Through the haze of her illness, Natasha mistakes Eagle for her first love. Armed with backup, Eagle demands to know what the masked figure is doing with Lezak's Blue Doctor. Dr. Zai admits to Jessie that he wounded and even killed members of their tribe in the pursuit of his research. Eagle realizes that the masked figure is Dr. Zai, and orders his men to pursue the criminal into the ruins.
Awakened after being knocked out, Yuan reminds Jessie and Eagle that Natasha is still waiting on her ritual, still mistaking Eagle for her first love. With Jessie translating her silent speech, Natasha recalls the moment she fell in love with her nobleman. Acting the part of her first love, Eagle apologizes to her for his absence, and reveals what Ray's research has uncovered: the nobleman did come for Natasha, but his ship was lost in a typhoon. Natasha thanks Eagle for telling her and he performs the ritual, freeing Natasha from her pain as her body crumbles to sand.
In Lezak, Randy presides over Natasha's funeral while Jessie and Eagle pay their respects. Eagle recalls his wife's funeral, wondering if both Yuma and Natasha were happy to have their wishes granted at the end of their lives. Jessie takes his hand and sheds a tear for Natasha.
Life returns to normal in Lezak. Learning that Dr. Zai escaped pursuit, Jessie wonders if and when she will have her next encounter with they mysterious man. In the desert, the masked figure of Dr. Zai pulls off his disguise, revealing that Dr. Zai Gristen is Rowan.
Chapter 10 Provides Examples of:
- The Annotated Edition: The Author's Notes provide a last name (Weilud/ Weilund) and age (27) for Crea, Eagle's most trusted subordinate.
- Due to the Dead: Based on Randy and Jessie's exchange at Natasha's funeral, it appears that the customary funeral practice of the Silkdeep Empire is to cremate the remains of the deceased, scatter a small portion of their ashes in the desert, and bury the rest in a grave. For those that are afflicted by Sand Sickness, the sandy remains of their mortal form are substituted for ashes. Jessie had spoken to Natasha before the old woman passed, and recorded that Natasha's wish was to have all her remains scattered in the desert.
- Ending Memorial Service: The last Chapter of Volume 2, and it ends with Natasha's funeral.
- Fantasy Pantheon: Randy prays to the "God of Beauty, Sajin, God of Sand", to guide Natasha's soul into the afterlife. Sajin is one of the three gods of the Silkdeep Empire, alongside the God of Water and Healing, and the God of Sun.
- Flashback: There is a flashback to Natasha's first private conversation with her Seldian nobleman, where his kind words and consideration caused her to fall in love. In-story, she is narrating the encounter aloud as a belated Love Confession, with Jessie and Yuan reading her lips to translate for the assembled group.Natasha: You were such an openhearted person during my brief stay at your residence, and you asked me to stay in such a friendly way. Because of that, I always... from the time we promised to meet... there hasn't been a single night I haven't thought about you. From the first time we met... only you... I fell in love with you...
- He Cleans Up Nicely: Jessie briefly fantasizes about how professional and handsome Randy will look while officiating Natasha's burial service, after he shaves and brushes his hair. Eagle, meanwhile, can't picture his slovenly former Captain as a cleanshaven priest.
- Love Confession: Jessie translates Natasha's heartfelt recollections of her first love, with the added twist that she has to say the words to Eagle.
- Mercy Kill Arrangement: Eagle, Jessie, and Yuan are able to complete the end-of-life ritual for Natasha, painlessly completing the process that turns her body to sand.
- The One That Got Away: Natasha waited and waited for her Seldian lover to find her so they could be married, but he never came and she grew old believing he had abandoned her. After asking his brother to do some research in Seldia, Eagle reveals that the nobleman did come for Natasha, but that he perished in a typhoon before he could reach her.
- Playing with Syringes: Dr. Zai admits to Jessie that he experimented on and even killed his fellow Blue Doctors while trying to perfect a serum that combined the "three great healing arts" of the world.
- Reading Lips: As Blue Doctors, Yuan and Jessie both have been trained to read lips to assist with treating patients. They take turns translating Natasha's silent speech during the ritual.
- The Reveal: Dr. Zai Gristen is Rowan, the leader of the Fantastic Terrorists the Garicalege. His illegal experimentation on other Blue Doctors was only the prelude to his kidnapping and human trafficking operations in the Garicalege.
- Taken for Granite: Natasha succumbs to the Sand Sickness, with her entire body turning to sand.
