Dragged to a cell, Robin is consumed by grief over Ramy’s death. The walls, activated by a mistranslation chain, whisper the confessions of past prisoners. Sterling Jones arrives, debates empire with Robin, and reveals bespoke torture bars: agonizing cuffs and a Greek phren distortion that floods Robin with uncontrolled feeling.

Sterling threatens Victoire’s life to force confessions and fires a shot down the hall; Robin believes she is dead. Robin attacks, but Sterling doubles the pain and leaves him shattered. Robin contemplates death until Griffin blows the cell door, frees him, and cuts the cuffs.

Griffin explains he dispersed the guards with a daisy-chain on explodere and simple black powder, then locates Victoire and blasts a crawl hole to her wooden door. They realize they’re in Oxford Castle’s north tower and descend by rope as the building burns.

Outside, Sterling confronts them, trading bitter history with Griffin. They fire simultaneously and both fall. Robin tries to heal Griffin with a xiū bar, but the lodged bullet blocks the repair. With constables approaching, Robin uses wúxíng to render himself and Victoire invisible.

Constables find the scene, identify Sterling, and summarily execute the wounded Griffin. After the guards withdraw, Robin confirms Griffin is dead. With no time to recover the bodies, Robin and Victoire flee, guided by Griffin’s dying instructions about a Hermes safe room and the wúxíng bar.