Darker By Four Readalong: Day 5!

Stunning photo by @bookishsof!

Hello everyone!

Who is excited but nervous for today’s chapters? I feel like A LOT is going to happen in today’s reading!

Happy Friday and welcome to day 5 of our readalong ofDarker By Four by June CL Tan. I’m so excited to be reading this one with you, I hope you all love it!

Today we’re reading from chapter 43 to the end of the book. Let’s do this!

When you’ve finished today’s section, catch up with me in the comments down below so we can discuss the ending of the book. Happy reading!

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Please be warned, the following section will include spoilers for Darker By Four by June CL Tan from Chapter 43 to the end of the book. Please only read on if you have finished this section!

–!SPOILERS!–

We start off our final day of reading with Rui’s POV since being teamed up with Zizi to help in the infirmary as they expect they will need more beds soon. Surin reveals the hybrids have been organising amongst themselves and there have been reports of other creatures as well.

Rui notices Zizi’s worsening black markings and suggests he’s overusing spiritual energy, expressing concern for his well-being. Zizi reveals he’s pushing himself to in order to help her, seeking the Guild’s resources to restore her magic. His unwavering dedication warms my heart so much.

“I would give up the entire world for a single breath to leave your lips again.” I did not know I could legitimately swoon and cry over a quote at the same time. I have learnt many new things about myself during this readalong… And him repeating the ‘don’t be afraid I’m here’ line. I am so done for.

Rui kisses Zizi, he kisses her back, and all the slow burn tension finally pays off. They are SO cute i love them.

Does anyone else think it’s a coincidence that the blue flames only come from Rui when she’s with Zizi?

While lying awake, Yiran spots Yuki’s face at his window, prompting him to meet him on the deck. Yuki expresses a desire for company, intriguing but leaving Yiran wary, given their recent altercation.

As they converse, both express curiosity, with Yuki sharing his hybrid origin story, revealing a more human side. It’s interesting to see the more human side of a hybrid, it almost makes you a little conflicted as a reader.

Yuki admits he never intended harm, blaming his actions on anger towards Zizi, emphasising their struggle for survival like any other organism. Then, unexpectedly, he kisses Yiran.

Not Zizi carrying her in his arms back to her room. Sigh, what does one have to do in life to be carried around in such a way. (If you know happen to know, let me know. 👀) Zizi offers to stay outside her door to make sure she is okay, but Rui insists he should stay inside with her and they can share her bed. The one bed trope reigns superior once again!

The next morning, Rui finds a note from Zizi saying he’s gone to the hotel, along with his signature red string bracelet on her wrist. While admiring it, she hears a whisper from the glass shard used to communicate with Nikai. Instead of Nikai, it’s a little girl, Seven. Seven asks to see Rui’s blue fire and suggests there might be a pattern to its appearance. Could it possibly be connected to Zizi?

Seven tells Rui Nikai has discovered who has Four’s power and tells her he is waiting beneath the stairway to heaven.

Yiran joins Ada and Eddy on his first mission to check sensors in a supposedly revenant-free area. As his mind wanders to Yuki, he decides to do sprints, despite Ada’s warning not to go far. Suddenly, he senses an eerie silence and realises something is amiss.

Rui arrives at the old subway station underground, convinced it’s the place Seven mentioned, only to be greeted by Ten— this is a bad sign. A group of hybrids, including the one who killed Rui’s mother emerges. Rui immediately attacks him, incapacitating him with a knife to the sternum and stuffing fizzling coins into his mouth. Ten intervenes, halting her, telling her she will have her revenge as their deal entailed, but there are currently more pressing matters.

The hybrids reveal bags containing normies, their purpose unclear but undoubtedly bad. Then, to Rui’s shock, they present Zizi.

Yiran returns to find Ada battling two hybrids, while Eddy is impaled and dying nearby. After defeating the hybrids, Eddy reveals they were after the sensors and their technology.

Ten inflicts pain on Rui to manipulate Zizi into recreating the separation spell for the watching hybrids, as part of his deal with them. He then provides Zizi with Four’s dried branch, instructing him to use its power for the spell. To protect Rui, Zizi begins creating the spell.

Ash picks up Yiran and the others from the scene and they head towards the subway station where Rui is, as their sensors have picked up some abnormal activity.

After completing the spell, Zizi hands it over to the departing hybrids. Suddenly, Ten apologises before a violet spinal blade pierces Zizi’s neck, causing him to collapse in a pool of blood.

Rui immediately reacts, sending the blue flames at the perpetrator. Rui demands to know why Ten allowed this to happen and he tells her it’s all part of the plan. Ten then tells her that she is the one who has Four’s power and that Zizi is the one who has his soul which is why the blue flames only appear around him. He also tells her that Zizi’s feelings for her where never real and just a result of Four’s soul wanting to protect his powers.

Zizi draws a shuddering breath and opens his eyes and we switch to Fours POV where we learn of a lost lost and the deal he made in order to go to the human world and forget his pain, forsaking hell.

Zizi tells the tenth king these are not his memories and refuses to acknowledge Four’s soul. Ten then tells him about his deal with Rui and that he must return to hell as his presence will stabilise things and the Blight will stop mutating and infecting humans.

Rui tells Zizi to stay away from her but he tells her he didn’t know about Four’s soul and he refuses to leave without saying goodbye. I suspect the only reason he is willing to go is to keep her safe. Suddenly everything comes crashing down around them and Rui’s leg gets trapped under a cement bloack; Zizi lifts it off her with a flick of his hand.

Zizi confesses he is lost and doesn’t know who he is. They embrace one last time, his lips pressed against her forehead before he lets her go.

Yiran and the others have arrived on the scene but everything is crumbling around them. He then suddenly feels a tearing inside him and collapses to the ground.

Three days later, Rui wakes up in a hospital bed with her magic restored, still wearing Zizi’s red thread. The Guild covers up the hybrids’ involvement, claiming she cleared a nest of revenants during a hunt. Ash offers her a guaranteed captaincy within the Guild—a bribe. Yiran later visits her but declares he never wants to see her again now that he’s lost his magic.

In our final chapter, set a month later, Rui recovers at home with her now-reformed father. Zizi has vanished, and Yiran refuses to communicate with her. While going through her father’s drawer, Rui finds a photo of him in a Xingshan Academy uniform with Yiran’s father. This discovery raises questions about her father’s past and its potential connection to Yiran’s father’s death.

We then shift to Yiran’s perspective, where he hears a familiar voice offering to restore his magic.

Lastly, we move to Zizi’s POV, confined in a dungeon and coerced into recalling his true identity. He begins dreaming of a woman, eventually recognizing her as Rui.

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Wow, what an fact paced, romantic and incredible story! And that ending? I think we all need book two immediately!

What did you think of Darker By Four by June CL Tan?

As always, thank you so much for taking part in another FairyLoot readalong! We hope you had the best time and enjoyed the book – we’ll see you again soon for another!

Love,
Jodie