Lysander suffers radiation sickness and prolonged, drug-augmented torture at the hands of the Gorgons while imprisoned with Elysian Knights, including Alexandar, Drusilla, Ignacius, and Crastus. As hopelessness grows, he prepares to reveal his identity, but a man frees his shackles and escorts him to a private chamber.

The man is Atlas au Raa, the Fear Knight. In a tense, candid exchange, they discuss Romulus’s death, Seraphina’s fate, and Atlas’s philosophy of terror. Atlas defends his impalements as calculated psychological warfare and challenges Lysander’s idealism, while Lysander questions Atlas’s methods and motives.

Atlas reveals two crucial truths: Ajax is Atalantia’s sexual pawn and rival to Lysander, and Atalantia intends to unleash a newly tested chemical “omnicide” on Heliopolis within five days. He claims Glirastes abetted the enemy’s Storm God strike and will die with the city. Though bound by orders, Atlas opposes mass slaughter and considers Lysander’s proposal to infiltrate Heliopolis and turn Glirastes.

Agreeing to a ruse, Atlas orders Lysander to make it look real. Lysander chokes Atlas unconscious, binds him with a tacNet, hides his Bellona blade, wounds himself for verisimilitude, then returns to the prisoner cavern. He brutally kills two Gorgon guards in a feigned, clumsy manner and frees the Elysian Knights, who quickly strip equipment, seize Atlas’s map, datapad, and hasta, and don stims; Drusilla gives Alexandar a wolfpelt as a promise kept.

With Alexandar leading, Drusilla and Crastus briefly delay pursuit while Ignacius arms the group. Alexandar injects Lysander with stims and plans an escape via Atlas’s secret back door. As alarmed Gorgons close in, the survivors sprint into the tunnels, intent on reaching Heliopolis to prevent Atalantia’s omnicide by targeting Glirastes.