Angry at Grayson Hawthorne's warning about the island's cliffs, Lyra runs across the island to reclaim control. Lyra passes through burned forest, healthy woods, coastline, docks, boathouse, helipad, and other structures, deliberately exploring everything except the house on the north point. As Lyra pushes her body harder, the island feels wild and beautiful, but the ruined area keeps pulling Lyra back.

Near sundown, Lyra returns to the burned forest and touches a blackened tree. The sight triggers memories of Lyra's biological father telling Lyra that a Hawthorne caused the fire, and Lyra also remembers his distant birthday greeting and the way he pronounced Lyra's name wrong. Lyra tries to connect the fire and the bet but rejects that link, insisting to herself that this cannot be what begins a bet.

A flapping sound draws Lyra to a sheet of paper taped to a charred tree. The page bears the name THOMAS, and Lyra soon finds more pages with variations of the same name: THOMAS, TOMMASO, and TOMÁS. When Lyra crumples the papers, they spark and burn, reducing the names to ash. Lyra realizes the display points directly to Lyra's dead biological father and wonders whether Avery, Jameson, Grayson, or the game makers invited Lyra as damage control, a payoff, or amends.

Savannah Grayson finds Lyra staring at the ashes. Savannah's pale appearance, chain-wrapped arm, and Hawthorne-like eyes immediately unsettle Lyra because Savannah reminds Lyra of Grayson. When Lyra says the game and its makers are sick, Rohan appears and argues that Avery Grambs and the Hawthorne brothers are self-important and dramatic but not cruel. Rohan recognizes that whatever upset Lyra was cruel.

Rohan introduces Savannah Grayson to Lyra Kane. Savannah presses Lyra for details, and Lyra admits that notes bearing Lyra's dead father's names were left in the trees and burned. Savannah bluntly asks who Lyra's father was and how he died, but Lyra refuses to discuss him. Rohan repeatedly insists that the display is not a hint, though not necessarily unrelated to the game.

Rohan explains that the game makers are unlikely to be responsible and suggests another player smuggled in supplies to target Lyra. Because the display was timed near sunset, Rohan implies it was meant to distract Lyra close to curfew and sabotage Lyra's position in the competition. Lyra understands that another player may know Lyra's father's names and has used that knowledge against Lyra, raising the stakes and signaling that the game has become personal.