Chap­ter X begins with the qui­et com­pan­ion­ship of Cartho­ris and Thu­via mov­ing steadi­ly through the Mar­t­ian land­scape. Words are few, yet each step affirms the trust form­ing between them. Their silence speaks vol­umes, filled with glances that reveal more than con­ver­sa­tion ever could. But this frag­ile peace shat­ters when Cartho­ris sud­den­ly dis­cov­ers Thu­via has dis­ap­peared. Pan­ic replaces calm, and he real­izes she was nev­er there—only a mirage shaped by Jav’s pow­ers. The betray­al slices deep, not just for the decep­tion, but for his fail­ure to sense it soon­er. Cartho­ris imme­di­ate­ly turns back to Lothar, his thoughts con­sumed by a burn­ing resolve to make things right.

On his jour­ney back, Cartho­ris stum­bles upon Jav, grave­ly injured and near­ing death. The dying man con­fess­es his manip­u­la­tion and explains Thuvia’s escape with Komal, the fierce banth once thought untam­able. Cartho­ris lis­tens, but there is no space for bitterness—only urgency. With Jav’s last breath, a trail is giv­en, and Cartho­ris begins a new pur­suit. The cliffs where Thu­via fled are hos­tile, treach­er­ous, and filled with uncer­tain­ty. But there is no hes­i­ta­tion in Cartho­ris. His mind, though aware of brew­ing polit­i­cal chaos between Heli­um and its allies, nar­rows on one objective—bringing Thu­via back from dan­ger. In a world of schemes and shift­ing loy­al­ties, his aim remains per­son­al and pure.

As he races through the tun­nel beyond the val­ley, Cartho­ris thinks briefly on the greater game unfold­ing. Lies have been spread to frac­ture the alliance between Heli­um, Ptarth, and Kaol—deceptions like­ly plant­ed by agents of Dusar. Though the dam­age could be irre­versible, he can­not focus on that now. His heart leads him toward Thu­via, and his hope rests on her sur­vival. Emerg­ing from the tun­nel, he is greet­ed not by soli­tude, but by an unex­pect­ed figure—Kar Komak, the archer of Lothar, no longer an illu­sion but now a war­rior of flesh and blood. Cartho­ris is sur­prised, but not ungrate­ful. Kar Komak’s pres­ence sig­nals strength and uni­ty. The war­rior, ani­mat­ed by Tario’s delu­sions and now free, seeks a life root­ed in action, not fan­ta­sy.

Kar Komak express­es dis­dain for his old life in Lothar, where illu­sions shaped exis­tence and truth was sec­ondary. He sees this jour­ney as a chance to live ful­ly, to fight for some­thing real. The bond between the two war­riors strength­ens with each step for­ward. Cartho­ris shares his plan, and togeth­er, they move through dan­ger­ous ter­rain, evad­ing green Mar­t­ian patrols and Torqua­si­an scouts. Their path is lined with threats, but their goal pulls them for­ward. It is not just about Thu­via anymore—it is about redemp­tion, defi­ance, and the asser­tion of truth in a world blurred by false­hood. As they reach the out­skirts of Aaan­thor, a chill­ing scene unfolds ahead.

Thu­via and Komal are vis­i­ble from a dis­tance, sur­round­ed by the grow­ing pres­ence of green war­riors. Dusar­i­an ships hov­er above, clos­ing the cir­cle. Cartho­ris takes in the sit­u­a­tion quick­ly. They are out­num­bered, out­armed, and almost out of time. Yet, retreat does not enter his mind. He grips his sword, Kar Komak read­ies his bow, and togeth­er they charge—not with any promise of sur­vival, but with the cer­tain­ty that courage mat­ters. The ter­rain offers no cov­er, only expo­sure, yet they press for­ward. To save Thu­via is to reject sur­ren­der. In their charge, they show that pur­pose can over­pow­er num­bers.

Kar Komak’s arrows fly with unmatched pre­ci­sion, each strike delib­er­ate. Cartho­ris cuts through the line of green war­riors, each motion filled with clar­i­ty. In the chaos, Komal—a crea­ture feared by all—protects Thu­via with a sur­pris­ing loy­al­ty. The once-beast has become a guardian, prov­ing that bonds can form in even the unlike­li­est hearts. This tri­an­gle of man, woman, and beast now fights as one against loom­ing oppres­sion. What unfolds is more than a skirmish—it is a dec­la­ra­tion. That devo­tion is stronger than pow­er, and uni­ty forged in adver­si­ty is unbreak­able.

This chap­ter bal­ances illu­sion with real­i­ty, show­ing how per­cep­tion can shape des­tiny. Carthoris’s jour­ney through betray­al, fear, and resolve reflects the inner bat­tles we often face when trust is bro­ken. But the pres­ence of Kar Komak reminds us that even illu­sions can birth some­thing real if belief is strong enough. His trans­for­ma­tion into flesh par­al­lels Carthoris’s evo­lu­tion from a prince react­ing to threats to a man pur­su­ing truth and love with­out pause. The obsta­cles they face are many, but their intent is unwa­ver­ing.

As dusk set­tles over Aaan­thor, their fate remains uncer­tain, but their con­vic­tion is com­plete. What began as a pur­suit becomes a stand—not just for Thu­via, but for what she rep­re­sents: choice, dig­ni­ty, and truth in a world too quick to deceive. Through fire and sword, Cartho­ris proves that hope, when held tight­ly enough, becomes an unshak­able force. In this chap­ter, love is no longer silent—it moves with them, breathes beside them, and fights at their side.