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Hector tried to keep listening, but he found it difficult. Even with Focus allowing him to divide his attention, it was hard to let any of what the reapers were saying into his head now. They were saying something about machines and armor, but Hector's mind was too far gone.

If Asad had been on the front line, where the Mad Demon himself had been, then anything could have happened. He could be captured or dead or even still fighting for his life at this very moment. He could've been on the run or trapped somewhere or leading his own band of refugees like Abbas.

Hector just didn't understand how this could be true. Rasalased would have warned him. He would have. This made no sense. So was Levinox wrong? Was Abbas mistaken?

The Shard was right here in his pocket. Hector had been sure to bring it with him.

He'd been trying to contact Rasalased again ever since that night when he accidentally did it while asleep, but after so many repeated failures, he'd begun to think it was just straight up impossible. That night must have been a fluke or something. He'd been about ready to call it quits, at least until he thought of some other way to approach the problem.

But now.

Now he was just mad. And confused. Something obviously wasn't right here.

He needed to understand. More than anything else, he needed that. It was the single most important thing in the world, at the moment. Why the fuck had Rasalased not warned him about what was going to happen? Did Rasalased just not know? Was Morgunov just that powerful? Was Asad actually just fine? Or was something else going on entirely?

Unconsciously, he reached into the vest pocket of his coat and clutched the Shard tightly with one hand. And with frustration filling his mind, with emotion and determination filling his heart, he closed his eyes and concentrated, pouring as much of his soul power into the Shard as he could possibly cram in there.