On arrival at Agerus, the public’s recognition of Vis as Catenicus erupts into a crush of embraces and acclaim. Praeceptor Scitus forces space, quietly instructing Vis on the Transvect’s constant runs and warning not to miss the last return to avoid Dultatis’s censure. As Emissa is swept away by her mother and Iro fights through the crowd, Ulciscor arrives; he and Vis enact their cordial public cover and depart the platform, Ulciscor noting both Vis’s unexpected popularity and the political utility of it.

They traverse the Necropolis and ascend to the Telimus tomb, an opulent crypt featuring a Vitaerium preserving Ulciscor’s uncle. Lanistia is present. Ulciscor presses Vis about still being in Class Six and emphasizes that he chose Vis to solve problems, not complain about them. Vis asks whether Ulciscor can apply indirect pressure via Praeceptor Taedia to trigger an exchange; Ulciscor, skeptical but pragmatic, agrees to try.

Over two hours, Vis recounts his Solivagus expedition: the clandestine excavation, glowing script, Labyrinth symbols, maps, and hundreds of corpses pinned with obsidian. Ulciscor and Lanistia interrogate details—numbers, materials, and whether the dead’s eyes resembled Lanistia’s blindness. Lanistia becomes terse and leaves. Ulciscor concludes Religion is searching for something pre-Cataclysm and tasks Vis with sketches and a return visit. Vis proposes a high-risk plan requiring a two-part imbued grapple with strong attraction; Ulciscor agrees to craft it after the ceremony, warning Vis to destroy it if compromised and to expect no rescue. He also advises advancing to gain freedom and to record findings since they cannot meet until the trimester break.

Outside, Vis finds Lanistia. She admits she has lived six years without knowing why she went blind and now fears and hopes that answers might exist. She admonishes Vis to improve quickly, revealing Ulciscor had contemplated ending their arrangement if Vis hadn’t produced results, fearing Vis’s reputation was breeding complacency.

They return to the tomb as Ulciscor’s parents arrive. Ulciscor summons his wife, introduced as Relucia. The young woman appears, and Vis recognizes her as Sedotia—the Anguis operative who helped crash the Transvect and shot Ulciscor—upending Vis’s understanding of Ulciscor’s household and sharply escalating the stakes.