As the Will-powered ship nears Suus, Vis relives memories of exile after the Hierarchy’s invasion and struggles to control the rising grief of returning home. Traveling with Emissa, Indol, and Belli, he deflects questions with a fabricated river story and forces composure while the island’s sights and smells stir painful nostalgia.

Upon arrival, Vis notes expanded docks, new shops, and a larger Catenan presence. Sextus Auctia, Dispensator to the Quiscil household, greets the group. Indol praises the island’s development, and Belli remarks on its late “civilization,” inflaming Vis’s quiet anger. The party ascends Will-carved stairs to the palace, where Vis is shaken by its defaced façade—Catenan colors and friezes overwriting Suus’s carved history.

Inside, the layout remains familiar. Dimidius Quiscil welcomes the students warmly, publicly honors Vis for the naumachia, and invites them to dinner. He announces that the eastern wing will be strictly off-limits during the summit, warning that any breach means removal from the Academy. As Dimidius departs, Vis spots Fadrique—once his father’s adviser—now a Catenan Sextus in Quiscil’s entourage, and feels a cold sense of betrayal when Fadrique neither acknowledges nor recognizes him.

Emissa checks on Vis, but he keeps conversation minimal as Auctia shows them to the guest wing. Vis hastily claims a specific room, then, alone, succumbs to a quiet breakdown before reaffirming his goal: endure the summit, reach and win the Iudicium, and find an escape from Relucia’s leverage.

Regaining focus, Vis surveys the room tactically and tests the fireplace. He finds the hidden lever intact; the back panel swings open, revealing the old tunnels are still functional. He reseals the passage without leaving traces and forms a plan to feign illness over the coming days so he can be left undisturbed and use the tunnels to spy on the summit’s final, high-level meeting.