"Alright Jonas, speak your mind," Dan says.

The three of us are sitting at the study table, the vertex of the four hallways. A black ink bottle housing a feather quill lies in its exact center. No books or artifacts remain on the table; all are stored neatly in the shelves of each of the four corners of the room.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to say. I felt like I've already said what I needed to say," Jonas replies vaguely.

"And that is...?"

"I don't want to use my Ender-magic. I thought I made that clear."

I interject, "Because of the suppression, right? What is the suppression, anyways?"

Jonas' purple irises gaze at me with sorrow. "Do you really want to know? The knowledge won't help you."

Jonas' straightforward question catches me off-guard. It seems as if, briefly, Jonas has offered to open up to me. But do I trust myself enough as a friend to hold on to one of his secrets?

"It may even make you to decide not to do things that are in your own interest," Jonas adds. He probably notices that I am hesitating, and wants to see if he can change my mind.

I reason aloud, "If the knowledge explains why you can't use your Ender-magic to help me, then I think that I should know. Besides, you are my friend."

Jonas smiles faintly, but only for a moment. "Then you should know that I am trying to become more human. In order to do so, I must avoid using Ender-magic entirely. That's why it's called 'suppression.' I am suppressing the side of myself which makes me like an Enderman."

Dan pipes in. "Jonas' body is composed of two forms of magic, Ender and earth. If he can avoid using Ender-magic and strengthen his connection with the earth, then his earth side, his human side, will eventually overshadow it."

Eventually? As in, his human side is not dominant yet? "How long have you been doing this?" I ask Jonas.

"Seventeen years," Jonas responds.

"Wow, that's a very long time." I turn the dates over in my head. That was around the time I met Jonas, wasn't it?

Jonas nods. "The process has taken me a long time. That's because it's not supposed to happen. It's unnatural."

"Don't think so lowly of yourself, cousin." Dan pats Jonas on the shoulder. "It is a choice that you have made. And you have put a great deal of effort into it."

"I know." Jonas sighs. "I just worry that refusing to help Fristad might put him in danger."

"Fristad's recovery is a process, not a discrete series of steps which must be followed," Dan responds. "I apologize for pressing my request so hard upon you. I only wanted you to take my request seriously. But the decision is still yours."

Jonas turns towards me. "What do you think, Fristad? Should I do it?"

"I have faith that things will turn out fine either way. And I respect your choice to not use Ender-magic," I respond.

"But would you still say that, had you not known why I chose to refuse?"

I shrug. "I prefer empathy over ignorance."

Do I really have faith that things will turn out okay? I don't know; a part of me feels I am still doomed to become the Book's slave either way. I suppose that I told Jonas a white lie, but it was a lie to keep him from worrying about me. I'm sure he has done the same for me. I believe he has done so in my best interest, even though his secrecy makes me uneasy.

I can feel the Book clawing at my mind, telling me that I am forgetting something, but I am trying very hard to suppress it.

"In that case, Jonas, I would like for you to share with me what you can about Ender-magic that you think may be relevant," Dan says, "and I'll see if that knowledge can help us."

Thus, Dan and Jonas begin to exchange words with each other. At first, the conversation starts off as metaphysical, almost spiritual in nature. But the conversation quickly spirals down into a sea of technical jargon, until I can't understand a word they are saying. How the heck does Jonas know all of this stuff?

The Book speaks, "There is a great deal about Jonas which we do not know. We certainly know very little about Jonas' relationship with Dan. It is obvious that the two of them share an intimate knowledge of magic, but this is unexplained by the fact that Jonas has worked as a shepherd since he was fourteen, if your memory is accurate."

You can access my memories?

Blazes, the Book can access my memories. Is there no corner of my mind that is not secure from the Book's presence?

"I am merely drawing from your recollection of the day you met Jonas, triggered from your inquiry about his suppression. There is no need for such deep probing. Let us not, however, forget why such knowledge is important. Let us draw our attention to Dan. Notice how his hair has lost all of its hue; it is a wiry grey. His voice is very deep and his nose is fleshy from age. With that knowledge in mind, one would suppose that Dan is perhaps in his sixties or seventies. However, a discrepancy arises. Look at his skin. Its form is supple and its wrinkles are light, and it is free of the spots of discoloration that one would expect from the skin of a man of his ripe age. Now, look at his eyes. Notice how clear they are, how vibrant of a blue with which his old irises shine, how rapidly they dart from Jonas to you and back. Why do you suppose that is the case?"

As I more closely observe Dan's face as he speaks, I can't help but focus upon his unnervingly blue eyes. Perhaps I noticed unconsciously that there was something out of the ordinary about them, but I didn't realize what that was. I didn't even notice his skin until you mentioned it, but I can see how there is a discrepancy there. Dan is apparently in very good health.

"And what else would keep Dan in such good health but his powerful magic? There is no telling how old Dan is. His longevity would explain how he has managed to amass such a great number of books, artifacts, and supplies. Dan may be short on credits, but he is indeed a very wealthy man. Thus, there appears to be a great age difference between Dan and Jonas. There are only two resolutions to this issue. The first is that Jonas and Dan are not cousins. The second is that Jonas is not thirty-one years old. Either, way, Jonas lied to you. Given that knowledge, do you still trust Jonas, even though he has not been honest to you?"

I reflect on the many years I have known Jonas, both as a partner on the farm and as a best friend. Jonas may not be perfectly honest with his words, but he is an honest person.

"Do you still think so, on top of the fact that Jonas has kept so many secrets from you?" the Book counters. "You hardly know anything about his past. Do you not think that it is odd that his supposed 'cousin,' despite his great wealth, lives in a slum, doing business with half-bloods and Nether looters?"

Nether looters? What are those?

"Do you not remember the man who visited Dan this morning, wearing chainmail stained with the blood and slime of Nether pigmen? The same man whose boss was notoriously late on his payment?"

Well, I suppose I remember the bald man who was wearing chainmail armor, but I had no idea he was a Nether looter, let alone any idea what a Nether looter actually is.

"Regardless, the important point which I am trying to make is that Dan is a dangerous man who solicits business from dangerous people. If Jonas is as honest as you say he is, he ought not to be associated with that man. But, alas, he is. It doesn't help either that void magicians and Ender-beings have a notorious history."

What makes you say that void magicians and Ender-beings have a notorious history?

"Common sense."

What is that supposed to mean? I bet you pulled that idea out of your non-existent butthole. You're just saying all of these things to try to make me suspicious of my best friend.

"Do not deny the truth which you see in front of you. It is clear that Jonas and Dan are not trustworthy. If you continue to treat Jonas as your friend, I assure you, you will come to regret your actions."