On the return from town, the children doze while Sal shares how Linus helped him face fear. Back at the house, Zoe notices Linus’s withdrawal, and Arthur offers gentle concern. Alone, Linus agonizes over a secret file and the cellar key, suspecting he’s being used, yet drawn to the truth he fears.

He opens the file and sees Arthur’s species identified, rattling him. At dinner, Linus is distant and eats little, then excuses himself. Restless and suspicious of DICOMY, he decides to use the key. In the night, he unlocks the reinforced cellar doors and descends into a soot-stained room with burned furniture, flameproof tarps, and walls marked by scores of tick marks.

Arthur arrives and finds Linus there. They speak of Charles Werner’s intervention and motives. Pressed, Arthur confirms he is a phoenix and manifests fiery wings. He recounts how a cruel former master imprisoned him in the cellar for months after intercepting a plea to DICOMY, until inspectors came and the orphanage was shut. Arthur later returned to reclaim the place as a true home.

Arthur explains DICOMY allowed Marsyas to reopen as an experiment under strict conditions, including that he hide his identity from the children. Werner, a former caseworker and lover, used and manipulated him before rising in the Department. Zoe had been hidden for her safety and only later became his ally.

Linus insists the children need the truth to feel less alone and to see hope, calling Arthur their father. Arthur admits deep feelings for Linus; Linus fears being used and declares he must eventually return to his life and job. Hurt but composed, Arthur promises to make Linus’s last week meaningful and leaves, the air still warm with the echo of flame.