Contents
III. Stoicism — Libby
Overview
Libby meets Parisa, who urges her to conduct the multiverse experiment for Parisa’s aims, not Atlas’s. After a bitter clash over power, guilt, and Reina’s role, Libby refuses. Restless, Libby discovers an Atlas letter describing the initiation’s mechanics, invokes the ritual, faces taunting projections of allies and enemies, confronts herself, and fails.
The failure deepens Libby’s crisis of motive and worth, sharpening stakes around whether she’ll pursue the experiment anyway.
Summary
In Shoreditch, Parisa meets Libby, praising her return while bluntly raising the nuclear detonation and Atlas’s multiverse plan. Parisa, claiming she’s done with Atlas, wants Libby to do the experiment for Parisa’s curiosity and leverage, suggesting Reina’s help. Libby asserts she no longer needs Reina or Parisa. Their exchange turns caustic—Parisa calls Libby compromised and warns she’ll regret her next move; Libby vows independence. They part in open conflict.
Back at the manor, Libby’s guilt is inflamed by memories and Belen’s accusations. Gideon’s presence unsettles her; in bed, Tristan reassures her the killing wasn’t her fault. They admit they want the experiment “because we can,” but the weight of choices lingers between them. After Tristan sleeps, Libby heads to the archives.
In the reading room, Libby finds a page of Atlas Blakely’s notes addressed to Ezra, revealing the initiation’s simplicity: ask, and the archives answer. Spurred by envy and resolve, Libby demands entry.
The lights die and the ritual begins. Projections manifest as Nico—then morphing into Callum, Parisa, Reina, and Tristan—needling Libby’s insecurities: redundancy, unworthiness, moral failure in coming back, and the inevitability she’ll attempt the experiment to prove her value. The trial escalates, mixing taunts with magical clashes, until Libby faces a blood-soaked version of herself, echoing, “What else are you willing to break, Miss Rhodes?”
A flash ends the ordeal. Libby wakes in the dim reading room, realizing the confrontation was the initiation ritual—and that she failed.
Who Appears
- Libby RhodesProtagonist; clashes with Parisa over the experiment, seeks initiation, endures a brutal ritual, and fails.
- Parisa KamaliPressures Libby to do the experiment for her, warns Libby is compromised, leaves after a sharp confrontation.
- Tristan CaineComforts Libby, discusses guilt and choice; they admit wanting the experiment because they can.
- Nico de Varona (ritual projection)Appears as taunting projection, morphs forms, attacks Libby’s motives and ethics during initiation.
- Callum Nova (ritual projection)Briefly manifests to needle Libby’s hunger for validation and inevitability of pursuing the experiment.
- Reina Mori (ritual projection)Appears indifferent and overpowering, physically hurls Libby during the trial.
- Gideon DrakeWorking among the archives; his presence heightens Libby’s paranoia and guilt.
- Atlas BlakelyAuthor of a discovered letter outlining the initiation’s nature; catalyzes Libby’s attempt.