Confident his charm was enough to secure them help, Ghent waited for Smaya to respond. His brows lifted at her comment of him being unusual, but he didn't disagree. Especially after discovering he wasn't even human.
	Ghent’s hopeful smile wavered at the mention of a favor, doubt already creeping into the corners of his mind. He waited for her to go on, reluctant to hear what the request entailed. 
	As Smaya spoke of the illness plaguing Wonderland, Ghent nodded slowly. He couldn't forget the Curse if he wanted to; the topic came up more than he would like, and Drust was a constant reminder of it. The boy turned as Smaya approached the pool, his attention drawn to her hand when she reached for the water.
	The serenity of the setting was short lived. The pool became polluted with dark veins reminiscent to those on Drust’s face, the water changing from crystal clear to bloody red. Ghent leaned forward to get a better look, disturbed by the images manifesting. The shapes resembled people of varying ages, each moving wherever their feet took them. They didn’t seem to acknowledge their surroundings, their eyes appearing deadened and unfocused as they trudged onward.
	Believing the pool was a one way window, Ghent studied the lost souls without fear for his own safety. His expression grew increasingly troubled as Smaya continued, her words chilling him. This painted a bigger picture as to what the Curse was capable of, and who was affected.
	"How can something be so powerful?" Ghent's voice was scarcely a whisper, his desire to survive feeling like an impossible dream. If the Curse was powerful enough to plague the dead, what hope did he have against it? What hope did [i]anybody[/i] have?
	Mind reeling with information, Ghent staggered back, startled when one of the smallest figures seemed to angle its hooded head toward them. In that moment, he understood Smaya’s sorrow. 
	“N-no, it’s okay. I won’t tell anyone.” Ghent wanted to reassure the woman, her mournful sigh sending a pang of sympathy through his heart. As soon as the words left his mouth, his eyes widened. If he kept his word, neither Drust nor Elayra would know about the danger threatening the realms. 
	Wishing he had the ability to think before he spoke, Ghent bit his bottom lip to prevent himself from making more promises. He didn't even know Smaya's proposition yet. He waited to be challenged with an impossible task, but it never came. For a moment, he wondered if he heard correctly. Her favor was simply that he didn’t forget them. 
	It was a selfless, honorable request. Ghent hardly knew how to use magic correctly, but he couldn’t bear to make Smaya more sorrowful than she already was. It was his turn to say something, but what? 
	"You know for second there, I thought you were gonna ask for my soul or something." Ghent laughed weakly, a feeble attempt to calm his nerves.[i][b] Is everything a joke to you? [/b][/i] Elayra's question from earlier sounded in his head, earning a sigh from the boy. "Sorry. Today's been crazy." 
	Ghent faced the pool again, reflecting on all that he learned. Either Smaya was desperate enough to tell him about the predicament of the realms, or she felt she could trust him. He suspected the first, but hoped for the later. After a long period of silence, he resumed eye contact with the woman, his mind made up.
	“This is a lot to take in...but I’m glad you told me.” Ghent admitted, surprised by the maturity in his own answer. “I’m still new to all of this, and...uh, I sorta suck at magic, but I’ll do what I can to help. And…I won’t forget any of you. I promise.”