Tora and the Nameless remove Bjorn from his cell, chain and gag him, and lead him through Grindill to a public execution. Troels, believing Harald’s lies, tells Bjorn that death would be too merciful, while the crowd pelts Bjorn with filth and calls him traitor. In the square, Harald disguised as Snorri stands on the dais with Ylva, Leif, and the Unfated, then publicly blames Bjorn and Freya for the deaths on the strait and threatens Freya with worse if she does not surrender. Gyda presents a cruel knife from Harald, and Snorri orders Tora to carry out the killing in Harald’s name.

Before the execution can begin, Ylva says Steinunn has prepared a song to justify the punishment. Steinunn steps forward with her drum and unleashes a spell so strong that no one can look away or interrupt her. Bjorn stops resisting and sees the first vision: a young Harald begging a white wax creature for help, only for that being to tear off Harald’s face and remake itself wearing it. The revelation shows that the ruler everyone knows is actually a child of Loki who stole Harald’s identity, and the crowd reacts in horror while Harald-as-Snorri screams for Steinunn to stop.

Steinunn’s song continues by exposing how the impostor built loyalty through manufactured suffering. Bjorn sees the false Harald return to a younger Gyda and win her trust, then watches the truth of Guthrum’s childhood: the child of Loki posed as Guthrum’s father, beat Guthrum’s mother, and later arranged for Guthrum to unleash his hound on his own innocent father. Harald then appeared as savior and secured Guthrum’s devotion. The same pattern follows in Troels’s past, as the impostor traps Troels, abandons him in a spiked pit while wearing Aksel’s face, and lets the real Aksel die for the crime so Harald can rescue Troels and claim his allegiance.

The visions spread across the histories of Harald’s entire cabal, proving that each tragedy was staged by the same deceiver. Bjorn then sees his own past clearly: Harald, disguised as Snorri, attacked Bjorn’s mother, provoked child-Bjorn into calling Tyr’s flame, and then carried Bjorn from the fire as if he were the rescuer. Finally, Steinunn reveals the attack on her village, showing Harald’s branded warriors wearing Snorri’s banners and the child of Loki in Snorri’s face murdering her husband and son. By the end of the chapter, Bjorn is trapped in Steinunn’s grief and truth alike, while Harald thrashes helplessly inside the spell, unable to silence the revelation destroying his false rule.