Chapter 17
Apollo
Apollo is the Trial Hound: companion, puzzle, gatekeeper, and old memory of the Machinist's heart.
Apollo belonged to the Machinist before becoming part of the House. That origin makes every trial personal.
After vanishing into Nox's deeper systems, he returned as a hound of riddles, keys, and threshold questions.
His tests are not cruelty. They ask whether curiosity has become readiness.