After Mische breaks down and turns to Asar, their kiss becomes urgent, but Asar stops because Mische is upset and he fears becoming another regret. Mische tells Asar she will never regret him, then asks to see him. Asar reveals the scars across his body, and Mische calls them beautiful, answering his shame with tenderness.

Asar and Mische undress each other, and Mische struggles with the vulnerability of being seen after years of hiding her scars and shame. Mische compares Asar’s attentive desire with Atroxus’s possessive treatment of her and realizes Asar is trying to know her rather than take from her. Asar’s patience and care gradually ease Mische’s self-consciousness.

Their intimacy unfolds on the altar, shifting from playful tenderness to fierce passion when Asar’s restraint finally breaks. Mische recognizes that this encounter changes her understanding of desire: with Asar, sex is not something taken from her but something mutual, terrifying, and deeply connective. Asar and Mische reach release together, both exposed emotionally as well as physically.

Afterward, Mische feels certain she will never be able to leave Asar. The two exchange blood and continue with slower, gentler intimacy, reinforcing the bond between them. Exhausted, Mische rests against Asar, traces his scars, and watches their blood drip over the altar, hoping it stains the stone forever because she regrets nothing.

The peace breaks when Mische wakes cold and alone in blinding sunlight. At first Mische believes she is dreaming, but she realizes Atroxus is truly before her, blazing with divine fury. Atroxus calls Mische foolish and impulsive, condemns what she has done as an affront, and demands to know whether Mische still claims loyalty to him.