"Then what in Brandt's vaults was that?" one of the dwarves yelled out.
Ryn exhaled slowly.
"Essence," he said. "But corrupted."
"It reacts violently when removed," one of the dwarves said slowly. "Like it can't exist on its own."
Ryn straightened.
"That's because it isn't meant to," he said.
The soot-stained dwarf turned his lenses toward him. "You've seen this before."
It wasn't a question.
Ryn met his gaze for a moment, then looked back at the corpse.
He didn't answer.
Because explaining would only muddy the truth.
Instead, his thoughts moved quickly, flicking through possible options. If this was their solution…
Then it was a bad one.
The crystal couldn't survive outside the host. It shattered when disturbed.
Which meant the process wasn't complete. Whatever method the Cult was using, it wasn't sustainable.
Not yet at least.
Ryn felt something loosen in his chest. At least now he knew that they weren't all powerful.
He had time.
They hadn't solved it.
