The third installment of Magic’s Secrets of Strixhaven story begins from the perspectives of Kirol, Sanar, and Abigale, who have arrived in Titan’s Grave after receiving the urgent distress call from Lluwen and Tam.
After meeting up, the trio briefly surveys the chaotic scene, but before they can set out, Ajani arrives, having tracked Kirol from the time he left their camp. Despite being embarrassed that their plan to sneak away failed miserably, Kirol was still relieved to have Ajani accompanying them, and together the party set out in search of their friends.
In the wake of the giant archaic’s appearance, Titan’s Grave was in total disarray, with locals and students alike struggling to remain calm. Unable to see anything at ground level, Sanar takes the opportunity to climb up onto Ajani’s shoulders, and almost immediately notices a green smoke signal, presumed to be Lluwen’s, in the woods some distance away from the camp.
Making haste toward the signal, the party pushes through the forest with relative ease up until Kirol misjudges their jump over a briar bush and gets tangled in the thorns. Enjoying the humorous scene, Ajani and Abigale move to untangle the vampire, but are interrupted by a “wave of concussive magic…” strong enough to briefly knock the foursome out.
Regaining consciousness a few moments later, Ajani looks up to find Chandra staring back at him, flanked on each side by masked youths. While Chandra teased him for getting caught off-guard, Ajani pulls himself to his feet, and realizes that his hands had been bound with magic shackles. Relieved to see his friend and former student but also confused by the situation, Ajani peppers Chandra with questions – why was she on Arcavios? Why the ambush and shackles? Where were his students?
Indulging Ajani’s questions, Chandra explains that “something has gone horribly wrong, and I’m the only one who can stop it [and] …until I know for sure whether you’ve been compromised, it has to stay that way.” Chandra continues, explaining that all of his students are there, Lluwen and Tam included, safe and unharmed. Taking the opportunity to glance around the area, Ajani sees they’re in a make-shift campsite hidden among the bones of a titan. Among the masked individuals, he sees each the students unrestrained and helping out with various chores.
Relieved that the students were safe, Ajani asks about Chandra’s mysterious companions, but before she can respond, Lluwen answers, stating that they are the Oriq, a group of masked cultists that had attacked Strixhaven in years past. Stunned by this revelation, Ajani can only stare at Chandra, who, along with most of the group, are glaring at Lluwen.
Breaking the awkward silence, Chandra explains that the group was indeed part of the Oriq, but when the order was given to attack Strixhaven, they refused, and shattered their masks, hence their new name “The Shattered.” After voicing his concerns, Chandra reassures Ajani that The Shattered can be trusted, and she shares that she has been acting as their teacher.
“People deserve second chances.” She cracked her knuckles. “No one here will teach them anything—not when they used to be Oriq. Never mind that what everyone here really wanted was instruction in the first place. Joining up was the only way they knew how to get it, then they were barred from it forever. None of the people here attacked the school, Ajani. They all refused. Shattered their masks and decided it wasn’t for them.”
Moments later, Ajani notices Chandra visibly wince in pain and move to hold her head. Before he can ask, Chandra tells him that Jace is alive, and he did something to her head when she encountered him on Avishkar. Hearing her testimony, Ajani assures Chandra that Jace was dead after the events on Tarkir. Unfortunately, his words do more harm than good, as Chandra becomes enraged at him not trusting her, but before their conversation can continue, the ground begins to shake and the giant archaic shows itself once again.
As the ancient being moves closer, Chandra ignites and prepares for battle, but before she can engage, Ajani, with hands still bound, lunges forward, knocking them both to the ground. Desperately, Ajani tries to reason with his friend, suggesting that they wait to get an idea of what they’re dealing with before attacking it, but Chandra refuses to listen.
As Chandra struggles to get free, Lluwen rushes forward and points out that the archaic is holding Oracle Jadzi. Despite this revelation, Chandra continues to fight Ajani’s grasp and manages to get her arm free long enough to launch a massive fireball at the archaic.
“He’d remember the sound it made, the tormented scream, until his dying day. The archaic’s pain echoed in the great hollow of his chest. He gritted his teeth against the unrelenting sorrow of its voice and found that he could not fight it for long. Though wordless, he heard the accusation: why did you do this to me?“
Ajani could only watch as the fire hit its mark, but luckily a barrier of magic was protecting the Oracle. This luck was short lived however, as the creature focused on the pair of planeswalkers and counterattacked, bringing down its massive fist and shattering the earth.
Read Secrets of Strixhaven Episode 3 in full from Wizards of the Coast.
