Gideon smashes Rune’s blood vial on the cobblestones and watches the rain wash it away, stewing over the ring he recognizes on the chain around Rune’s neck—his mother’s ring, which he had entrusted to Alex. He fixates on the fact that Alex proposed to Rune and Rune accepted, taking it as proof that Rune’s affection for Gideon was a lie.

As Laila finishes restraining Rune, Gideon cannot bring himself to look at her. He leads the Blood Guard through the storm to the main square and the purging platform where Seraphine’s execution is imminent, realizing Rune will now be executed as well. Though capturing the Crimson Moth has been his driving purpose for two years, Gideon feels only emptiness as the crowd gathers.

Alex fights through the crowd and confronts Gideon, demanding Rune be released. Gideon blocks him and repeats the Republic’s justification that someone must do the “dirty work” of protecting people from witches, but Alex insists Rune is innocent and accuses Gideon’s warped justice of destroying him. Gideon coldly warns that sympathizing with witches is punishable by death.

Alex defies Gideon and, despite Rune begging him to walk away, shouts for the crowd to hear that he knew Rune was the Crimson Moth and stayed silent. He escalates his confession by admitting he helped Rune steal witches from Gideon’s prison cells and smuggle them off the island, then demands Gideon arrest him.

Laila quietly offers shackles and warns that if Gideon will not act, she will. Torn between his duty and his vow to protect his younger brother, Gideon forces himself to choose the Republic’s law: with his heart breaking, he takes the chains and locks them around Alex’s wrists.