As the chapter opens, Vis remembers sitting with Ysabel on the cliffs of Suus and mocking the people who surrendered their Will to the Republic. The memory sharpens his dread because he is now about to do the same thing himself, and he is pained both by the act and by how badly his memory of Ysabel has already begun to fade. At the Aurora Columnae in Caten, Vis arrives with Ulciscor and Lanistia and notices that the obelisk glows more brightly than the one he once saw at Letens.

While they wait, Vis reflects on the selective account of the Iudicium he has just given Ulciscor and Lanistia during their walk through the city. Vis omits the scarred man, the pulses in his head, and Emissa's role in trying to kill him, but he deliberately gives Ulciscor the name Navisalus so that Military involvement can be uncovered. Ulciscor and Lanistia remain grim, and the mood of Caten matches them: the city is tense, suspicious, and deeply divided. Ulciscor explains that Governance, Religion, Military, provincial grievances, taxes, veterans' land demands, and the unanswered Anguis attack have all combined into a dangerous political crisis.

Relucia then arrives unexpectedly, greeting Ulciscor and Vis with exuberant affection and insisting on a celebratory dinner. Vis knows she helped plan the Iudicium attack, but he hides his hatred and decides to keep pretending to trust the Anguis so he can learn more from them. He also notices several Academy students in the crowd and briefly looks for Emissa, though he knows she has already undergone this rite.

When the magistrate begins the ceremony, Vis steps inside the chain around the Aurora Columnae and is formally asked whether he comes freely. He answers, though reluctantly, and when he places his hand on the stone he is hit by the same strange pulses he felt during the Iudicium, only far more intensely. The magistrate tells Vis to say that he gives his Will freely, but when Vis obeys, nothing happens. The magistrate is confused and asks him to repeat the words, yet the expected transfer still does not occur.

At that moment, Lanistia abruptly moves past the guards, kills two of them with terrifying speed, and advances on Vis while repeating, again and again, "Complete the journey, warrior." The Forum erupts in panic. More guards attack, but Lanistia cuts them down and even deflects Razors, while Vis desperately retreats and tries to survive her assault despite being outmatched and one-armed. Vis realizes that only Lanistia's restrictive formal clothing is keeping him alive.

The attack ends only when the great chains around the Aurora Columnae rip free and wrap themselves around Lanistia. Ulciscor, using his power, stops others from killing her and orders that she not be harmed, the chains now restraining and shielding her. Still staring at Vis, Lanistia softly repeats her phrase one last time, this time like an apology, before the tightening chains finally cut off her breath and she falls unconscious. The ceremony is left in chaos, with Vis's failed ceding and Lanistia's inexplicable attack both unresolved.