The protagonist wakes in the infirmary, haunted by visions of friends and his deceased father. He has a heartbreaking conversation with the spectre of his father who advises him to keep fighting before disappearing.
It is revealed when he wakes that five days have passed and that he's lost his left arm due to a rot condition.
Veridius, a physician, reveals that the protagonist's blood has been tainted, indicating he ran the Labyrinth in the ruins, and someone is likely to kill him if they found out.
His friend Emissa, who had previously stabbed him thinking he was beyond help, wants to see him. The protagonist declines.
Veridius advises the protagonist to join the Religion committee and become an Imperator under Magnus Tertius Pileus, stressing this isn't political but a bid to avoid another Cataclysm.
Troubled by Veridius's claims, the protagonist nonetheless decides to choose a new path. His application to work for the Censor is greeted with silence and disbelief, but eventually confirmed and witnessed.
Despite Veridius's protest, the protagonist attributes his friend Belli's death to him and vows they will never work together.
Alone in his room, the protagonist discovers a toy ship he made for his father as a boy, reminding him that despite his ordeals and losses, he has to keep fighting.