The Sunbearer Trials

On the evening before the final trial, Teo is interviewed by the reporter Verdad and gossip columnist Chisme. While watching footage from previous trials, Teo notices that during moments of aggression, several competitors’ eyes turned an unnatural black and realizes an outside force has been manipulating them. Teo rushes to the banquet to warn the dioses, but Diosa Lumbre dismisses his concerns, smashes his phone to destroy the evidence, and demands that he be confined. As a distressed Xio pleads on Teo’s behalf, Luna orders Teo to his room. Later, the priest Huemac visits and tells Teo that his “troublemaking” points to an admirable desire for justice.

Defying confinement, Teo sneaks out to the observatory, where Aurelio finds him. Aurelio admits he also believes something is wrong with the trials and apologizes for ending their childhood friendship, explaining his mother forced him to ostracize anyone who wasn’t a Gold. To prove his sincerity, Aurelio removes his armbands, revealing his arms are covered in burn scars from Diosa Lumbre’s abusive training. He explains that Auristela is desperate for him to win only so he can prove his worth to their mother. Aurelio confesses he could not kill another person and points to the Obsidian constellations in the sky, a reminder of the darkness threatening their world.