Shiki is terrified of the woman and flees. As he returns home after school, however, he sees her in front of the house, and he flees once more, only to be cornered by her in an alley. As she approaches him, they are confronted by a pair of demonic hounds, whom the woman easily slays. She then identifies herself as Arcueid Brunestud, a vampire, and that she is hunting another vampire in the city. The same hounds begin to attack the hotel they are in, and Arcueid, weakened due to needing to regenerate after Shiki killed her, is forced to face the vampire Nrvnqsr Chaos. With Shiki's aid, the two manage to escape, and Arcueid recruits Shiki to help her kill Nrvnqsr.