Malar wakes in pain within Evar’s healing circle, cursing Evar and vowing violence. Livira translates his insults into sabbertine but softens them, reminding Malar that Evar carried him here and the place is repairing him. She reassures Malar that time in the Exchange bends to need, so there’s no urgency to depart.

Evar and Livira speak awkwardly about deception and identity. Evar considers reading his forbidden book about a mystery woman. Livira produces her own handwritten volume; their covers match. When the books touch, they become one, overwhelming Livira with emotion and triggering the return of Evar’s memories. They decide to move on, absorbing the revelation without further words.

The group—Evar, Livira, Malar, and a scarred, sword-bearing assistant Evar calls the Soldier—makes a slow return through towering book columns. Livira notes doors keyed by species: some open to humans, some to canith, some to neither. She studies the Soldier’s off-white, heat-buckled surface and facial scar matching a known corrupting wound. Evar vouches for the Soldier’s lethality and loyalty, hinting he likes Livira.

At a vast white door, Livira questions why the Soldier never opened it. He answers that it is not his place, admits he has been beyond but not for fifty years, and warns that nothing is safe. As Malar bristles, Livira reaches for the door; her fingers meet dissipating mist, and the barrier yields. Evar gasps, as if exhaling a lifelong-held breath, signaling a long-sought way out.