After the Vale Army's triumphant return, the celebration collapses when guards arrest Luna Somers for defying an imperial decree and forcefully strip her before the court. A report follows: nearly 50,000 enemies killed, 28,000 Vale casualties, Tobias Fyre beheaded—and General Gavin Vale announced as slain. The ruler angrily warns of punishment for deception. The key turn arrives when soldiers lower a wounded, living Gavin at the Guardian Temple and declare, "We've brought General Gavin Vale home!" The court reels as the monarch faces the immediate contradiction and must decide how to respond.