Everlayne wakes Saeris before dawn and dresses her for court, and Saeris realizes Yvelia is fundamentally different from Zilvaren: there is only one sun, and it sets. As they walk, Saeris sees snow, mountains, forests, and a wide river outside the Winter Palace, all of it so alien and abundant that she struggles to believe it is real. Inside the palace, she feels the court’s open hostility even as she remains protected because they need her to repeat what happened at the Hall of Mirrors.

Everlayne brings Saeris to the palace library, where Saeris is overwhelmed by the scale of the books, the light, and the glass dome overhead. They are greeted by Rusarius, the newly reappointed librarian, who shows genuine curiosity rather than contempt. When Saeris identifies herself as being from Zilvaren, Rusarius and Everlayne react to the implication that the quicksilver has awakened; Rusarius immediately wonders if Saeris is an “Alchemist,” and Everlayne warns they do not yet know what Saeris is.

Kingfisher appears from the stacks and joins the discussion, asserting Saeris must have some Fae blood because she held Solace without being burned. His tense banter with Everlayne reveals concerns about Belikon’s assassins and that Kingfisher has armed himself. Saeris insults the sword on Kingfisher’s back, provoking him and amusing Renfis when he arrives; Rusarius clarifies the weapon’s importance, naming it Nimerelle and describing it as an ancient, storied blade.

Everlayne attempts to begin instruction with a book that includes Yvelian history, etiquette, and politics, but Saeris refuses to care about court lessons and instead demands a way home and proof of what happened to Hayden and the people of Zilvaren. Everlayne tries to push Saeris toward acceptance, but Saeris challenges her about family, and Kingfisher unexpectedly respects Saeris’s loyalty. Kingfisher then reveals what Everlayne and Renfis have not: there is a real chance Saeris’s people are still alive.

Kingfisher argues Madra would likely conscript Zilvaren’s people rather than simply burn them, because Solace once sealed the pathways and Madra now faces the threat of Belikon reopening portals and sending an army. He claims Madra also lied to Belikon and that rumors persist the Daianthus heir is in Zilvaren, giving Belikon incentive for a brutal war to eliminate challengers. As Everlayne and Renfis clash with Kingfisher about what was taken through the portal and the larger war with Sanasroth, Kingfisher pivots back to Saeris, asking whether she has ever channeled a metal’s energy and whether she has forge experience; Saeris confirms she has done both.