Diago spends the night absorbing the shock of his father’s return and the truths behind it. His father explains that an ancient war led to the creation of the Aurora Columnae and the Cataclysms, and that the world was split into three realms: Res, Obiteum, and Luceum. By activating the device beyond the Labyrinth, Diago was also split, which means another version of him still exists in Res while the Diago in this chapter now lives in Luceum.

Diago then asks how his father came to be here. His father says Military forced information from him after death, then a man calling himself Ostius woke him and questioned him about Diago, including how Diago might be manipulated. Ostius later brought him to Luceum because Diago had come through the Labyrinth unexpectedly, and Diago’s father believes Ostius wanted someone genuinely invested in protecting Diago while he adjusted his plans.

The conversation turns into an argument about Diago’s future. His father warns that Diago may be crucial to preventing another world-ending disaster, so going to Caer Áras and into the war risks not only Diago’s life but the fate of an entire world. Diago refuses to abandon his friends after already once surviving while loved ones were left behind, and insists that choosing danger for their sake must remain his decision.

His father counters that Diago is not merely unlucky but unusually gifted and therefore burdened with responsibilities most people could never shoulder. He recalls moments from Diago’s childhood to show both Diago’s exceptional ability and his occasional failure to understand others’ limits, then argues that this same rare capability is why the burden falls on him. Even so, when Diago stands firm, his father finally accepts that he cannot and should not make the choice for him.

With the conflict eased, they speak more warmly. Diago’s father explains that the strange pulse Diago senses comes from the Will sustaining him, and he shows Diago the stone stylus Ostius gave him to track him, which Diago recognizes as the one Relucia once gave him. Before dawn, his father says he cannot approach camp because the druids would recognize what he is, but promises to remain nearby whenever Diago can slip away. Diago returns to camp comforted, falls asleep near Lir’s unnoticed campfire, and smiles knowing his father is truly there.