In the tent, Gabriel demands to know how Celene knew his father. Celene, still keeping a fragment of attention on Dior following Princess Reyne toward the Hall of Plenty, tells Gabriel that the truth began when Gabriel was twelve and nearly died of the flux. Their mother, Auriél, kept vigil while their father ran to Brinnleaf for an apothecary, but no cure seemed possible.

Celene remembers waking one night to see Auriél throw what looked like a ruby into the fire, later understanding it was blood. Three nights later, a black cat named Grace came to the door, and Auriél followed it into the woods. Suspicious and protective of Gabriel, young Celene followed with a knife and watched Auriél meet a terrifyingly beautiful pale man in black.

The man was Wulfric, Gabriel's true father. Auriél begged Wulfric for blood to cure Gabriel, but Wulfric insisted the boy was Auriél's son, not theirs, and said that if God willed Gabriel to die, Gabriel would die. When Auriél attacked him in desperation, Celene threatened Grace and demanded Wulfric help, but Wulfric instantly seized Celene and pinned her to a tree.

Celene stabbed Wulfric's hand and called him a monster, and the word shocked Wulfric into seeing the horror of what he was doing. Wulfric released Celene, apologized, and filled Auriél's cup with blood from his wrist. He warned Auriél never to call on him again and vanished into the shadows.

Celene tells Gabriel that Auriél fed him Wulfric's blood, and by dawn Gabriel was healthy. Auriél made Celene keep silent and told her that Gabriel was her brother, because family was forever. Gabriel realizes Celene saved his life, and the siblings share a rare moment of painful tenderness.

Gabriel struggles with the knowledge that Wulfric knew he existed yet stayed away. Celene says Wulfric did care in some part of himself, but he carried countless souls and was divided among many identities, anchored only by faith in Illia, the Esana crusade, and the hope of salvation through the Grail. Gabriel then understands that after Laure killed Celene, Celene sought Wulfric out; Celene confirms that Wulfric, Gabriel's father, became her teacher.