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After a moment, Zeff took a breath but still didn't open his eyes. "It's alright," he said. "He knows we're here, but he can't sense what we're discussing."

"How can you know that for certain?" asked Daro.

Zeff looked at him steadily. "I know," was all he said.

Linus took a long breath now, too, feeling ironically clearer-headed in this thicker fog. He blinked a couple times as everything they'd been talking about was beginning to register more strongly in his mind.

Kristof was there to hold his shoulder. "That's it, old friend. I can see the light behind your eyes again."

After a moment, Linus pushed the hand away. "What does that mean?"

Kristof smirked. "Do you not remember? The last time we spoke, you didn't even recognize me. Talked to me like I was a stranger. Hurt my feelings, you know."

"Graves made me forget you? Perhaps I should thank him."

"Hah!" Krstof punched him in the arm. "But this also means I'm stronger than you, Linus."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. I resisted the manipulation, while you fell for it hook, line, and sinker."

The Water Dragon chimed in again. "You weren't in a particularly good state, either, when I found you."

"Shut up, Zeff."

Daro stepped forward. "If anything, I was the one who proved the most resilient."

"Only because you were hiding," said Kristof.

"And it's a good thing I was, because I have far more precious secrets to protect than you two dullards do."

Linus paused on that thought. "Secrets, eh? How much did Graves learn from us?"

Everyone turned to Zeff for that answer, but the Water Dragon gave an uncertain tilt of his head.

"No telling, I'm afraid."

An uncomfortable silence arrived as each of the men mulled that over.

For his part, Linus supposed Daro had a point. He personally didn't have much that he was afraid would be discovered. Being so old, many secrets that he once coveted now seemed largely trivial.

But he doubted that was the case for everyone here.

Daro was the first to speak up again. "And we really intend to fight this monster?"

"Don't tell me you're getting cold feet now," said Kristof.

"Hmph. If he gets a hold of us again, will we even be able to do anything? The apparent range of his influence is absurd. If we're not careful, we'll have lost before the fight even starts."