The chapter opens with Callum Nova's reflections on his decision to accept Atlas Blakely's invitation to join the Alexandrian Society. Callum, who comes from extreme wealth and privilege, views the opportunity with casual indifference—he'll stay if it suits him, and leave if it doesn't. His magical specialty is revealed more precisely: though classified as a manipulist (a subcategory of illusionist), his true ability is a powerful form of empathy that allows him to sense and influence others' emotions. The narrative explains that empathy is more commonly found and cultivated in women, while in men it often goes unrecognized or is diluted to mere "charisma." Callum's lack of ambition is what prevents his dangerous abilities from becoming a threat to the world at large.

All six recruits arrive via transportation charm at the Society's headquarters, which turns out to be a stately British manor house located just outside London rather than in Alexandria. Dalton Ellery leads them on a tour, explaining that the Society has relocated multiple times throughout history—from Alexandria to Rome, then Prague, and finally England during the Age of Exploration. Callum observes the others throughout, noting Tristan and Parisa's conspiratorial glances and deducing they've become intimate since their initial meeting. He feels a flare of frustration at not being among the first to form alliances. He reads Dalton as harboring intellectual inferiority, and finds Libby Rhodes's constant anxious questioning grating to his empathic senses.

Dalton shows them their individual rooms, the painted room where they'll meet each morning, and explains the distinction between the house's library (for letter writing and cream tea) and the actual archives and reading room accessible through the gardens. He notes that Alexandrian Society members come and go by appointment, while the initiates will live on-site. When Libby presses about how access works, Atlas Blakely arrives and takes over.

Atlas explains that a key responsibility for the new class of initiates is developing their own collective security protocol. He reveals that numerous organizations have attempted to rob, infiltrate, or destroy the Society over the years, and some have succeeded—meaning the initiates may also need to retrieve stolen materials. He describes a tiered system of access: the initiates will begin with the study of physicalities and the fundamental laws of physics, earning deeper access as they prove trustworthy. Atlas mentions that Dalton works in such a specialized area that only he can access certain materials, and that not even Atlas himself has access to everything. Atlas warns that the pursuit of knowledge can drive people mad, and tells the group they are each responsible for one-sixth of the Society's security, even over materials they cannot yet see. After delivering these instructions, Atlas and Dalton depart, leaving the six initiates to devise their security plan before dinner.