The narrator injures their shoulder during a rolling dismount training exercise.
Despite the injury, the narrator is determined to recover quickly to perform well in upcoming challenges.
In history class, news arrives about an attack resulting in the death of Masen Sanborn, a recent graduate.
The chapter explores the historical unification of the narrator's society, revealing tension between retaining individual cultures and fostering a united identity.
Characters in the class debate the costs and benefits of their society's unification, such as lost languages, culture, and restricted travel.
The narrator is good at knots and is practicing on fabric strips, determined to beat someone named Xaden in a challenge.
During a combat exercise, the narrator is unfairly matched against Dain Aetos, the wing leader and a former best friend.
Dain has previously stolen a memory from the narrator and they exchange tense words during the match, where the narrator is forced to defend personal memories.
Rhiannon, a close friend of the narrator, begins to suspect connections between recent events and pressures the narrator for answers.
Following the uncomfortable match, the narrator deflects Rhiannon's queries to avoid revealing sensitive information.
The narrator is approached by Aaric, who implies an understanding of covert occurrences involving the narrator.
Aaric confesses to eluding his guards and indicates awareness of deeper secrets, linked to something about dragons.