Chapter 71 (Oraya): The Lock, the Memories, and Vincent’s Heart
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Summary
Oraya cuts her hand and presses blood to the first stone ring, instantly slipping into a vision from Vincent’s past. She sees him with a woman—her mother, as she later realizes—inside the unfinished cave. The woman has carved intricate circles into the stone; she tells Vincent that the lock will require more than blood. It needs emotion, and she instructs him to think of powerful feelings when he bleeds. Vincent tries to summon thoughts of conquest and hatred, but his eyes keep drifting to her mouth. He commands her to come closer, touches her face, and they kiss. The memory shatters Oraya back to the present, where the first wall has lowered.
She presses on to the second ring, despite nausea and shaking limbs, because Raihn is fighting for his life above. A second vision hits: Vincent, drenched in rain, furious because the woman has left him. He smells his own child on her—Oraya—and is terrified. He recalls the cruel words he spoke when she asked if she could leave safely. Alone in the cave, he admits he cannot kill her, that he loves her, that he is ashamed. He forces the shame away and pulls his hand from the stone. Oraya returns to find the second wall down.
Now only the central obelisk remains. Its carvings differ slightly from the others, more crooked. The room’s magic presses harder, the red glow pulsing with her heartbeat. Vincent’s hurt, anger, and fear burn through Oraya; she hates feeling them and hates him for having felt them. A tear falls. She does not want to continue, afraid the final memory will shatter her image of the father she loved. But she has come too far. She steps into the last circle, places her bloodied hand on the stone, and the chapter closes.
Key Events
- Oraya cuts her palm and touches the first wall, triggering a vision of Vincent.
- In the vision, Vincent and an unnamed woman—Oraya’s mother—construct the first layer of the lock.
- The woman explains the magic requires emotion, not just blood.
- Vincent tries to concentrate on power but becomes fixated on her; he kisses her.
- The first wall lowers; Oraya stumbles back, disoriented but determined to continue for Raihn.
- She opens her wound again and touches the second wall, entering another memory.
- This memory shows Vincent after the woman has left him, anger and heartbreak warring inside him.
- He admits he cannot kill her, that he loves her, and that he feels shame.
- He forces the feelings away and withdraws his hand.
- The second wall falls; Oraya collapses, retching from the emotional and physical toll.
- Only the central obelisk remains; its carvings are slightly different.
- Oraya hesitates, fearing the final memory could destroy her cherished image of Vincent.
- She steels herself, steps into the final circle, and places her bloody hand on the stone.
Character Development
Oraya
Oraya begins the chapter resolute, driven by the need to reach Raihn. As she experiences Vincent’s memories, she is forced to confront the complexity of her father’s love—his tenderness toward her mother and his cruel rejection. She feels disgust, anger, and hurt, but also a reluctant understanding. Her instinct to protect her idealized view of Vincent wars with the truth the lock reveals. Ultimately, she chooses to continue, prioritizing her mission over her emotional comfort.
Vincent (through memories)
The memories paint Vincent as a man torn. He is power-hungry and dismissive of sentiment, yet he cannot look away from the woman he loves. He is capable of great cruelty—he drove her away with lies—and of shame so deep he buries it. He fears his own child as a threat, yet cannot bring himself to murder her mother. The visions reveal that beneath his cold king exterior lurked a broken, self-loathing person who used affection as a weakness to be suppressed.
Mother of Oraya (character sketch, unnamed)
Through Vincent’s eyes, she emerges as a skilled artisan who sees potential in barren caves. She is bold enough to argue with a king and witty enough to mock his pretended desire for power. She is warm, human, and the one person who could unsettle Vincent’s composure. Her departure—carrying his child—is the catalyst for his rage and heartache.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
Blood and memory as keys to the past
The lock requires Oraya’s blood, but it also demands emotional sacrifice. Each layer of stone corresponds to a memory Vincent poured into it. The magic literally preserves his feelings, forcing Oraya to inherit not only his power but his emotional wounds.
The cave as a monument to contradiction
The lock is both a fortress for a great weapon and a monument to Vincent’s weaknesses. The woman built it as a collaborative dream; Vincent later used it to imprison something, tainting its origin.
Love and power as opposing forces
Vincent’s memories repeatedly show him trying to think of power, conquest, hatred, yet his heart always returns to her. The admission that he cannot kill her despite the threat she represents underlines his vulnerability. Power, for him, becomes a shield against love’s demands.
Unreliable memory and self-deception
Vincent lies to himself: he claims he does not care, then admits he does. The lock’s magic forces truth, undoing his carefully constructed narrative of coldness.
Why This Chapter Matters
Chapter 71 is a turning point in Oraya’s quest for power. It not only advances the physical unlocking of the weapon but deepens her understanding of her parents’ relationship. The memories humanize Vincent, complicating Oraya’s hatred and grief. They also provide crucial context for his later actions and his final decision to spare her mother. The chapter sets up a emotional climax: if the final memory reveals the full truth, Oraya must reconcile her love for her father with his failures. Moreover, the clock is ticking—Raihn is in danger above—making every vision a costly delay.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does the lock require emotion rather than just blood?
The magic is designed to bond the lock to the creator’s soul. Vincent’s lover (Oraya’s mother) explains that simple blood would not be enough; the enchantment feeds on strong feeling. Offering powerful emotions ensures the lock is bound more securely, as it draws on the most intimate parts of the caster’s identity.
2. What does Vincent’s second memory reveal about his feelings for Oraya’s mother?
It reveals that he loved her deeply—enough to be ashamed of his cruelty, to fear losing her, and to know he could not kill her even if she posed a threat. His admission that “my body physically recoils at the thought of what the wound of her death might feel like” shows she was his greatest weakness.
3. How does Oraya’s view of her father change during this chapter?
She begins with a cherished image of Vincent as a loving father. The first memory shows him tender with her mother, which she can accept. The second memory, full of rage and hurt, makes her hate him for his feelings. She is caught between disgust and a lingering attachment to the father she knew. By the end, she fears the final memory will “break whatever fragile image I still had of the father that I’d loved,” indicating her identity is intertwined with how she remembers him.