As the shuttle travels through the River, filthy red water begins flooding through the seams and cockpit while Mercymorn clinically counts down the remaining time. God tells Harrow and Ianthe to stay flat and focus on the shuttle’s details because the visible setting is a projected memory that will dissolve as their souls separate from their bodies.

Harrow removes her hood and sees the shuttle filling with water. God reassures Harrow that Harrow does not need to breathe, while Ianthe becomes rigid with terror. The blood ward protecting them steams, sparks, and finally explodes after lasting longer than expected, leaving the shuttle exposed.

Dead, rotting bodies begin striking the cockpit window from outside, and Harrow hears a thin, pained wail within the shuttle that no one else acknowledges. When Harrow instinctively tries to use a bone theorem, Harrow opens Harrow’s own shin instead; God and Mercymorn are alarmed because Harrow should not be able to perform necromancy while so detached.

The River’s predatory illusions intensify. Harrow suddenly sees the shuttle filled with the corpses of dead Ninth House children, including infants and toddlers, and God explains that only Harrow can see them because Harrow has gone far deeper into the River than expected. Mercymorn warns that the noise is drawing attackers and recalls watching Cassiopeia die in similar danger.

Harrow’s perception breaks down into lights, bodies, blood, heat, and a terrifying awareness of something inside Harrow. Mercymorn wants to accelerate before the shuttle becomes porous, while God insists on holding until he can retrieve Harrow. When the shuttle is hit and Ianthe shrieks in terror, God orders Mercymorn to throttle the engine, grabs Harrow despite the risk, and Harrow’s consciousness vanishes.