The Hearth Elders, having adjusted their spells to account for Anya's abnormal resilience, launch the second, far more insidious stage: The Memory Scrutiny. The magical compulsion floods her mind, forcing her to relive the most traumatic memories that fueled her hatred of shifters. The chamber walls become a horrifying projection screen, displaying the event: the violence, the helplessness, and the specific monster that drove her fear.
The Elders demand her full surrender, believing that by forcing her to relive the source of her pain, her mental walls will crumble.
But Anya refuses to break.
She recognizes the Scrutiny as a final psychological attack. She allows the painful memories to wash over her, but instead of succumbing to the raw terror, she uses her analytical training to observe the memories as data points, coldly examining the events, the motives, and the patterns of the rogues who hurt her.
She seeks out the counter-memory: Kaelan's confession—his vulnerability, and his genuine, subsequent care. She projects this counter-image—the true, earned partnership—back at the Elders. The magical feedback is agonizing, but it validates her loyalty.
The Elders recoil in shock; she has passed the Scrutiny, not by purging her hatred, but by rationally choosing to prioritize her current earned love over her past dictated pain.