Summary

In Chapter One, Alessa attends the funeral of her third husband, who died after she tried to strengthen his power. Now, she hopes to find another willing partner before the Consiglio forces someone. Her brother Adrick sits with her, even though the Finestra is supposed to sever all connections to her past life. He reveals that more Fontes- those blessed with defensive magic that she should be able to empower- have fled.

Padre Calabrese begins a sermon on the gods Dea, who created humanity, and Crollo who saw them as flawed. The two made a bet; Crollo would send monsters every few years, while Dea would give humanity some power to fight back. However, the goddess wanted to teach partnership, so the Finestra can only improve someone else's magic. With the end coming, Alessa is running out of time

As Alessa goes to...