Gideon Sharpe reports to Good Commander Nicolas Creed about Cressida Roseblood and hears Creed’s proposed response: reinstate a curfew, increase Blood Guard street patrols, and resume raids and interrogations to frighten citizens into compliance. Gideon objects that these tactics were unpopular during the Red Peace and could inflame sympathy for Cressida and turn ordinary citizens against the Republic.

As Creed asks Gideon to walk with him to a Tribunal meeting, Gideon remembers two years earlier, when Creed’s relentless mentorship pulled Gideon out of the self-destructive aftermath of Cressida’s manipulation. Gideon recognizes how Creed’s belief in him helped Gideon rebuild his own sense of worth, which makes Creed’s praise and reasoning difficult to dismiss.

In the throne room, the sight of the three empty black thrones unsettles Gideon, making the absence of the witch queens feel like a threat waiting to return. Creed frames the curfews and raids as temporary emergency measures, arguing that sacrificing some rights now is preferable to letting Cressida retake power and exact vengeance. He tells Gideon to weigh which long-term consequences he can live with.

Fearing what Cressida would do to the Republic and to people Gideon cares about—Laila, Harrow, Alex, and Rune—Gideon decides mercy is not an option for him. He calls after Creed and commits to reinstating the curfew and raids and tripling Blood Guard presence on the streets.

After delivering the new orders at Blood Guard headquarters, Gideon returns home to find a telegram from Thornwood Hall, not from Rune. Alex invites him to a small goodbye card party and explains he is leaving for Caelis at week’s end to resume his studies and is selling the estate. Though Thornwood is tied to Gideon’s nightmares, Gideon decides he must go to face the memories, mend things with Alex, and warn him that Cressida is alive—and that Alex should watch his back.