Deaglán wakes tired and itchy, but he also feels unusually well and senses his father's steady pulse about a mile to the south. As he and Lir continue east, Lir warns that the coming test is dangerous and important, but refuses to explain more. The peaceful landscape calms Deaglán despite his anxiety about the war and his desire to rejoin his companions.

Following an ancient road, Deaglán notices old Vetusian mile markers and translates one as seven miles from Lapides Animarum, which Lir confirms is connected to Fornax. They eventually reach a wide lake with no visible settlement, only a stone archway standing in the shallows. Reading the Vetusian inscription, Deaglán learns it refers to a path for those who would serve and be tested, confirming that this place is tied to another old Vetusian trial.

Lir tells Deaglán to eat and rest until dusk, then forbids him from bringing his spear. Remembering Pádraig's teaching that a warrior should never be separated from his weapon, Deaglán briefly hesitates, but chooses to obey. When night falls, Lir leads him into the freezing water, reveals black eyes in the dim light, and activates the archway by touching its spiral symbol with his staff.

The symbol flares, all sound vanishes for a moment, and then the lake begins to boil and heave. An entire stone city rises from beneath the water: streets, towers, fountains, temples, and statues emerging until Fornax stands revealed, strangely reminiscent of Caten. Lir explains that Deaglán must go alone and unarmed to the city's center, enter its largest building, do whatever is asked there, and reach the far shore before dawn or be taken when Fornax sinks again. Deaglán steps through the archway onto the city's wet cobbles, feels a pulse of energy race ahead through the stone, and begins his passage into Fornax.