In the ruins of Federstadt, Bravil and Miranda witness the arrival of Axel Cartwright, shot through the chest with an arrow, and his apparent death. Things change again, with the familiar Axel-Nadyenka, bird-man, playing with string and casting two shadows – one the korv-shaped guardian spirit of Federstadt, the other the human boy Axel.

Bravil tells him about fear, and sacrifice. Miranda says that since both of his halves are good, then the merger of the two must be good also. Axel takes from this a sense of duty – to help others – even though it may cost him the last of his humanity.

As he begins to merge, Bravil begins to unravel. The memories of who he was and what he lost make it too difficult for him to hang on, and he tells Miranda to look up the 'Von Ril' family if she wants, to see if they remember him. As Axel fades into Axel-Nadyenka, he asks the lapi to try and let his family in Justininople know what's become of him.