This chapter's epigraph comes from the opening lines of the novel, which are: "I will never become a cold-blooded, truculent creature as your kind." This is a reference to the fact that the protagonist, Fang, has been transformed from a normal human being into a "low-grade grey" . The protagonist is shocked and horrified at the idea of being transformed into such a creature, but he assures himself that he is not going to become a "cold-blooded" monster. He explains that the human gene has not fully fused with the dragon's, and has caused a "backlash" against him. He asks how he can wake up the dragon, and the protagonist explains that he has no idea what he is doing. He wonders if he is being "perverted."