Rohan and Savannah’s attempt to burn the rose petal with the mirrored plate fails, possibly because they used the wrong mirror or light. Rohan still considers the effort useful because for one moment Savannah’s breathing synchronizes with his, reinforcing his sense that she is formidable and worth studying closely.

Savannah decides they have tried Rohan’s approach and insists on trying hers. She pairs Scrabble tiles with poetry magnets, spelling words beneath magnetic words, while Rohan follows her lead and rapidly adds more. Together they form BEAUTY, DANGER, TOUCH, and finally POWER, the last word chosen decisively by Savannah.

The word POWER pulls Rohan back to his own purpose. Rohan reminds himself that he is competing for the Devil’s Mercy, the Proprietorship, and the crown, and that Savannah, however impressive, must remain an asset rather than a distraction. He reframes the game as a board on which everyone is a piece, with the real opponents being the game itself and those controlling it.

Rohan then realizes they have been overcomplicating the puzzle. After Savannah notices that his clenched fist has reopened his cut, Rohan clears his mind and returns to the instruction to focus on the words. He places the Styrofoam Sonic cup beside the quarters, pairs the rose petal with the mirrored plate, and recognizes that the remaining objects are the Scrabble tiles and poetry magnets.

Rohan tells Savannah to forget the letters, individual magnet words, and any search for hidden clues, because the answer is simpler than their earlier theories. He waits for Savannah to see the same pattern, and the chapter ends at the moment he knows she has understood it.