Carl examines the memorial crystal Prepotente wears for Apito. The crystal is warm, heavy, and still reads as 0% charged. Prepotente explains that it is supposed to absorb power from kills and eventually reveal hidden spells, skills, and knowledge, but it never worked correctly for Osvaldo. Instead, it activated on its own near the end of Faction Wars, shining into the sky when Yarilo emerged from the Nothing, even though Apito is apparently not dead and the crystal should not exist at all.

That odd behavior leads Carl to connect the crystal to other broken divine systems. Carl remembers that his Scavenger's Daughter patch also activated improperly at the same moment, and he asks about Osvaldo's quest. Carl then shares his own quest from Emberus: he must learn who murdered Geyrun. Carl notes that Samantha witnessed part of the setup, one of Sheol's sons may have been involved, and Amayon claims to know the truth. Carl suspects this murder mystery, Rosetta's recent explanation about the Scavenger, the High Elf Castle's protective secret, and the link between Scolopendra and Apito are all part of the same larger puzzle.

Prepotente says his own god, the Midnight Epicure, ordered him at the start of the Butcher's Masquerade to obtain the crystal and keep it until he knows when to use it. When Carl asks about the deity, Prepotente describes the Epicure as an apocalyptic protector of prey animals, a figure that began as a caprid warning tale and became a source of hope. Carl hands the crystal back. Because neither Carl nor Prepotente receives any divine update while the necklace is off or examined, Rosetta concludes the group is safe from godly messages while they remain in the stable.

Samantha suddenly bursts in, complains about the smell, and says Grigori is elsewhere talking to Jamal about his legs. Imani uses Samantha's arrival as the cue to end the private discussion. Samantha notices the secrecy and claims she has her own hidden plan. Donut, frustrated with Carl's intention to leave her party and pursue a dangerous mission without trusting her Cockroach skill, bluntly explains Carl's scheme to gather immortal enemies on a floor where they cannot die and somehow make them destroy one another anyway. Samantha immediately brightens and says her plan is just like Carl's.