Ashok leads his followers away from the rose palace to the Hirana. After climbing to the temple, he searches for the entrance to the deathless waters, hoping that the Hirana will show him the way. However, the stone remains unresponsive. He leaves the Hirana again to find Priya, hoping that she will show him the way to the waters before his followers die.

Priya emerged from the deathless waters as a second-born, but she is now suffering from the aftereffects. Though Malini is exhausted, she helps guide Priya toward safety. Malini questions Priya about her magic, and Priya explains how the ritual of the deathless waters works; she also tells her about how the temple children became too powerful and the rot started. Priya tells Malini to leave her, but the princess refuses. She insists that she needs Priya and asks how she can save her. Priya says that she senses a presence in the forest that can help her and guides Malini using markings on the trees.