Apollo Ulfr wakes in the middle of the night when he senses a magical presence in his room. He grabs a knife, then realizes the visitor is the witch Valentine Rousseau. Irritated because he is in Fleuridia on urgent family business and because she has appeared at the wrong time, Apollo starts to remind her of the agreed plan for bringing Ilsa to him.

Valentine cuts him off and warns Apollo to change those plans at once if he wants to meet the Ilsa from her world. She explains that the Apollo of her world, Apollo Ulfr's twin in a parallel realm, has found Ilsa. Because Valentine has already told Apollo that his counterpart is cruel and has harmed Ilsa before, Apollo immediately understands the danger.

Apollo decides without hesitation that he will go to Ilsa immediately rather than risk losing her after waiting years to have her back. He orders Valentine to take him to her. Valentine agrees, but her urgency deepens when she tells him to bring all his weapons.

Apollo dresses as fast as he can, taking his saber, knife, cape, and extra blades from a box and tucking them into his boots. As Valentine's green mist fills the room, the two of them fade from sight and travel by magic. When they arrive and Apollo sees what is before him, rage surges through him and he roars.