Fresh from their failed attempt, Vis snatches the control bracer from Eidhin and prepares for another run. He notices Eidhin’s use of a Cymrian phrase, then the test begins. Eidhin sprints on a winding, preplanned route that confuses the spotters, but he ignores Vis at first. Vis studies the hunters’ likely paths and starts manipulating the maze, redirecting threats while opening the most favorable lanes.

As the hunters close in, Vis switches to issuing simple commands in Cymrian, which Eidhin immediately follows. Settling into a focused flow, Vis anticipates the hunters several moves ahead and locks them out of key passages. Eidhin reaches the far side unimpeded, and the watching class buzzes with surprise. Veridius gives Vis an approving nod, but Dultatis announces the run is invalid because they communicated in a foreign language. Vis and Eidhin argue it was code, yet Dultatis upholds the disqualification. Vis reins in his anger while Eidhin withdraws, disappointed.

As other pairs run and fail, Veridius joins Vis and asks his opinion of the performances. He acknowledges Vis’s skill while calling the others average, then explains that Dultatis’s hostility likely stems from long-ago lost advancement tied to the death of Vis’s uncle, and from a dislike of the Telimus name. Veridius frames the Academy’s unfairness as a reflection of the wider world and suggests that Vis must overcome such obstacles himself.

Before leaving, Veridius casually notes that the Labyrinth chamber is open and empty early mornings, implying a chance for practice. Feeling trapped by Dultatis’s bias yet energized by the possibility of improvement, Vis decides he must act beyond sanctioned avenues. He resolves to investigate the ruins outside the Academy wall that very night.