The morning after killing the Daemos Rawbond, Meryn sits in the common room, unable to eat her eggs as she's haunted by memories of the violence. She notices the changes in herself—her hair now a choppy bob after cutting it to remove the blood—and wrestles with the unsettling feeling that she is becoming someone else. She senses Anassa's satisfaction at the kill and struggles to maintain the mental wall between them. Before she can deflect Izabel and Venna's concerned questions about her sudden haircut and wellbeing, Commander Stark storms in demanding to know who killed another Rawbond against Leader Aldrich's rules.

Meryn immediately confesses, claiming self-defense. Stark is furious and publicly humiliates her by ordering her to the front of the room. He explains that Bonded tattoos memorialize kills and represent the cost of war, then forces Meryn into a chair and tattoos the side of her neck with a needle pen. Meryn refuses to show pain or fear despite the excruciating process. When Stark finishes, he grips her jaw, leans in, and licks the fresh tattoo—a Bonded healing instinct that sends an unwanted wave of physical arousal through Meryn. She is left shaken and furious, learning from Venna that licking tattoos to heal is a normal Bonded custom.

That afternoon, Strategos Rawbonds begin formal riding training under Beta Egith. While other pairs flow smoothly through an obstacle course of hurdles, beams, and hoops, Meryn and Anassa are a disaster. Anassa refuses to communicate or cooperate, and Meryn must rely entirely on physical strength to stay mounted. She nearly falls multiple times but stubbornly clings on, refusing to be humiliated. The session highlights how far behind she is compared to other bonded pairs, with the Voice Trial—a communication-based obstacle course—looming just one month away.

After training, Egith pulls Meryn aside and assigns her a private room in the Strategos quarters, explaining that the attack on her suggests she is being targeted. The order comes from above Egith's authority. Meryn protests that the private room will only make her more of a target, but Egith insists. Alone in her new room, Meryn examines her new tattoo in the mirror—an artful runic design with swirling dark fire around an empty circle. She is surprised by its beauty but then recognizes it for what it symbolizes: the beginning of a collar, and she wonders how many more tattoos she'll accumulate before training ends.