Before Ariel had too much time to wonder what Sabine was whispering about, Meesei gave a nod. "Agreed."

Looking back up to Ariel, Meesei transitioned into a more serious demeanor. "While it has been wonderful to simply catch up with you, I do feel that I should not go too long without telling you why we have come here. We actually traveled here specifically to speak with you, Ariel. There has been a...development in our struggle against Vile. I am sure you remember the suppression gas. It has been re-created by the enemy, likely with a slightly different formula since your old antidote no longer works. But, that is only a small portion of the troubles we face. The real threat is that our enemy has managed to modify the gas into a more deadly concoction. They call it the soul-tearing gas. It rends any soul with a bonded beast spirit straight from the body, killing almost immediately as soon as the lycan has inhaled a lethal dose. We have been doing everything we can to research this foul creation, but given the magnitude of the threat, I felt it would be irresponsible not to come to you."

---

Yizan turned his head away slowly, looking down out into space at the foot of his bed. Hearing even an edited version of Dar-Tzesa's final days did nothing to improve his mood. In fact, it served to bring tears to his eyes the more he thought about what he had said. "She...died from you capturing her. Y-you killed my mother. I..."

Needless to say, Najan-Ja was not pleased overall, and was especially irritated when Gallus asked to speak with him and his wife separately from Yizan. His wife actually started to stand up from her chair when Gallus made the request, but Najan raised up his hand to signal for her to stop. "No, I'm sick of these delays and vague words. If you have a cure, or solution, or whatever word you want to use for it, then just tell us. Yizan-Lei's struggles have turned him into a fine young man, and he can hear you just as well as we can. No more context or questions, just say what you came here to say."