After leaving Magnus Decimus and the other senators, Vis thanks Aequa for standing with him, but Tertius Ericius immediately makes clear how serious the challenge really is. Ericius explains that Decimus has turned a personal grudge into a political test: if Vis is publicly forced to surrender Domitor to Religion, Governance may use the humiliation to rupture its fragile cooperation with Religion. Vis realizes the race matters not just for his own status, but for Caten’s unstable politics and for his ability to keep working under Ericius with enough freedom to investigate the Iudicium.

Ericius, Advenius, and especially Livia brief Vis and Aequa on the demands of racing. They explain that each team uses two chariots, with each driver steering their own vehicle while using Will to power their partner’s stone wheel, and that survival, balance, and divided concentration are as important as speed. Livia bluntly adds the practical truth that the sport is violent and permissive, so opponents will likely target Vis’s missing arm and unsteady balance; her advice is to strike first, especially at Decimus’s weaker control, and try to force both Blue chariots into a crash.

As they approach the starting area, Vis reflects on how much now depends on winning. Advenius privately tells Vis to keep Aequa safe as well as win, and Vis notices that Aequa seems happier and more confident than before, almost energized by the challenge. At the track, the other competitors are already assembled: Iro and Indol for Blue, Marcellus and Tiberius for Religion’s other team, and Felix and Diana for Governance. Vis also sees that Indol is uncomfortable with the situation, and their brief exchange confirms that Indol is participating reluctantly rather than eagerly.

Once aboard the green chariots, Vis studies the practical problem he faces. The vehicles are light, unstable platforms, and with only one arm he must devote far more Will than the others simply to stay upright, steer, and absorb impacts. To compensate, Vis puts heavy reinforcement into his legs, torso, and arm and channels the rest into powering Aequa’s chariot, knowingly leaving no reserve for extra protection if he crashes. With the senators watching, Decimus gives the signal, and the race begins as all eight chariots lurch into thunderous motion.