On the eve of the Kejari, Vincent brings wine to Oraya's chambers and sits with her in an unusual, quiet intimacy. He tells her that the other contestants will underestimate her and that she must use that weakness as a weapon. When Oraya asks about his own time in the Kejari, Vincent admits that he was afraid but believed death was better than an insignificant life, a confession that deepens Oraya's dread while also hardening her resolve.

Vincent then tells Oraya that she does not have to compete, but Oraya refuses to back out. Their conversation turns to the family Oraya lost as a child and Vincent's inability to search for them inside protected Rishan territory. Oraya reflects that if she wins the Kejari, she will ask Nyaxia to make her Vincent's Coriatae, a rare heart-bound bond that would strip away her human weakness, grant her Vincent's power, and make her strong enough both to search for her birth family and truly belong as Vincent's daughter.

Vincent prepares the formal offering to Nyaxia with a gold bowl and jeweled dagger, cuts Oraya's hand, and prays over her blood. He presents Oraya to the goddess as the daughter his heart chose, and Oraya feels the ritual's weight more deeply than she expected. She then speaks the vow that binds her fate to the Kejari, offering Nyaxia her blood, blade, flesh, and either her victory or her death, sealing it with the final words, Aja saraeta.

After Vincent leaves, Oraya finally falls into an uneasy sleep. She dreams fragmented memories of her human childhood, brief sensations of safety, and then the vampire attack that destroyed her home. She wakes in complete darkness on a dusty floor, disoriented and terrified, then remembers Vincent's warning that Nyaxia likes surprises and realizes the truth: the Kejari has already begun.