Hathra
- Mihai asks Esmé what she remembers and she admits that she recalls kissing him. He tells her to think of a long corridor with doors open on both sides—and to leave all those doors open.
- He lies and tells her that this whole thing won't hurt very much, but it must be done. It's the only way. Mihai knows from firsthand knowledge, after all.
- Mihai used to live with another Druj tribe, where life was harsh and monotonous and he knew little of happiness. Sometimes, though, the Druj Queen would visit and that would make things interesting, if only for a little while.
- After some time, Mihai decided to leave his tribe and wander through the human world by inhabiting other peoples' bodies. Through that, he learned about what it was like to be a human, to care about other people, and to kiss.
- And then he even went into a pregnant woman and lost consciousness for years.
- In the chapel in Tajbel, Esmé's other eye turns blue, too, and Mihai addresses her as Queen and tells her that he's been waiting for her.
- Esmé speaks in a voice that doesn't belong to her and looks down at her body—which is Esmé's body. She demands to know what's happened to her.
- Mihai tells her that the Druj were not always like this, and that he had to show her a secret: He tells her that they were once human.