After clearing the Lust level, Ophelia returns to her room with Blackwell badly shaken by how completely the illusion deceived her. She explains that the trial felt like her real mental terror: not knowing whether her senses and thoughts can be trusted. Blackwell reassures her that the point of the trial is to leave contestants paranoid, promises that he is real, and tells her he would stop the moment she ever asked him to. Their flirtation resumes, but it sharpens when he heals her split lip and learns Cade caused the injury.

When Ophelia finally names Cade, Blackwell vanishes without explanation. To keep herself from spiraling into anxiety, intrusive thoughts, and attraction to Blackwell, Ophelia goes to the library to continue the quest. There she meets Luci, who apologizes for doing nothing when Cade hurt her, and Leon arrives with news that a haunt struck the dining room and Mason has forfeited, leaving his sister Edna to continue alone.

The conversation reveals that many contestants already know one another from shared social circles. Luci then shocks Ophelia by admitting she had been friends with Genevieve outside Grimm Manor, along with Iris Saloom, Farrow Henry, and Basile Landry. Ophelia realizes how much of Genevieve's life she never knew, grows defensive and jealous, and rejects the idea of alliance, warning Luci and Leon that attachments in Phantasma will only end in heartbreak.

Alone again, Ophelia follows Blackwell's earlier advice and searches the deeper library shelves more methodically. She finds a hidden button, but Jasper appears and tries to distract her. He hints that he and Blackwell know each other well and offers to free Ophelia from Blackwell's bargain in exchange for a cheaper deal, but Ophelia refuses to make terms with him.

Before Jasper can press further, Drima and Zel suddenly appear in the library in the middle of a violent sexual encounter. Using the chaos as cover, Ophelia presses the hidden button. The bookcase rotates and traps her inside a dark secret passage in the manor. The darkness and the Shadow Voice trigger immediate panic, but Ophelia calls Blackwell's name until he appears beside her.

Relieved, Ophelia throws herself at Blackwell, and he answers simply that he came because she called. With candlelight, they discover she has found a hidden tunnel. Ophelia also notices Blackwell's clothes are splattered with blood, and he confirms he punished Cade, though not in a permanently physical way. Reunited, they move forward together through the passage, with Blackwell once again acting as her protector and ally.