While John and Katya drift into a dreamless sleep, Josiah remains awake, meditating over the decrepit book written in blood. In the deep silence, he feels the hair on his neck rise as a familiar, haunting voice whispers over his shoulder, “You have done well”. The entity warns Josiah of a coming battle against a power nearly equal to its own and tells him to “steal himself,” for he will have its boon but not its presence in the fight. Suddenly, two black, mummified hands with clawed fingernails reach from behind the book, grasping Josiah’s hands and surging energy into his heart before receding into the shadows.

As the hours pass, the young man Ishkode approaches the bubble of safety and points toward the northern sky. Stepping outside, Josiah is hit by the crushing weight of cold and hunger, seeing the Northern Lights dancing with a terrifying proximity. Ishkode explains that these lights have been present every night since the meteor fell.

When the *Tiny Hut* finally vanishes, the group is startled awake by a ravenous, gripping hunger. Realizing they are nearing the source of the curse, they discuss their final plan. They agree that a wendigo is born from the “wickedness of men eating other men,” and they decide to use the power of their last green stone to manifest weapons instead of food.

Through their unified, desperate belief, sparks of Arcane energy leap from the stone into their hands, manifesting into three Shardisite weapons: a Rapier for John, a Boomerang for Katya, and a Saber for Josiah. Ishkode clenches his charred fists, declaring he needs no weapon as light flares from his cracked skin.

As they march north toward the pulsing glow on the horizon, the hunger becomes unbearable. Katya’s dog, Reginald, whimpers in pain, unable to look his master in the eye as he salivates and licks his lips while looking at Josiah—the curse attempted to turn his loyalty into a predatory craving.

The group reaches the edge of a massive crater filled with glowing green shards. Out of the swirling steam and smoke, the Wendigo manifests—a beast of unimaginable size with jarred, broken antlers and cold emerald eyes that stare into their souls.

The battle is a chaotic symphony of steel and sorcery:

• John activates a turtle-shell fiddle, creating a *Circle of Power* as his sword glows with Arcane fire, sending a 25-damage arc of energy into the beast.
• Katya hurls her boomerang, MacGyvered with a vial of nitroglycerin, which explodes against a tree, pelting the Wendigo with shrapnel and thunderous force.
• Josiah, briefly crippled by hunger, ravenously shovels tree bark into his face before snapping back into the fight to crush the beast’s skull with the butt of his magical rifle.

The Wendigo retaliates by spitting icy mucus that freezes the horse in its tracks, bucking Ishkode to the ground. In a moment of horror, the beast swipes a massive claw at Reginald, sending the dog flying across the crater. Josiah reacts by ripping out the pages of his Hymnal to cast a desperate *Death Ward*, saving Reggie from immediate death.

Seeing her companions battered and her dog broken, Katya sprints to the central cluster of crystals. She plunges her hands into the emerald shards and growls, “Burn, [ __ ]!”. John joins her in envisioning the fire, and the ground begins to vibrate violently. Gouts of flame shoot from every crystal in the crater, engulfing the Wendigo and sending the world into a blinding white flash.

In the silence of the aftermath, the survivors are pulled into separate visions:

• Katya finds herself in an idyllic field of gold under a blue sky. Reggie is there, puppy-like and healthy. She understands the “tragic truth”: Reggie had actually died at the frozen lake when Josiah cast *Thunderstep*, and John had anchored his soul back to his body. Reggie places a paw on her hand, leaving a permanent print, before finding peace in the afterlife.
• John sees dozens of spirits—the people of the town—breathing a sigh of relief as they are finally freed from their torment.
• Josiah stands in a vast nothingness where his Patron offers him a blade. He slashes the weakened Wendigo, shattering it into thousands of shards of energy.

When the world returns, the survivors are blackened and singed. Ishkode, the horse, and the wendigo are dead, and Reginald is gone. Each survivor looks down at their hand to find a permanent paw print etched into their skin, a final gift from Reggie that flashes with a green glow when acknowledged—forever binding them as a team.