Alptraum is intrigued by word of "Prince Rikat," and intends to seek him out while he's at the Coalition Tower. He eventually finds a bat that looks eerily like himself – a doppelganger, it seems – though obviously living a very different life. Rikat proposes the idea of switching places with Alptraum, so that he might be free to leave the tower for a time, but Alptraum is reluctant. Rikat shows himself to be very temperamental – dangerously so – and threatens Alptraum. Alptraum makes his exit, though goading the angry "scribe" on his way out. Out in the hall, two snake guards mistake Alptraum for Rikat, and when they realize their mistake, they laugh among themselves. Alptraum, thinking that the snakes are mocking him, angrily comes back to confront them, but just then, Rikat bursts out of his room, and – seeing Alptraum still there – claims that Alptraum is an impersonator, and sends the guards after him.

Alptraum evades the guards, ending up in the room of Davaryna, the Yodhbarada. She offers to hide Alptraum only if he will give her some sort of a juicy secret. He gives her a juicy one, all right: he confesses about his vampirism. This is enough for Davaryna not only to hide him from the guards, but to help him slip out of the tower, and head for Mount Sunala.

At Mount Sunala, Alptraum makes his way up the mountain slope, helping an old Eeee pilgrim along the way, and he at last meets Asterezadze, an elder Yodhsunala. She shows him the tomb of his mother, and reveals to him the miraculous nature of his birth – that he was born to a Srinala. As if that were not enough, Alptraum finally meets the Eeee girl who had appeared in his dreams … and Asterezadze addresses her as Sunala.