Chapter Listing