The chapter opens on the rain-soaked rooftop with a tense standoff: Hunt has his gun aimed at Sabine's head, while Sabine has her gun aimed at Bryce's heart. Hunt positions himself behind Bryce, pressing her against his armored battle-suit to shield her, calculating whether he could absorb a bullet meant for her heart. He realizes all rooftop cameras have been disabled—looping harmless footage just as Sabine did at Luna's Temple—meaning no one in the 33rd Legion knows what is happening.

Bryce, hands raised, defiantly asks about Sabine's "little demon friend." Sabine warns Hunt not to move his arm, stopping him before he can fully cover Bryce's chest with his armored limb. Sabine angrily berates them for continuing to investigate and showing up at the Den despite her warnings to stay away.

Bryce directly accuses Sabine of killing Danika, claiming Sabine murdered her own daughter because Danika was poised to replace her as future Prime, that Sabine stole the Horn to undermine Danika, and used the kristallos demon to eliminate witnesses and embarrass Micah before the Summit. Hunt reinforces the accusation by citing the wiped temple footage, Sabine's lie about Danika's presence at the temple the night of the theft, and Sabine's rant about Danika not keeping her mouth shut.

Sabine's reaction is one of genuine shock and outrage. Hunt, who knows Sabine wears every emotion openly, recognizes her disbelief as authentic. Sabine lowers her gun and puts the safety on, trembling with rage, and flatly denies killing Danika or stealing anything. She then reveals a stunning twist: she was not the thief but the one protecting her daughter—because Danika was the one who stole the Horn.