For a hundred years, Rowan endured agonizing torture in Helheim at the hands of her husband, Sigrid—the powerful Arbiter who hated her for ""forcing"" their marriage. When Sigrid’s true love returns, he offers Rowan a cruel choice: stay as a lowly servant or enter the Hall of Anguish to endure eternal suffering through endless, miserable rebirths. Believing her fear of pain would keep her enslaved, Sigrid prepares his new wedding. But Rowan chooses the ultimate escape. She plunges into the cycle of Yggdrasil, vowing never to look back. As Sigrid realizes his mistake and desperately chases her soul through the realms, he finds only the ashes of a woman who would rather face eternal torment than spend another second by his side.
