Chapter Thirty-Two Summary and Analysis: Mikail Faces the Avalanche
Warning: This page contains spoilers for Four Ruined Realms Chapter Thirty-Two. Proceed with caution.
Summary
After the temple events, Mikail, Sora, and Euyn return to their sleigh in the Western Pass. Sora has frostbite on three toes but does not complain. Euyn lends her his spare clothes, which are too large but functional. While Sora rests under furs, Mikail and Euyn ride together. Mikail reflects on Euyn's character, concluding that despite Euyn's love for him, Euyn's Baejkin mindset—shown by his willingness to kill a priest they had promised to aid—makes him unfit for the throne. Mikail begins to consider Tiyung, a nobleman imprisoned in Yusan, as a potential king instead. He also worries about King Joon's mysterious disappearance, suspecting Joon may be hunting the Sands of Time relic. As they near the city of Loptra in the predawn, an avalanche suddenly thunders down the mountainside, threatening to kill all three of them.
Key Events
- Mikail, Sora, and Euyn travel through the Western Pass toward the city of Loptra.
- Sora is given dry clothes from Euyn and rests in the sleigh; her frostbite remains untreated.
- Mikail internally reviews Euyn's flaws, particularly his willingness to kill a priest they had promised to protect.
- Mikail decides Euyn cannot be allowed to gain immortal power; he even considers Tiyung as a possible alternative king.
- Mikail ponders Joon's unexplained absence from Qali, speculating that the king is seeking the Sands of Time.
- An avalanche crashes down on the party as they travel.
Character Development
Mikail undergoes a significant shift in this chapter. Up to now, he has been torn between his love for Euyn and his awareness of Euyn's darker nature. Here, he solidifies his internal break: "He can't fathom why I take issue with genocide or slaughtering a priest." For the first time, Mikail openly acknowledges that Euyn cannot change and would be a disastrous immortal ruler. This marks a move toward pragmatic political thinking—he begins to look for a better candidate in Tiyung, a nobleman with a conscience. Mikail's survival instinct and hope remain alive: "There's always hope with the sunrise." Yet the chapter ends with an avalanche that may test that hope.
Sora shows physical resilience despite her frostbite; she says nothing about the pain and focuses on resting to recover. Her silence contrasts with the earlier chapters where she often spoke her mind, suggesting she is conserving strength for the trials ahead.
Euyn is seen only through Mikail's perspective. He is "cautious and attentive" as a driver but also "undeniably a bad person." His willingness to kill the priest and his inability to understand Mikail's objections reinforce the corrupting influence of his Baejkin upbringing. Love alone is not enough to redeem him.
Themes, Symbols, and Motifs
Power and Corruption: The chapter's central argument is that absolute power magnifies existing flaws. Euyn's Baejkin thinking would only worsen with immortality, leading to a reign of oppression. Mikail's line—"The throne only makes immortality greater, only deepens character flaws"—encapsulates this theme.
Hope vs. Despair: Mikail actively chooses to believe in hope, viewing each sunrise as a chance for a better day. This belief is what carried him through the Festival of Blood and continues to drive him forward. The avalanche, however, threatens that optimism with sudden destruction.
Stars and Guidance: The starry sky is obscured by snow, leaving Mikail without celestial guidance. This mirrors his lost faith in Euyn as a solution: both the stars and his previous plan now seem unreachable.
The Avalanche as Sudden Crisis: The avalanche arrives without warning, representing how external forces can upend even the most careful plans. It forces the characters into a life-or-death moment, stripping away their political calculations.
Why This Chapter Matters
Chapter Thirty-Two is a turning point in Mikail's internal journey. He definitively rejects Euyn as a candidate for the Yusanian throne and begins searching for alternatives—first Tiyung, then vaguely considering other nobles. This shift sets up future conflict between Mikail and Euyn, as Mikail must decide whether to betray the man he loves. The chapter also raises the stakes by introducing the mystery of Joon's location and his possible pursuit of the Sands of Time, a relic that could tip the balance of power. Finally, the cliffhanger avalanche creates immediate danger, ending the chapter on a note of suspense that propels the reader into the next section.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Mikail conclude that Euyn cannot rule Yusan?
Mikail observes that Euyn's Baejkin mindset allows him to justify killing a priest they had promised to protect. He believes that absolute power would only deepen Euyn's character flaws, leading to a cruel and unfair reign. Even though Euyn loves Mikail, that love cannot erase a worldview that permits genocide and oppression.
2. How does the setting of the Western Pass reflect Mikail's emotional state?
The narrow, treacherous cliffside paths mirror Mikail's uncertain road ahead. The obscured stars represent his lost sense of direction—he can no longer rely on his earlier plan of placing Euyn on the throne. The cold and frostbite also parallel the emotional numbness he feels as he distances himself from Euyn.
3. What is the significance of Mikail's thoughts on hope at the end of the chapter?
Mikail explicitly states that without hope, there would be no reason to live or to have survived the Festival of Blood. By reaffirming hope in the sunrise, he chooses to continue fighting for a better outcome. This moment of reflection makes the subsequent avalanche even more jarring, as it threatens the very survival hope depends on.