Tory prepares for the party at the Acrux manor, refusing to wear the dress Darius sent and choosing her own midnight-blue backless gown with dramatic makeup. Darius arrives to collect her and Darcy, and they meet Orion, Seth, Caleb, and Max at The Orb before traveling by stardust to the massive Acrux manor.

Inside the opulent entrance hall, a butler announces High Lord Lionel and Lady Catalina Acrux, Darius’s parents. The twins insist on being called by their mortal names rather than their royal ones, leading to a tense exchange with Lionel. Catalina leads Orion away to “entertain” her while Lionel takes the group upstairs to meet the other Celestial Councilors: Tiberius Rigel, Antonia Capella, and Melinda Altair. The Heirs greet their parents warmly, a sharp contrast to the cold reception Darius received from his father.

During the meeting, Lionel insults Tory by implying she is sleeping with Darius and warns her about his betrothal to Mildred. Tory and Darcy confirm they have no interest in the throne, only their financial inheritance, satisfying the Council and ending the formal meeting. Caleb suggests finding drinks as they prepare to join the party.

The group enters a crowded ballroom where guests applaud but scrutinize the Vega twins with calculating stares. The Councilors and Heirs disperse to mingle. Hamish Grus greets Darcy and Tory enthusiastically, praising his daughter Geraldine for her friendship with them.

Max leads the twins to a side room where Darius offers shots. The twins note that Seth is scratching frantically, and Darius teases him about having fleas. Mildred, Darius’s fiancée, bursts in wearing an orange dress. Before turning on the twins, Mildred verbally eviscerates Max, Seth, and Caleb, revealing embarrassing secrets about each. She insults the twins and attacks them with Dragon fire, which Darcy deflects with an air shield. After Mildred storms out, the twins return to the ballroom. A man named Gus Vulpecula approaches and befriends the twins, drawing out details about the fall party, including that Seth cut off a coil of Darcy’s hair to wear as a trophy. Orion intervenes, exposing Gus as a Teumessian Fox reporter who uses his Order gifts to manipulate others and gather information from them. He warns they were set up.

The twins corner Hamish and ask about Clara Orion. He reveals he investigated her disappearance as an FIB agent. Clara was last seen alive at the Acrux manor, but Lionel and Stella, Clara and Orion’s mother, obstructed the investigation. According to Hamish, Lance was the only one seemed devastated by the loss of Clara. Back in the ballroom, opportunistic guests surround the twins with false compliments, deepening Darcy’s suspicion that the Acruxes are hiding something tied to Clara’s disappearance.

Tory finds the party oppressive and boring, avoiding political conversations while drinking champagne and struggling with hunger as the food feels inadequate and overly rich. Darius approaches, and they engage in barbed banter about masks and authenticity. He offers her a formal dance, but she refuses and walks away.

Tory meets Xavier Acrux, Darius’s younger brother, who hides from the crowd. When Darius appears, Xavier leaves abruptly under Lionel’s watchful gaze. Darius leads Tory to a back room for sandwiches, where he explains that servants have minimal magic and are rarely thanked, which disgusts Tory. He then takes her to the underground garage to show his superbike collection and offers a race. He explains many Solarian goods are imported from the mortal world through permanent rifts.

Lionel catches them in the garage and insinuates, again, that Tory is sleeping with Darius. Tory insults Lionel, and Darius tries to defuse the situation by dismissing Tory as “uncivilized.” Lionel orders Darius away for punishment. They leave Tory alone and rattled in the cold garage.

While searching the manor for an exit, Darcy hides when she hears Lionel’s voice. She sees him emerge from a room with blood on his cuffs, then watches Orion and Darius exit the same room. She overhears Darius offer Orion a drink, which Orion refuses, as they discuss Lionel’s repeated abuse of Darius and how Orion always stands beside Darius when it happens. When Darcy accidentally drops her clutch, Orion uses Coercion to force her from hiding.

Stella Orion arrives and, appearing drunk, attempts to bite Darcy. Orion blocks her by claiming Darcy is his Source, prompting a bitter argument about Clara and Orion’s deceased father. Stella taunts Orion about his father’s death and Clara’s disappearance before storming off. After Stella leaves, Orion asks Darcy if she knows what happened between Lionel and Darius. She admits she understands how Lionel treats his son, but notes that Darius’s treatment of her and Tory is not much better. Orion takes Darcy to a courtyard pool area and returns the blue hair coil Seth stole. He strips and dives into the pool, then pulls Darcy in and creates an underwater air pocket using magic. They kiss intensely and nearly go further before mutually deciding to stop, acknowledging this can never happen again.

Orion shows Darcy a photograph from the night Clara vanished. After he rushes off at the sound of something upstairs, Darcy removes the photo from its frame and discovers one of Astrum’s hidden Tarot cards—the Devil—warning about a powerful lying beast and promising answers on the Lunar Eclipse. She pockets the card, realizing the eclipse coincides with The Reckoning.

After leaving Darcy, Orion eavesdrops outside Lionel’s rooms and overhears Lionel and Stella discussing the approaching Lunar Eclipse. He disgustedly realizes that they are having sex as they discuss their plans. They reference past mistakes and choosing the right Fae this time, with Stella suggesting they should have used Lance. Their conversation confirms Orion’s fears that they plan to repeat whatever they did during the last eclipse—something tied to Clara’s fate.

Orion finds Darius and warns him that Lionel and Stella are reviving their eclipse plan. They discuss the threat, noting Lionel suspects Darius of protecting Tory after the garage confrontation. They debate whether to keep the twins at the academy where they can be monitored and protected, or return them to the mortal world. Sending them away would remove the twins from Solaria’s dangerous power games, but their Awakened magic means they cannot stay there long. Darius argues that the twins could eventually challenge the Heirs through raw magical strength alone, making them a growing political threat.

Orion breaks into a locked cabinet to get port, and both men drink heavily. They agree to deal with the crisis tomorrow, with Orion stating he has some forgetting to do tonight.