For most of those present, their first reactions were naturally surprise or concern for Meesei, though Hal-Neesa's narrowed eyed told of her skepticism. "You claim to have gone to Artaeum for this? I'm not sure what-"

Meesei quickly, and rather boldly, cut Hal-Neesa off mid-sentence. "Yes, I found a way to bypass Artaeum's defenses and decided to visit. Zyausak recommended seeking you, specifically, to help." 

Even Hal-Neesa's normally hardened exterior was uncharacteristically, visibly shocked by Meesei's sudden retort. For once, she had no insults or snide remarks, and instead showed just a hint of genuine worry. 

Meesei did not waste another moment before continuing. "And unfortunately, no, they did not have any answers. My case is, from their experience, entirely unique. They were confident they could help and offered to allow me to join their order, but they felt it might take hundreds of years to find a solution. I...considered keeping this to myself, but this was not a secret I could hide from you all in good conscious. And, I would like your help. If I am only to have a few days before this invasion, then I do want to at least be able to say I gave it my best effort to solve this problem."