Tullius brings Vis to the imbuing portion of the trials and tells him to focus on efficiency rather than speed. Vis studies a massive boulder with the memorisation technique drilled into him at the Academy, then imbues it and lifts it without touching it. The task feels unexpectedly natural, and Vis notices that his unusual new sensitivity lets him sense the connection and the weight in a way ordinary training never promised.

Tullius then increases the difficulty by making Vis imbue three stones of different sizes without testing how much Will each requires. Vis carefully rations his strength, almost underpowering the largest stone, but still raises all three and then repeats the feat blindfolded. More tests follow: Vis controls many smaller objects at once, keeps identical objects mentally separate, and threads imbued pyramids through hovering stone triangles. By the end, Vis is confident he has performed extremely well and realises that the Labyrinth trained his use of Will in ways ordinary schooling could not.

After the assessment, Vis joins Aequa and Felix in the shade. Felix greets him warmly, says many at the Academy feared Vis would die, and explains that he and Iro were eliminated before the Anguis struck their safety team; Felix also repeats Veridius’s claim that Belli’s body was later found. Felix apologises for not defending Vis during the Iudicium, and Vis lets the grievance go. The three then discuss assignments, and the uncertainty around Military secondment suggests unusual political tension between the factions.

That tension becomes explicit when Magnus Tertius Decimus, Iro’s father, approaches with senators and publicly tells Vis to relinquish the title of Domitor. Decimus argues that the Iudicium was compromised and that Vis’s injury means he no longer deserves the honour’s benefits. Praeceptor Nequias supports giving the title to Indol instead, while Aequa angrily protests that Vis saved them all. Tertius Ericius arrives to defend Vis and warns Decimus not to inflame an already fragile alliance, but Decimus presses on and hints that Vis endangers those around him.

When Vis argues that the Iudicium tested more than raw tasks, Decimus seizes on the word competition and proposes a chariot race in the circus as a supposedly fair demonstration. Because the challenge is now public, neither Vis nor Ericius can decline gracefully. Vis agrees on one condition: if he wins, Decimus must publicly acknowledge him as both Domitor and Catenicus everywhere, including in the Senate. Decimus accepts, assigns Iro and Indol to one side, and asks Vis to choose a partner. Marcellus offers, but Vis refuses him and instead chooses Aequa, setting the stage for the coming race.