Imprisoned in the Autumn King’s warded estate with no access to news or communication, Bryce endures isolation and spiraling fear about Hunt, Ruhn, and her family. At dinner, she confronts her father about whether he plans to keep her captive until she breaks, and the two settle into a transactional interrogation: each answered question earns one answer in return.

When Bryce confirms she truly reached the Fae home world, the Autumn King reveals that Hunt Athalar and Ruhn are still alive. Bryce then answers that the other world seemed free of the Asteri, and deliberately needles her father by explaining that the Asteri siphon Midgard’s magic through the Drop, while the Prythian Fae retain their full power. In exchange, the Autumn King tells Bryce she has been gone for five days, and presses her to explain what she learned there, which Bryce evades with deflection and insults.

Bryce demands to know what happened after she left, and the Autumn King admits the Asteri threw Hunt and Ruhn into their dungeons and contained the incident’s knowledge to only those who needed to know. Bryce erupts over his refusal to help Ruhn, and the Autumn King coldly dismisses Ruhn’s suffering as deserved, provoking Bryce to threaten him. Using the rules against him, Bryce forces an answer about why the Asteri kept Hunt and Ruhn alive: likely to use them against Bryce.

The Autumn King shifts to the prophecy and asks about Bryce’s dagger, and Bryce confirms it is Truth-Teller, the counterpart to the Starsword, and says she stole it. Bryce then asks after Ophion and learns there have been no further attacks since the lab and the rebellion’s numbers are nearly depleted, effectively making Ophion “dead.” Bryce also asks about her friends and learns that, while most are alive, Cormac is not. Overwhelmed and angry, Bryce ends the game, and the Autumn King dismisses her until tomorrow.

Elsewhere, Ithan descends the pitch-black stairs within the House of Flame and Shadow, walking for an unknown length of time through dry, tomb-like air. He finally collides with what he thinks is a wall, only for a door to open and spill soft golden light into the stairwell. Jesiba Roga stands on the other side and dryly greets him, revealing he has reached someone who has been waiting.