Tristan grapples with a growing existential crisis about the nature of his magical ability. He has begun to suspect that what he perceives is not merely the absence of illusion but something closer to objective reality itself—particles, moods as colors, and structures invisible to others. However, the closer he examines reality, the more uncertain he becomes about what is truly real versus what he has simply been taught to believe. His chronic paranoia makes him wonder whether the Society is poisoning or deceiving the candidates rather than genuinely expanding their powers.

Late at night, Parisa visits Tristan's room, visibly rumpled from an encounter elsewhere. She tells him she has discovered something disturbing about the Society—that it is telling them at least one lie—but refuses to share the specific details, claiming he wouldn't take it well. She warns Tristan that Callum is influencing him, not necessarily through overt magical manipulation, but by confirming Tristan's existing beliefs and presenting carefully framed candor to win his trust. She reveals that Callum convinced the assassin-illusionist to kill herself, arguing that Callum's true weapon is people's own fears and weaknesses turned against them. When Tristan challenges her, asking how she is any different from Callum given her telepathic abilities, Parisa snaps that there is a difference between capability and choice. She leaves him with a pointed warning: Callum doesn't need Tristan—he wants him, and Tristan should ask himself why.

Parisa does not speak to Tristan for four days afterward. Meanwhile, the group studies theories of time, including medieval time-travel attempts and life-extension efforts. Tristan privately pursues his own research into the structure of the universe and why their earlier wormhole experiment failed to travel through time. One evening, Libby approaches him with a theory: she demonstrates reversing a bouncing ball's motion, explaining that the only physical evidence distinguishing reversed motion from actual time reversal is residual thermal energy. She hypothesizes that if Tristan can see heat—or something even more fundamental like quanta—he might be able to identify the physical structure of time, which she could then manipulate.

Tristan agrees to try. He focuses his perception and locates a constant rhythmic motion in the room that varies by elevation—faster higher, slower lower—and taps its pattern on Libby's breastbone so she can feel it. After about forty beats, Libby identifies the pattern and, with a motion of her hand, stops it. Everything in the room freezes: the clock, Tristan's breath, even his blood. Libby has stopped time. The pause lasts only a moment before she releases it, collapsing from the exertion. She immediately begins brainstorming how to do more with Nico's or Reina's help. Tristan, overwhelmed with gratitude, thanks her—a rare emotional moment—for proving that his ability is real and useful rather than madness.

Callum then enters the room, and Libby quickly departs. Callum dismisses Libby as weak and desperate despite her power, musing that someone should take her abilities and put them to better use. Tristan quietly defends her relentlessness. Callum deflects questions about the Society's motives, saying he prefers to play his own game rather than theirs. Parisa's earlier warning echoes in Tristan's mind as Callum praises Tristan's emotional frequency as pleasantly steady and meditative. The two head off for drinks, with Callum's charm and casual affection underscoring the manipulative dynamic Parisa had described.