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Hector was tempted to remove it right now, but then he’d have to either take it back to Warrenhold or lug it around Intar the whole time. Maybe it would be better to remove it after the return trip.

Yeah, okay.

As he was about to start heading back down, however, he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and noticed something there. Another slight wavering in his vision.

But it looked a little different from the others. The previous waviness was radiating out from the mirror. That was still there, too, of course, but this looked like it had come from inside the mirror. From his reflection there.

From him.

Was he seeing things? He tried to look himself all over, but that was rather difficult, even if he hadn’t been wearing this bulky armor. So instead, he tried to reposition himself above the mirror so as to get a better view from its upward-facing reflection.

There it was. He saw it. On his right shoulder. No. On the back of his shoulder, actually.

Another spatial distortion.

What the heck? He contorted himself around, trying to get a clearer view of it, but it wasn’t working very well.

‘What the hell are you doing?’ said Garovel privately.

Hector didn’t even try to explain. He was too alarmed to be self-conscious, right now.

Why was there a spatial distortion on him? Was it coming from his armor? Or from his body? He had to know.

In an instant, he dematerialized most of the armor, leaving only enough to keep hold of the items he liked to carry inside the breastplate.

‘Ugh, no! Daylight!’

It was still there, Hector saw. Still on the back of his shoulder.

Holy fuck. It really was coming from his body.

That didn’t seem good.

‘What the hell, man?! Give a guy some warning next time!’ Garovel floated up behind him, peering into the mirror as well. ‘What’re we lookin’ at here?’

‘Can you see that?’ said Hector. ‘That waviness around my shoulder? Like a heat haze or something?’

‘Mm... Oh. Yeah, now that you mention it, I can. In fact, the whole mirror is kinda... Huh. What is that?’

‘A spatial distortion, apparently.’

‘Excuse me?’

‘Something that can interfere with the Gate’s operation.’

‘Hmm. Grumpy Boy told you all that?’

‘Yep.’ He corrected his posture and then held the Core aloft again. ‘Why is there a distortion on my body?’

The Core did not know.