Saint Soleil's cottage was a modest dwelling; a conjoined sitting, dining, and kitchen area. Doors leading to the front and back yards, to a cellar in the sitting area, and to a washroom and small bedroom. A few places to sit, including a single sofa and a matching chair.

The saint herself was seated at her desk beside the kitchen, where she was loomed over by magical baubles suspended from the ceiling in a similar fashion to the dusted-over pots and pans hanging above the cooking stove. Nestled in a charcoal-stained white cloth atop the desk was the thorn retrieved from Ellie only two days prior. Swarming it were violet particles of magic that attempted to dissect and discern the thorn's nature by permeating its surface.

But it was of little use. Saint Soleil let out a ragged sigh and leaned back in her seat, a trickle of sweat seeping into the sash below her brow. Listlessly, she raised her hand and waved the particles away.

Saint Soleil turned her covered gaze to the triumphant thorn—her sash acting as no burden.

"Why am I, of all people, unable to discern the nature of this magic?" she muttered.

Considering her surroundings and one of many small, swirling yellow marbles embedded in the furniture, Saint Soleil rose from her chair and shuffled across the creaky wood floor. On the fireplace mantle sat a glorious sword, its hilt and sheathe etched with golden patterns and symbols. A single blue gemstone was embedded just above the cross-guard and shimmered in the superfluous candlelight. Its coat was so pure it reflected Saint Soleil's visage back to her.

She reached out and caressed the gemstone, taking as much caution as though it were frail glass.

"Even after countless years, still I must rely on you for encouragement."

The sword clinked as Saint Soleil lifted it from its resting place and touched the gemstone to her forehead.

"Never have you led me astray," she said, her voice wavering. "Even in that wretched haze, when I felt so utterly lost among those who trusted me to bring them to salvation." Saint Soleil pulled the sash down to her neck and gazed her milky eyes into the gemstone. "May I once again ask for your strength—your encouragement—during this time? I know I've asked much of you lately, but..."

The sword shimmered in silence, but Saint Soleil listened as though there were an answer spoken that only she could hear. A tiny smile formed on her face and Saint Soleil held the sword close again, her breath fogging the reflective steel as her lips caressed the gemstone. After whispering her gratitude and a farewell, she returned it to the mantle.

With vigor renewed yet knowing it was too soon to return to the thorn she'd dedicated hours to already, Saint Soleil instead retrieved a wooden box from a shelf above the desk. She then pushed the thorn aside to give sufficient space to her next project.

Carefully, Saint Soleil lifted the plain lid and fetched a round object wrapped in a red, enchanted cloth. After fitting it inside a brass circle stand, she peeled away the cloth to reveal a black, stone orb etched with eldritch runes.

"Now then; let's return to our studies of our intruder's little gift."

◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊

Soft clanks were all that could be heard in the asylum as Rehor organized a few instruments atop a table beside the far cupboard. The room was basked in its usual dim glow; a necessity for treating the afflicted with the light sensitivity caused by the taint and the black haze. All the remaining afflicted still undergoing treatment had been transferred to the northern room beside the kitchen and to a single deep chamber. And yet not every bed in the southern room was empty; laying nearest to the door was Ellie, fraught with anxiety, and Janus clutching her hand tightly beside her.

Rehor returned and gazed down the snout of his ram skull mask, then pointed to the spot just above Ellie's right breast.

"May I take a look?"

Her lips curled inward with an uneasy chuckle. "You can tell where it is?"

"This is my area of expertise, after all."

Without removing her other hand from Janus's grip, Ellie pushed down the collar of her dress just enough to reveal the wound. Rehor leaned in close before reaching for a hovering light orb beside a neighboring bed and pulling it through the air toward them. It moved unnaturally, as though he were merely sliding an object across a table.

In the better light, Rehor examined the wound for nearly a half minute before sitting on a nearby stool and facing the bedside table, which had been housing his tools.

"Have you any ideas?" Janus asked.

"Oh, I've plenty of ideas. The question is which one will provide insight."

Rehor beckoned Nairi from her observation point a few paces back and tasked her with imbuing a crystal. The water spirit nodded and strode elegantly across the floor, her skirt flowing behind her like gentle waves as she made for the main desk.

From within a drawer Nairi withdrew a leather pouch containing many small, perfectly cut crystals and pinched one away from the rest. After placing it in her palm, she slowly swirled the fingers of her opposite hand beside it and morphed the clear, white surface into a radiant blue.

Rehor held in his hand a small vial filled with clear liquid.

"For now, we'll open the wound so that we can implant the crystal, which will help suppress both pain and the spread of the taint." He motioned to Nairi as she returned, then looked to Ellie. Something about his aura was warm, as though he were giving her a reassuring smile from the dark behind his mask. "It sounds scarier than it is, but the process is a tad gruesome. The salve in this vial will reduce the pain, but not entirely."

Ellie bit her lip. "How much will it hurt?"

"Well, that depends on your threshold for pain. But I will do my best to minimize it."

As Rehor applied the salve, Janus knelt down and cupped Ellie's cheek with his other hand. She looked at him and the corners of his mouth lifted in a faint smile.

"Just focus on me," he said softly. "Focus on me and don't stop."

Ellie inhaled sharply as Rehor pried the wound open with a pair of angled, steel tweezers, a throbbing pain coursing through her.

"Cleanse," he ordered.

Nairi stepped forward with an empty jar in one hand and used her other to magically beckon forth ichor and stagnant blood through the air. She repeated this process several times until the well in Ellie's chest was nearly dry. But as they reached the bottom, Rehor flinched at the sight within and jerked his hand upward.

"Stop," he commanded, and Nairi ceased her spell. "What—"

Rehor motioned her to hold the tweezers in place while he turned to the table to fetch a straighter pair. When a pained groan croaked from Ellie, Janus turned to her and began lightly stroking her face. But it was useless against the tremendous surge that soon ran through her entire body and forced her limbs to spasm when Rehor began tugging at an obstruction in the wound. Janus strengthened his grip when Ellie attempted to see what was happening, begging her not to look.

The obstruction wedged free and Rehor withdrew a small, gently pulsating mass that was such a dark purple it was nearly black. He stared at it dumbfoundedly, and even Nairi—who rarely expressed outward emotions besides shyness and anxiety—stood there with her mouth agape.

A tendril no wider than a pin poked from the mass's surface. Rehor staggered at the sight and rushed to the far desk, where he dropped it into a shallow glass container and lidded it. The discovery of the mass had him still as a statue, but before long he returned to the bedside and to his work. Finding nothing else in the wound, he exchanged hands with Nairi and took the tweezers again.

"Implant the crystal."

Nairi fetched from the side table the small, blue crystal and held it between her thumb and forefinger before gently pressing it into the opening of Ellie's wound. With it came a cool sensation that flowed through Ellie's body and extinguished the worst of her pain.

After the crystal was firmly in place, Rehor took the salve and applied more to the surface of the wound. "We're nearly done," he said, then retrieved a needle and magicked silver thread, which he used to stitch the opening shut.

Once the area was cleansed and applied a final dose of the salve, Rehor sat up and let his shoulders sag with relief that the surgery was a success.

"We're finished. But do remain laying down for a few more minutes."

Nairi vanished to the far side of the room with the instruments and the jar. Touching Janus's hand on her face, Ellie slowly turned her head and looked down at the wound. It was held shut with brutal trimmings, yet the flesh had finally regained a modicum of its original pinkish hue.

"Am I gonna be okay?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"The crystal should suppress any further spasms like that which you experienced in your arms." Rehor placed a small cloth over the wound. He then stood and leaned against the bedside table, crossing his arms. "To be quite honest, there is something seriously wrong with you."

"Rehor," Janus snapped. "Is that any way to speak to your patient?"

"Better that she know the gravity of her situation than remain blissfully unaware."

The dark room seemed pitch black even in the light as Rehor's words rang in Ellie's ears. She stared at the ceiling, breathed deep, and folded her hands over her stomach.

"What's wrong with me?"

Rehor watched her, then gazed idly at an empty bed. "Of that I'm not certain, other than you are indeed tainted. But in all the centuries that I've tended the afflicted, never have I seen a growth at the bottom of a thorn's entry wound." He pushed away from the table and stood straight. "How strange, that something like that was hidden beneath the thorn which Saint Soleil removed from you. And yet she did not sense it? There must be some other magic at work here. I know I've seen something like that mass before, but if only I could remember where..."

A small whine drew Janus's attention back to Ellie. "Are you all right?"

"I think I'm gonna be sick."

"A side effect, perhaps?" He glanced between her and Rehor.

Ellie scoffed. "A side effect of knowing that something so gross had been burrowed in there all this time." She pinched the bridge of her nose and winced. "I'm so disturbed."

"I'll observe the mass for a time and see if I can't ascertain what it is." Rehor said. "Can I trust you to return here every few days so that I may verify that the crystal is doing its job properly?"

Ellie and Janus both nodded.

"Good. What we did today will not heal your wound, but it should keep it from worsening. Recovering from the taint is not a swift process, so we'll need to check on it often. That being said, despite your circumstances, you're faring better than nearly every other patient I've treated, especially your light sensitivity. Perhaps knowing that will give some semblance of comfort?"

The two were left alone as Rehor joined Nairi across the room. Janus clasped Ellie's trembling hand in her own and stroked it softly. By her pale complexion, it was clear that she was not 'well', but Janus took solace nonetheless knowing that Ellie was now physically stable. Even so, the forefront of his mind was now occupied with concern for her emotional tolls.

"I don't get it," Ellie stated with a defeated huff. "Why was I tainted differently? What in the hells did I do to piss off Isadore so much?"

Janus traced his thumb along the top of Ellie's hand. "I wish I had the answers. I wish I could grab him and force him to make it right again. But I promise; it will be made right, no matter what."

"Everything that can be, at least."

There was a long pause. Both knew quite well what Ellie was referring to.

"You can—" Janus bit his lip. "You can still visit the Prime Realm from time to time, Ellie. You just—you just can't stay there more than a couple of days, or it would kill you."

"And so die my dreams of teaching." Ellie felt the tension in Janus's grip and turned to give him a soft, reassuring smile. "Don't make that face; I'm not unhappy that I'll spend the rest of my days in the Night Realm. I'm just... mourning my separation from the Prime Realm, is all."

The corners of Janus's mouth trembled into a smile and he cupped her cheek. "Let's not give up hope quite yet. We never know what could happen, or what we could make work, especially now that Saint Soleil has a greater reserve of energy for her lumimancy." Janus slid a loose bit of Ellie's hair out of her face. "But for now, let's focus on the present."

"Yeah, that's for the best." She touched her lips just above his wrist, then eased up into a sit. "I don't even know how I'm gonna tell my family, but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it."

"Are you sure you're well enough to get up?" Janus raised halfway out of his chair and held his arms out to catch her if she teetered.

"I'm well enough to leave. I don't really wanna be down here anymore."

After helping Ellie to her feet and holding her stable, the pair gave their thanks to Rehor and Nairi seated at their desks then departed from the asylum. It was a trudge up the stairs and down the southeast corridor, but with every step Ellie recovered more energy. Janus glanced down at the cloth covering the wound that Ellie absentmindedly left exposed and stopped her. Giving her a small turn by the shoulders, he tugged the collar up and straightened her out so that none would be any the wiser.

A small cackle roused from Ellie. "You're just like my mum."

"Well, better that this mum help you hide it so your real one doesn't fret, yes?"

"True. I don't need her more frantic about me than she already is." Ellie swayed slightly to one side and caught her balance by gripping Janus's arm. "Who knew being curious about little ol' Gerald would lead me to this? Not that I'd go back and do it differently, but maybe I'd tough out the smell while cleaning up Haven."

"I don't think that would've been possible," Janus said, his expression turning grim. "I couldn't set foot outside the castle for a few days after they began cutting up the Walker."

A rapid clacking from the following corridor brought their conversation to a halt as they entered the main intersection. From around the corner came Lillian, her eyes wide and nearly out of breath—both worrisome signs.

"You have to come, quickly!"

"What is it?" Ellie swallowed the knot in her throat. "Is it Dad?"

"No, well, sort of? Just hurry!"

Lillian was gone as soon as she'd arrived, leaving Ellie and Janus disturbed in her wake. They set out after her and grew curious when laughter and elated hollers echoed from the Great Hall.

Near the front gate were Lillian, Elise, and four of the goblins crowded around something unintentionally obstructed from view by their bodies. When Ellie and Janus approached, Eingree had seated herself on the object of their admiration and started pushing herself forward with her arms. Beneath her was the wheelchair, only just commissioned the morning prior but now before them, fully completed. When Janus looked to Elise, she merely folded her hands over her lap and shrugged.

"It arrived just a few minutes ago," she said plainly. "The goblins helped themselves as soon as they got it up the stairs."

"Really, now?" Janus watched Eingree wheel herself along with an endless string of giggles. "You act as though you've never seen a wheelchair before."

"We haven't!" Skeeni replied, bouncing on his heels. "It's fun to push around and—oh, oh I wanna go again!"

"Can we have this, Lord Janus?" Fahtt asked, her eyes gleaming.

He brought a fist to his mouth and cleared his throat. "A wheelchair is not a toy nor intended for those whose legs are unhindered."

"I want one, too!" Lillian chimed in.

"See, Lillian gets it!" Hapi cheered. "We should all have one!"

Their energy was contagious and Ellie found herself laughing alongside them. A welcome moment of levity after her time in the asylum, and even Janus cracked a smile when he touched his forehead dumbfoundedly. Elise, however, had had enough and waved her hands to shoo the goblins.

"No more, now. This wheelchair was made specially for Mister Bram." As soon as she took the handles, Lillian plopped into the seat and cracked a wide grin up at her. Elise shook her head and a sigh whirled in her skull. "I'll take this to him so that he may use it right away."

"We'll come, too," Ellie said. "I wanna see how my dad likes it."

The goblins returned to the kitchen in disappointment, and Ellie and Janus followed behind Elise as she pushed the wheelchair—and Lillian—west toward the visitor's suite. Ellie trotted just ahead, gave the door a knock, then opened it when she heard her mother invite them in. Vena smiled at her guests and gasped when she saw the wheelchair.

Around the partition was Bram, sitting on the edge of bed and looking considerably better than the day before. When Elise pushed the wheelchair forward, Lillian shot her arms and legs outward from the seat and shouted.

"Look what we brought for you!"

She leapt up and scooted aside to clear Bram's path to the wheelchair. From up the spiral staircase came Irwin, summoned to the first floor by all the commotion.

"I can't believe it's already done," Vena said, smoothing her hand over the polished, wooden armrest.

"Truthfully, nor can I," Janus said, chuckling. "The craftsman was surprised by the request and said it would take a few days, but perhaps that was a drastic overestimation."

Elise gave the back handles a firm pat with her bony hands. "We've no need to worry over its build quality either, what with how the goblins were crawling all over it." She then stood aside and let Vena could take her place.

Confident that he needed no help, Bram delicately waved his children away and eased up from the bed. Carefully, he flopped into the wheelchair and dropped his arms on the rests.

"It's more comfortable than I thought," he said with a relaxed sigh while wiggling his feet on the footrest. "And supportive, too."

"It's nice because you can have someone push you back here, or you can push yourself with the wheels." Lillian pointed to each part as she spoke. "See? There's a metal ring you can grab."

"I do see them." Though the rings were indeed helpful, it took a considerable amount of effort that left Bram panting faintly. "Oh, but I think I need a bit more strength before I can do that."

"That's fine, you can leave the steering to us until then." Vena grabbed the handles and turned the wheelchair so that Bram could face everyone. For a moment his face was overtaken by a delighted grin, but soon it trembled into a frown and he buried his face in his hands.

"I'm sorry, I love the chair, I really do." He sniffled and wiped away a few tears. "I'm just—I'm so thankful that you went through the inconvenience. I wanted to see the castle, and now I can."

Janus raised a hand. "Please, I merely paid for it. And it was a worthwhile expenditure if it meant you'd have access to more than this room, even if its just the ground floor and the courtyard."

"Thank you." Bram reached out and clasped Janus's hand in his own. "Thank you so much. I shouldn't need it forever, just until I get enough strength back. Oh, but don't think that means I don't wanna go to the harvest festival tonight. It's my chance to make up for missing the Joining celebration with my children this year."

Elise stumbled back two steps and gripped the edge of a small table beside the partition.

"I completely forgot about the—oh, there's still so much more to do. I'll gather up outfits for everyone to choose from—you simply must have outfits!"

She bustled from the room before anyone could object, hastened by her own embarrassment at forgetting something so important. It was a trait she'd carried with her for years; an excellent memory during dull times, but too much excitement let to her losing grip of her tasks. It was as though she'd become too used to a mundane lifestyle.

"Could we see some of the ground floor while we wait?" Bram pleaded.

"I can't imagine why not." Vena glanced to Janus, who nodded. With his approval, she wheeled Bram to the corridor with Lillian bouncing at her heels and begging for a chance to push him. Even Irwin wanted a chance, and Vena merely cackled and told her children they'd just have to wait their turns.

Ellie and Janus stood alone in the visitor's suite, listening to the joyous commotion as the family headed toward the Great Hall. Playfully, she bumped her shoulder against his arm and smiled.

"Thank you. You have no idea how much that meant to him. To all of us."

"Ellie, it really was no trouble. If anyone is deserving of such thanks, it's the craftsman, especially considering how quickly he finished the work." Janus rubbed his chin. "I'll have to send him extra money as a thank you."

"Well, seems I'll have to do just that, then!" Ellie stood in front of Janus and took his hands. "But for now, we should go decide what we're gonna wear."

Janus chuckled and the two wrapped arms around each other's waists as they left the room. "Agreed. But don't select anything too fancy. It's far more casual than a banquet or the like."

"Good. I've had enough of banquets for awhile."