Erik travels to an ancient mystic monument with hopes of bringing Kara back. The other Defenders storm Mt. Froza, but find that it has been abandoned. There Rion yells at Adam for sending Kara to her demise. Adam insists it was not his fault. Meanwhile Malco, K'Tash, and Flinch, with Si'i and a random young woman, arrive at an abandoned cave, where the girl is sacrificed with an Ethos spell to create a floating base. At Mt. Froza, Rion feels the effects of the spell and transforms, attacking Adam in rage. Adam flees, sporting a serious injury on his arm. Rion leaves, assumedly to finish the job. Seth and Mel contact Brackus, who meets them in Jobu, giving them a special amulet that should force Rion to revert to normal. Meanwhile, Erik is attacked by a creature, Marak, of the same race as Tzur. He falls into a volcano, but realises that it is a test of faith, and jumps into the lava, an illusion. Adam takes refuge to treat his wound, and then sets off to find Erik in hopes of getting him to tell the others it was not his fault. Erik undergoes another test, being attacked by swamp creatures. Remembering the last test, he willingly lets the creatures get him. Marak leads him to a building where he says that Kara awaits him. Mel, Seth, and Brackus successfully force Rion out of his transformed state, but are attacked by Si'i, who'd escaped from Malco's base. Flinch and K'Tash take him out, and are unknowingly followed to the new base, which, unfortunately, is capable of teleporting, and impossible to track. Erik sees Kara in the room, but is unable to touch her. Kara tells him that what she had done was what had to be done, and reminds him not to forget his duty to Rados, before vanishing. Adam shows up, and begs Erik to clear him with the others, but Erik, also believing him responsible, attacks. Adam insists that all he'd done was tell Kara that Erik needed more help than him. Erik doesn't believe him, and continues fighting, saying that he'd rather have died instead