In a white, magic-dampened cell beneath the Comitium, Hunt watches the atrium feed showing Justinian crucified and wingless, still barely alive, and Viktoria trapped in a blood-slick glass box. Isaiah arrives and demands to know why Hunt pursued rebellion. Hunt answers that nothing had changed since Mount Hermon, and that he, Viktoria, and Justinian planned to use synth to strike the Archangels.

Hunt explains they learned synth’s power after he killed three drug lords, and arranged a buy through the Viper Queen, not realizing she served Micah. They intended to act at the Summit, then go to Pangera. Hunt sought an antidote and, after seeing footage of synth’s ravages and after his time with Bryce, tried to halt the plan—but Viktoria and Justinian refused.

Isaiah, furious, says Micah saw messages proving Hunt tried to stop the deal; thus Justinian and Viktoria suffer publicly while Hunt awaits sentence. Isaiah confirms Bryce was uninvolved and won’t be harmed, then says goodbye. Hunt asks Isaiah to tell Bryce he is sorry and accepts that he will pay the price.

Three days later, in the library, Lehabah obsessively watches news of the crucifixion and insists Hunt is alive. A messenger delivers a vial of antidote refined from Bryce’s kristallos-derived sample. Bryce locks it in Jesiba’s safe beside the Godslayer Rifle’s golden bullet and returns to work, brittle and exhausted.

The Autumn King visits the gallery for the first time. He tells Bryce the Governor will not touch her and asserts legal authority over her as a half-Fae citizen. He urges her to keep searching for the Horn, but Bryce argues Danika stole and ditched it, and that synth’s black salt accidentally summoned the kristallos—making the Horn trail a dead end. He reveals regret over scarring Ember and claims he would have made her queen, then warns Bryce she is like him “and that is not a good thing.” After he leaves, Bryce finds there is still no public word on Hunt’s fate.