This interlude shifts to Oraya’s childhood and shows Vincent keeping his adopted human daughter isolated inside the House of Night. He gives Oraya safety and comfort within his walls, but by age eleven Oraya has begun to long for the human life she dimly remembers from before Vincent found her.

When Vincent visits, Oraya again asks about her family, but this time she pushes further and asks whether there are other humans like her still alive. Using a map book, Oraya reveals that she has deduced Vincent found her in Rishan territory, which surprises him and shows both her intelligence and how desperately she has been searching for answers.

Vincent finally tells Oraya that he found her in Salinae, a distant district beyond the House of Night’s borders. He explains that, as Hiaj king, he cannot enter Rishan territory without cause, so he cannot search for surviving family for her. When Oraya says she will go herself, Vincent refuses because she is human and therefore too vulnerable to survive such a journey.

Driven by fear of her own weakness and her place among predators, Oraya asks Vincent to Turn her into a vampire instead. Vincent refuses again, saying most Turnings end in death and that Oraya is too precious for him to risk losing her. As Oraya realizes her human body may trap her forever, she demands another way to become strong enough, and after a long, conflicted silence, Vincent tells her there is one path: one day she could become as powerful as him with a gift from a goddess.