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Well.

This changed things.

Sermung knew something of the Prime Hunter. The Great Wolf. He knew that Koh's victims oftentimes did not die when he devoured them. Instead, they were imprisoned for centuries--or even longer. So there was a chance, at least, that Jonah yet lived.

But freeing him... now that was a whole other matter.

Any prison worth its salt would have to reside within a higher realm. Nothing less would be able to contain the Primordials. Which meant that time would be moving more slowly there, relatively speaking. So if Sermung went to go retrieve Jonah, he would be losing more time again. Much more time, potentially.

Plus, he'd have to find the place, first. Perhaps Koh could help with that, but he doubted it.

And even if he did manage to pull off such a feat, it would not be what Jonah wanted. In fact, it was entirely possible that Jonah had himself orchestrated the events that led to this outcome. Unlikely, perhaps, but possible.

Such a cruel fate for the boy.

Yet another example. Too many to count.

His thought processes faltered. Struggled. Hesitated. Did they even want to learn more? Of the endless misery permeating the world?

That was the problem with knowledge, wasn't it? As much as it empowered, so too did it open one's mind to the abyss.

Sermung didn't need that, right now. That was a foe that he was not prepared to face again. One he might never be.

It seemed to him that the older one got, the more vulnerable to it one became.

Madness. Despair. Two sides of the same coin, he'd come to believe. He wondered, at times, if it hadn't already been tossed. Flipping in the air. Perhaps it was just a matter of which way it landed now.

Foolishness, of course. Deadly, foolish, and an oversimplification.

Ah. He'd made Tenebrach mad again.

Stay on task. Keep looking. Pay attention.

The Hunter was close. Sermung could visit him. It might not resolve anything, but it would at least be informative. And he'd always been curious to see the ancient beast at full strength. He'd never had the privilege before.

Yes. Best not let this opportunity pass by. Theoretically, they were allies.

If it somehow turned into a fight, though... the resulting fallout could be...

Sermung weighed the option in his mind. Consulted Tenebrach's memories.

Perhaps they should attend to other matters first.