A group of people made their way along to the marina toward the houseboat. It was led by Danielle Geller, along with Rufus, his mother, Arabelle, plus Clive and Vincent Trenslow, the Adventure Society official with the grandiose moustache. With them was a gold rank priest from the church of the Healer, freshly portalled into the city.

“How is he?” Danielle asked. It had been a little more than a week since Jason had been returned home.

“He was asleep for four days,” Clive said. “Those miracle potions of Jory’s defer the need for healing recovery, which is impressive, but once it hit him, it hit him hard.”

“Unsurprising,” the priest of the Healer said. His name was Carlos, a broad-shouldered and swarthy man. His features had the polished perfection that was universal at gold rank. His clothes were not the robes of the healer but a casual outfit. The brown colour and plain cut was reminiscent of the church of the Healer’s humble clerical wear, however. Only once they had lost their way did the Healer’s local clergy move into ostentatious variations.

“Even in the case of cultists who are accepting of it,” Carlos continued, “introducing a star seed to the body is deeply traumatic. Removing it is even worse.”

“I saw a star seed removed before it was rendered inert,” Danielle said. “It wasn’t traumatic, it was a meat grinder.”

“Sadly true,” Carlos said. “people were lost all over before we figured out who the cult were and what they were doing. From what you’ve told me about the situation here, you seemed to figure things out before the Adventure and Magic Societies started disseminating the information widely.”

“Clive here is largely responsible for that,” Danielle, making Clive look sheepish.

“While we may have a better idea of what we’re doing,” Carlos said, “we aren’t always successful in helping the people the cult has implanted. Even when they’re inert, extricating star seeds can be lethal without continuous healing. If your friend really managed it on his own, with a suppression collar around his neck, that’s deeply impressive. What has he been doing since he woke up?” Carlos asked.

“He’s been under self-imposed house arrest, at my suggestion,” Danielle said.

“He’s been on the roof deck of the houseboat for days,” Rufus said. “He got up, had breakfast and went up there three days ago. I don’t think he’s come back down since. He’s just been up there, meditating the whole time.”

“It’s very likely that he’s aura training,” Carlos said. “In cases of soul trauma, practising aura control can help re-establish the sense of self. Many people realise this instinctively, while others we strongly suggest it to. Actually having the training beforehand is obviously a tremendous help.”

They arrived at the houseboat, Vincent telling the Adventure Society official stationed on the dock that he could go. One way or another, Jason would no longer be under confinement.

“He must be inside,” Danielle said. “I don’t sense his aura at all.”

“He’s up top,” Rufus’ mother, Arabelle, said. She tilted he head, as if straining to hear something, then frowned.

“His aura isn’t retracted,” she said. “It’s suppressed.”

Using her gold-rank strength, she vaulted directly up to the roof of the houseboat, Danielle had the others all touch and teleported them up. They found Jason sitting peacefully, in a cross-legged meditation pose with a suppression collar around his neck. He opened his eyes as they arrived on his rooftop.

“Jason,” Clive said. “What are you doing with that collar?”

This close, they could all feel the suppressive power of the collar with their own aura senses. They were all startled as Jason’s aura emerged from within it, pushing it back. He took a key from his storage space, unlocking the collar and putting it and the collar away.

“Aura training,” Jason said, pushing himself lightly to his feet.

“Fascinating,” Carlos said. “The ability to counter the magic suppression with aura is a phenomenon that I’ve heard of, but never actually thought I’d see.”

“I didn’t know that something like that was even possible,” Rufus said.

“Extreme soul trauma can prompt some unusual reactions,” Carlos said. “From time to time, some unscrupulous researcher will attempt to study it. They’ll take essence users and subject them to all manner of soul torture to try and figure out a process by which to reliably gain special soul effects. The cost in misery and lives unconscionable. It’s all for nothing, as well, because the research never goes anywhere. The most anyone had ever achieved was a few people with enhanced resistance to aura suppression and a lot of people who died in agony.”

“I’ve heard of instances like that,” Clive said.

“Soul trauma is actually my speciality field of healing,” Carlos said. “I’ve seen more victims of these atrocities than anyone and I’ve come to my own conclusion. The soul withstanding the trauma and growing isn’t about the process, but the person.”

“Don’t I feel special,” Jason said flatly. “Do you have a name, soul trauma expert?”

“Sorry, I’m being rude. Carlos Quilido, church of the Healer.”

Jason looked at him coldly.

“You’re here to decide my fate?”

“I’m here to help you,” Carlos said showing no signs of being affected by Jason’s rudeness. “If you truly don’t have a star seed in you, I’m here to prove that definitively and excise any lingering doubts. If you do have one inside you, I’m here to excise that.”

Jason frowned, unhappily.

“You’re right, I’m sorry,” he said. “It’s just that I’ve been awaiting judgement for days.”

“I completely understand,” Carlos said. “I have some experience with people in similar circumstances to yours. Because of my specialty, the church and the Adventure Society have had me travelling around to work with people who’ve had star seeds extracted from them. For the most part, the cult only implants their own members. Just as has been the case here, though, they will implant them within others when it serves their purposes. The church of Purity first developed the extraction techniques, but we, under the Healer, have taken over that task.”

“I’ve never understood why they would do that,” Rufus said.

“Because the best way to hide a secret alliance is under the guise of an enemy,” Jason said.

“Exactly,” Danielle agreed. “The implanting of star seeds in non-members of the cult has always been a distraction from their actual goals. That is as true everywhere else as it was here.”

“I have a question about the people who were implanted and had them removed,” Jason said to Carlos. “It sounds like you might have the answer, if you don’t mind.”

“Certainly,” Carlos said.

“The people who implanted me,” Jason said. “They told me that once you let the seed into the soul, the Builder has you. For good. That once you open that door, you’re done. It makes me wonder about the people who have had the seeds extracted.”

“My understanding is that it was not the cult that implanted you. It sounds like whoever these people were, their information about the star seeds was not complete. It is true that the Builder imprints itself on the soul of those who relinquish access. Without the star seed as a channel, however, the builder cannot exert control. As best we can understand, the people in question do truly regain themselves, although obviously very changed for the experience. Not to cheapen your experiences, but they were changed far more than you.”

“I can imagine,” Jason said. “I feel like a different person and my soul wasn’t breached. If I’d opened that door…”

“Quite,” Carlos said. “There is a rather disturbing trend we have discovered of people previously implanted feeling a compulsion left behind by the Builder.”

“What kind of compulsion?” Jason asked.

“To seek out another star seed. There seems to be a longing for the power it promised. Most resist that urge, knowing how self-destructive it is. Some of the people, frankly speaking, the weak-willed ones, give in to that urge. We have them all watched now, including the ones here in Greenstone. I understand one local was lost before that protocol was put in place.”

“It’s unconfirmed,” Danielle said, “but yes. The son of a friend.”

“It’s strange feeling sorry for Thadwick,” Jason said. “So, you’re some kind of big deal, Mr Quilido?”

“I wouldn’t say that, and please call me Carlos. I just happen to have a useful speciality for these unfortunate times. Arabelle and I have worked together in the past and she contacted me after what happened to you.”

Jason shared an apologetic smile between Carlos and Arabelle.

“You came all this way to help, and I was rude to you from the moment we met.”

“Seriously?” Clive asked. “All this time, and you apologise to this guy?”

“Don’t mind Clive,” Jason said. “He’s been crabby since I slept with his wife.”

“I don’t have a wife!”

“Yeah, I’m a homewrecker,” Jason said winsomely, turning to look off into the middle distance. “When you’re down with O.P.P. that’s the life you live.”

“What are you even looking at?” Clive asked.

“Am I missing something?” Carlos asked.

“You’ll get used to that,” Rufus said. “I think we just found out that it’s the real Jason in there,” Rufus said. “What is it that Humphrey says?”

“If you don’t understand what Jason is talking about, he’s probably up to something,” Clive said. “If you do know what Jason’s talking about, he’s definitely up to something.”

“Returning to normal behaviour is a good sign,” Carlos said. “Whatever normal behaviour means. In most cases of seed implantation, behaviour begins normally and diverges over the next few days and weeks. If the seed was resisted, we would expect to see behaviour consistent with trauma that returns to normal patterns over time. There will be permanent changes, though. Soul damage is something that marks you forever.”

“We would expect to see?” Jason said, echoing Carlos’ words. “Surely I’m not the only one to resist a seed implantation.”

“No,” Carlos said. “We know of at least six instances, but there are doubtless more. Under normal circumstances, star seeds of the Builder are implanted by cultists of the Builder. If a seed is rejected, it generally kills the person. If they survive, the cult kills them. The unusual circumstances of your implantation have allowed to you to escape without the cult killing you. I am curious how your purged the seed from your body and survived.”

“My familiar,” Jason said. “He heals me. He worked like a trooper to keep me alive.”

“I would be fascinated to examine it.”

Jason’s face froze.

“You can prod and poke me all you like,” he said in a voice of cold, hard granite. “You come after my familiar, though, and I don’t care who sent you or what rank you are. I will find a way to kill you.”

The temperature dropped as everyone fell silent at Jason’s sudden turn. The group looked nervous at the revelation that Jason return to his old self was a constructed façade. Rufus thought back to Jason’s first days in the city, where his vulnerability was likewise hidden behind his over-the-top personality.

Only Carlos seemed unfazed by Jason’s outburst.

“Understood,” he said. “I will take you up on that prodding and poking, though. There’s a reason the church and Adventure Society so readily approved Arabelle’s request to have me portalled here. Your survival presents a unique opportunity to learn more about the star seed implantation process. Hidden within your body and experiences may be insight that lets us help others. Mr Asano, you are the only known instance of someone both surviving the rejection and the aftermath. The hope is that what we can improve the process by which we extract star seeds from the cult’s victims.”

“I’m sorry,” Jason said. “You have larger concerns than just me, I know.”

“You don’t need to apologise to anyone for what you went through,” Carlos said. “But you are right about larger concerns. In many respects, the Builder has orchestrated a war on our world that we didn’t even know about until it was in full swing. Anything we can learn to catch up is essential knowledge.”

“I’m not sure how much I can help you,” Jason said.

“Anything we can find out will obviously be excellent,” Carlos said with an open smile. “First and foremost, though I am a priest of the Healer. Before anything else, I’m here to help you, not for you to help me.”