T’Challa fights multiple men in the crimson dusk of Wakanda, his wounds from fighting Killmonger and Venomm still fresh. The fight is one of the trials in the ceremony that gifts him his Black Panther abilities. Mendinao, the herbalist who knows the secrets of the heart-shaped herbs, watches T’Challa, just as he watched T’Challa’s forebearers do the same. Beside him is W’Kabi, who believes T’Challa does better than expected. Both, however, notice the rage he still holds for Killmonger. Mendinao believes T’Challa is losing control and wonders if it is a result of his time in the US. After the fight, T’Challa tells Mendinao that he needs the sacred panther powers now. He is ready for the next step.

In the palace, Malice, a woman sent by Killmonger, finds Venomm guarded by Taku, who questions Venomm about his past. As a child, Venomm, whose real name is Horatio Walters, was bullied. A classmate threw acid in his face, disfiguring Horatio. After this, Horatio became a recluse, studying reptiles and working up an immunity to most snake poisons. One night, at university, Horatio was attacked by a group calling him a freak.