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Seeking solitude under Canticle’s brilliant rings, Zellion reflects on the trade-offs of beauty and terror, his burdens, and the lie he’s fostering about the Refuge. Auxiliary observes his deepening Connection to the world, but Zellion remains frustrated, unable to enjoy brief peace while feeling he is steering the Beaconites toward uncertainty.

Rebeke approaches with a newly fabricated coat and reaches to touch his face in thanks. Zellion stops her, sensing she wants more than comfort. When Rebeke suggests sharing fleeting solace before their next departure, he gently refuses—citing a vast age gap and, more importantly, his inevitable departure. He warns of the pain attachments cause when he leaves.

Pressed to explain, Zellion offers a guarded confession: he once served as a knight in two exclusive orders, swore oaths meant to render killing honorable, and bore a weapon capable of slaying gods and destroying worlds. That burden consumed parts of him, ruined a dear friend’s soul, and took his armor, leaving him doubting whether honor was merely a veneer for sanctioned violence.

When Rebeke asks if defending the Beaconites was evil, Zellion answers no—but he can no longer call such killing beautiful, admitting he enjoyed the fight. Rebeke resolves to help by leading rather than killing, then turns to the crucial question of the Refuge. Zellion tries to warn her it may not be what they believe, but she rejects certainty that would extinguish hope, demanding he leave them that hope.

Zellion urges faith in a tangible path—toppling the Cinder King as Elegy once inspired—but Rebeke argues they lack resources and time, and that their people and the Greater Good demand the Refuge. She insists he keep his doubts quiet. Finally, she asks the plan for reaching the entrance past the Cinder King’s forces. Zellion embraces his role as their fighter and declares it’s time to show the Cinder King what a real battle looks like.