In this chapter, we learn that the witches have been waiting for the girl to accept the gift of the blade, but now that she has accepted it, they find that she does not understand the "great responsibility" they have bestowed upon her. They explain that if the weapon had not been attached to the girl, it would have become a parasite instead, and the girl would have been trained in the arts of combat, weaponry, and discipline. They also tell us that the girl has been training the blade in combat and discipline, and that if she had not accepted the gift, she would not have been able to use the weapon. They conclude by telling us that they are not responsible for what happens in the new world, but that they hope that they will be able to control it in the future.