After Raihn escorts Oraya back to her room, she waits until his footsteps fade completely before pulling out the glass device she secretly took from Vincent's study. She reactivates it by sliding her bleeding thumb across its edge, watching the shards reassemble into a shallow mirrored bowl. As her blood pools in the basin, she again feels Vincent's overwhelming presence—not seeing or hearing him exactly, but sensing him viscerally, as if he were standing right behind her.

The blood at the center of the bowl forms a faint, distant image. Oraya identifies the face as Jesmine's and manages to establish a shaky verbal connection. The device appears to be Vincent's personal magical mirror, powered by his blood—yet Oraya, as his half-vampire daughter, can use it too, a fact that surprises Jesmine. Jesmine appears battered, with a bandaged arm and blood or dirt on her face, a far cry from her polished appearance at court.

Oraya asks Jesmine for a status report, careful not to reveal how little she knows about the war's progress. Jesmine confirms that the Hiaj have lost many of their remaining strongholds. The Rishan alone would be manageable, but the Bloodborn forces allied with Raihn are numerous and vicious, making defense extremely difficult. This confirms Oraya's own observations about Raihn's dependence on the Bloodborn.

As the connection flickers and Oraya hears footsteps in the hall, she realizes she must act quickly. When Jesmine asks for orders, Oraya shares critical intelligence she gleaned: the Rishan and Bloodborn plan a major assault on Misrada in two weeks, which will leave the Sivrinaj armory unguarded. Rather than trying to defend Misrada against overwhelming force, Oraya orders Jesmine to evacuate the stronghold and strike the undefended armory instead—raiding, capturing, or destroying it. Jesmine confirms the resources are tight but sufficient. Feeling Vincent's ghostly encouragement, Oraya commits fully to fighting back, declaring that the time for half measures is over.