Saeris hears the quicksilver calling and races through Ammontraíeth to the Blood Court crypt, where the quicksilver pool remains damaged from her earlier visit with Kingfisher, Carrion, and Lorreth. Remembering that she left the relic in the forge, Saeris fears the pool may kill her or drive her mad, but the pressure of her swelling magic leaves her no time to hesitate.

Saeris closes her eyes and lets the overwhelming power in. At first the void and the vastness of the magic terrify her, but Saeris forces herself to breathe and remembers that she has survived by relying on herself before. When Saeris stops fighting the magic, the power becomes tangible, and opening a portal feels natural and effortless.

Because opening the portal is only part of what Saeris believes she must do, Saeris steps into the pool. The quicksilver climbs her body with agonizing cold, reminding Saeris of Captain Harron and the way quicksilver once overtook him. Saeris holds steady as the presence enters her skin, mouth, ears, and mind.

The voice within the quicksilver challenges Saeris, calling her a half-breed, a pretender, and a curse worker. Saeris answers that she is Saeris Fane, an Alchemist, and insists that she is worthy after a lifetime of being told otherwise in Zilvaren. When the voice claims power is always a weapon, Saeris says she seeks peace and safety for her friends and people, not power for its own sake.

The voice tests how far Saeris will go to face a looming darkness, asking whether Saeris would die, kill, or give up what is most dear to her. Saeris agrees to die and kill if necessary, but refuses to sacrifice Kingfisher. The refusal satisfies the voice, which says every Alchemist must have something they fear losing, clears the pathway, grants Saeris a gift with a warning that it will be her end, and hurls Saeris from the pool into unconsciousness.