On an almost empty train, Linus rides toward Marsyas with his cat, Calliope. A friendly attendant punches his ticket and points out the ocean, which Linus sees for the first time. At the small, deserted station, an orange phone rings; Ms. Chapelwhite calls, chiding his lateness and telling him to open a sealed envelope.

Linus opens a Level Four packet from Extremely Upper Management warning him to protect himself, keep the files secret, and lock doors and windows at night. The first file identifies Lucy—Lucifer—as the Antichrist, prompting Linus to faint. When he wakes, Ms. Chapelwhite arrives in person, briskly taking charge and pushing him toward a waiting convertible.

During a harrowing drive through dunes, Linus panics over Lucy’s file; Ms. Chapelwhite confirms it is true but insists the children must be treated as children to be protected. As they talk, Linus deduces she is an island sprite from her eyes, bare feet, and effortless strength. She refuses DICOMY’s authority over her status and asserts her lineage predates such rules.

They pass through the village of Marsyas, enduring open hostility toward magical beings, and reach the ferry. Merle, the ferryman, is impatient, refuses to be at the island after dark, and says his rates have doubled. Onboard, Ms. Chapelwhite asks Linus for compassion and says Arthur Parnassus sent her as a gesture of good faith, then vanishes from the car, leaving him to prepare.

Linus hesitates to read more children’s files and instead reviews Arthur Parnassus’s thin, partly redacted dossier, which reveals little. At sunset, the ferry docks; Merle orders him off his boat. Linus gathers himself and Calliope, starts the car, and prepares to drive onto the island to begin his inspection.