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And so many little bells and whistles. Tiny things he’d added over time with nary a thought. A glowing bed of artificial flowers here. A waterless fountain, made entirely of Heartstone. A luminescent bird feeder, even though there were no birds here.

Perhaps he’d gone a bit overboard, now that he was thinking about it.

A stone Border Collie, locked in a running pose.

Yeah, okay. He’d definitely gone overboard. He hardly even remembered doing most of these.

Oh, that’s right. Many of them were probably the result of his sleepwalking. Or “sleepworking” as Marlizia liked to call it.

As they passed into the Black Citadel’s atrium, the full vastness of the compound became more visible. From this central area, any other location within the fortress could be reached. Every major hallway connected here, and stairways lined each the walls so that the second and third floors could be easily accessed, as well.

Daro didn’t linger. Their destination was the Eastern Laboratory.

Before reaching the corridor, however, he noticed that Zeff and Axiolis were lagging behind.

Gawking again, seemingly.

Flattering, perhaps, but also mildly annoying. Were they not the ones who should be feeling a sense of urgency here? He walked back over to them, still deciding on whether or not he wanted to chastise them.

Axiolis spoke up first. ‘This material here. Might you tell us what it is?’

Daro raised an eyebrow. They were both staring a tall stone pillar, one of a dozen that lined the atrium’s outer footpath. “Why? What is your interest in it?”

“...We feel like we’ve seen this before,” said Zeff. He touched the pillar with a pair of fingers. “Quite recently, in fact.”

Oh? Daro needed a moment to think about that. What might they be referring to? He didn’t recall building anything out of this stuff back in Vantalay. Or anywhere in the real world, for that matter.

And while it had certainly been a while since he’d made them, but he remembered clearly enough what these particular pillars had been hewn from. Unlike some of the other decorations around here, it wasn’t Heartstone or Luughite or basteria. Not khamarasta or Ardoran angel stone, either.

“You recognize it, do you?” said Daro. “I find that curious. Its formation was from a most ancient recipe. One that I feared might become lost to history. Hence why I went to great lengths recreating it.”

‘Almost lost to history, you say? Do you even know its original name, then?’

Daro smiled. “Nightrock.”