The interlude recounts the day the unnamed chosen girl, framed as a bride of the sun and missionary of divine destiny, went to the land of vampires and symbolically died. The girl traveled with her sister and a devoted male friend despite warning both that they should not risk their souls for her uncertain mission.

The friend followed out of youthful love and absolute faith that the girl would succeed, while the sister’s loyalty was more protective and fearful. After hearing the girl’s plan, the sister quietly resolved to prepare, acting less like a romantic follower and more like someone ready to sacrifice herself for a child.

The three arrived in the vampire lands in late afternoon and took shelter in the human districts, where an innkeeper grimly treated their meal as another likely last supper for visiting acolytes. Although the sister warned the girl not to go out after sunset, the girl remained awake, fascinated by the strange beauty of the place and convinced that love-driven risk was necessary for her purpose.

Once the sister and friend were asleep, the girl slipped out alone and wandered beyond the human district into gardens and cliffs overlooking the sea. There, she discovered a beautiful vampire sitting on a bench with a flower, a sight that reminded her of another vampire she had once befriended in captivity and reinforced her belief that even dark creatures might contain light.

The vampire spoke gently, invited the girl to sit, and exerted a seductive, disorienting influence over her. Though the girl sensed danger, the mix of faith, desperation, fascination, and possibly magic kept her from fleeing; when the vampire offered his hand and invited her to come with him, she accepted.