Before the choosing, Rowin stayed distant and evasive, shadowing Genevieve without opening up. In the library, Genevieve showed Rowin a book on Crimson Rot but learned nothing new; she remained nagged by a sense of missing something and suspicious that Rowin had bargained with Knox in Hell. Over dinner, Ellin gossiped about the Serpentine family, and later Genevieve updated her diary, unable to define her feelings for Rowin.

At the ceremony, Knox announced there were five players left, and the Hunting Blade chose Ellin. Ellin selected the game “Birds and stones,” a variant that forces players who see each other to stay together, simplifying the Hunter’s job. Rowin abruptly walked off without Genevieve, and when Genevieve followed him into a powder room, she found he had shattered the mirror, his knuckles healing and bleeding black. When pressed, Rowin admitted he cared for Genevieve but refused to explain his behavior in Knoxium, provoking Genevieve to call him a coward and order him to leave.

Genevieve fled into the snowy labyrinth to numb herself and accidentally fell asleep, dreaming of mirrored forests and a golden-eyed fox. She returned inside suffering from near-hypothermia and headed for warmth, but her ring burned near a first-floor room, signaling a nearby sibling who wished her harm, and Ellin appeared with the Hunting Blade. As Ellin closed in, Genevieve stalled with humor before bolting for a locked door. Ellin tackled her and drove the blade toward Genevieve’s heart while apologizing.

Genevieve screamed for Rowin. Rowin arrived, grappled Ellin from behind, and, with a pained apology, snapped Ellin’s neck, killing her and ending the immediate threat. He ordered Genevieve to run, and they retreated to their hidden room behind the library, where Rowin paced in silence.

After an hour, Genevieve forced a confrontation. Rowin exploded that “anyone else” could have opened a letter—revealing his anguish—then admitted Knox had offered him a deal: betray Genevieve so she could be eliminated within the Hunt, in exchange for Rowin’s freedom. Warned by Wells that Knox was seeking a way to remove Genevieve, Rowin had refused without hesitation.

Genevieve, torn between relief and the cost of what Rowin gave up, demanded why he kept it secret. Rowin said he was protecting her and confessed how deeply she affected him, that thoughts of severing their vows felt like being stabbed by the Hunting Blade. He declared that Genevieve had given him hope after fifteen years of living for others. Genevieve recalled their vows and shared history as Rowin admitted, “Shadows can only be seen in the presence of light. I worry when you leave, there will be no one left to see me.” The chapter ended as their mutual feelings culminated and they moved toward each other.