If it hadn't already, the many consecutive assaults on clans brought the highest stress of the war onto the entire Blackreach clan involved in the effort. There were those that had lost friends and loved ones when the distant Orcrest clan had fallen, evident due to the people Meesei had brought from all over Tamriel. The lost clans sent shockwaves many magnitudes greater through the community. The lycans around them lashed out with anger and words, demanding action and safety. They could only do so much.

All the emotion coming from every direction made Sabine pliable to Meesei's extra time in Apocrypha. She was upset, anxious, and even angry herself at times. Every time she protested, however, Meesei could justify the sacrifice. It became a recurring argument between them as Meesei's visits became longer and the subsequent consequences were made apparent.

The rest of the pack knew. They had tried to speak to Meesei with similar results on their own. However, a short time ago, Meesei had missed Sabine's twenty-eighth birthday. It was the age at which Meesei had completed her pack by finding Fendros and Kaleeth. At the pack gathering they had, Sabine burst into tears when it became clear why Meesei was absent.

After some comforting, the pack was now in a room together with the gaunt and unkempt Meesei. The children were asleep, despite Rhazii's increasing nightmares that would inevitably lead to his first transformation within the next few months. They all had their eyes on Meesei, Sabine's still ringed red with her previous tears.

Janius opened up. He had just as much determination as Lorag, with his arms crossed and his mouth scowled. He looked at Meesei with his head angled to face the table in front of them. "Meesei, you know why you're here. It may not be skooma you're taking, but everything about you is the same. You're addicted to that book." Janius glanced at the pouch at Meesei's side that she kept it in.