Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of graphic violence and death.

David fears that Prof is walking into a trap and resolves to go against orders to help him. The only way out of the room is for David to shoot out a window and flood the space. Though he is terrified of drowning, he shoves the fear away, grabs a gun, and pulls the trigger.

The window is built to withstand an explosion, so David only causes a small leak. Knowing that he can’t break the glass, he collects water in a container and then deliberately calls to Regalia until she appears. David strikes a deal—if Regalia helps him protect Megan, he promises to switch to her side. By way of agreeing, Regalia uses the water to shatter the window and brings him to the surface. She reveals that Calamity is an Epic and is also the force behind the creation and augmentation of Epics in Babilar. Regalia has convinced Calamity to turn David into an Epic. She feels that it is “poetry for one who has killed so many of [them] to become the thing he hates” (343).