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((The Mon/Wen/Fri Double -- page 1 of 2))
Hmm. Hector was disappointed, but if Rasalased couldn't tell him anything, then that was that. And there were plenty of other subjects to ask about. "Okay, well, do you know anything about Sparrows? Or auras, maybe?"

"Ah... you speak of the Wrobels. Yes. You are lucky. The one you are traveling with seems trustworthy."

"Really?" Wow. If Pauline had Rasalased's approval, then that was no small thing. Hector felt like maybe he should give her more credit than he had been so far.

"I believe so. But take my judgment of her character with a degree of caution. Wrobel souls are more difficult to read than that of our kind. And they are incredibly dangerous creatures."

"Ah..." Dang.

"As allies, they would of course be helpful, but you must be cautious. They are, perhaps, the worst of all possible enemies."

"Uh..." Hector found that a little hard to believe. "You really think so? I mean, I wouldn't exactly put them in the same threat level as something like an emperor-level servant or a feldeath."

"Ah. You may be right. The ones you have met do seem like a mere shadow of the Wrobels that I remember."

"Wait, they were more powerful in the past?"

"Were they? Yes, I believe they were. Or perhaps yours are merely playing at being weaker than they truly are."

Now there was a discomforting thought. "I don't think so," said Hector. "Pauline is one thing, but Hanton Gaolanet had plenty of reason to not hold back against me."

"Perhaps so."

"Can you tell me anything about auras?"

"Yes. But this headspace of yours is fading. You will wake soon."

"Wha? Already? It feels like I just went to sleep."

"Indeed. So allow me one last word: be wary of pretenders. They are..."

"...Pretenders? What do you mean?"

No response came.

And he could feel the warm darkness shifting. "Aw, fuck..."