p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Walking downstairs, I noticed that while breakfast was set out, Ms. Morland was absent. There wasn't anything I could do about that, so I quickly ate the food before washing the plate and silverware./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"I then headed into the shop proper and checked the time. It was seven, meaning I had an entire hour to search for books in this place. I then did exactly that and spent almost all my time before I opened the shop searching for occult books./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"I also made sure to tuck Travelling at Night back as while I doubted I put it back in the same place, having it not missing would prevent Ms. Morland from being suspicious that I read it and thinking that I merely moved it./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"It was as I was looking through the shop I realized why it took so much time in the game; Morland had no sorting system I could decipher beyond a vague grouping, which, aside from making my job much more challenging, also made it near impossible to find the books I was looking for./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"That was also not helped by the fact I didn't even know the exact books I was looking for. I knew that her shop should have a book on the basics of Lantern and Heart, two of the basics I would need to keep me mostly safe./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Lantern would allow me to ascend further into the House of the Sun and learn quickly, while Heart would keep me alive. Edge was also an option, but from what I remember, Edge was found on expeditions and the auction house, neither of which I could access./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"So I kept searching, and just a few minutes before I would have to give up my search, I stumbled across The Locksmith's Dream, which was the series I needed. However, the book itself was called Portions and Proportions, and a quick skim through the first dozen pages revealed it to be Knock and not Lantern./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Tucking it under my arm, I quickly headed back towards the desk and put the book under the counter. I then flipped the sign and readied myself for another day of work; thankfully, by now, the Influence had faded enough to be unnoticeable./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"The day chugged along in a manner that I suspected would be familiar, given a few more days. A handful of people trickled in and searched for mundane books, and when I could only point them in a vague direction, they left./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"However, a few stayed and would emerge anywhere from a few minutes to over an hour later, holding a book in hand. They would then pay a fairly large sum of money for the book and leave happy. It seemed to work well for Morland as well as for me, given that while they were searching, I could read./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"The book I had nabbed was Teresa's second work and was filled with musings and speculation, with a handful of dreams recorded. However, what was invaluable was the seven words recorded at the end./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Teresa admitted they were a crutch, and anybody who knew the Princpels well enough would be able to bypass saying the words about how they would serve until you learned further./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"I cleared my throat and very carefully read them out loud, and when nothing happened, I frowned. It was then I was cut off by the bell ringing and had to return to helping customers./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"I was unfortunately pulled away from my book for nearly an hour as a well-dressed man talked about what he wanted in exacting detail, and while I managed to find it for him, he was an ass which was annoying./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Thankfully, when he left, nobody else had come in while I was helping him, meaning I could return to the book. Flipping it open to the back once again, I very carefully and, over the course of a minute, spoke the seven words./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"When I finished, I felt a bump against my rib and saw that the drawer next to me had opened. Closing it, I kept an eye on it as I recited the words again, and just as before, it opened./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"I bit down on my tongue to restrain myself from cheering; last night, I may have proved that I was in this world I knew, but that was undercut by the dread of knowing the setting. This was magic; I had spoken seven words and opened a drawer./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"I then continued practicing as hours flew by. My habit of butchering words that I had only read when I tried to speak both helped and hurt me. The words themself were not important so messing them up as I channeled the feeling would help in the long term and prevent any bad habits but in the short term, it would hinder any attempt at quick spellcasting. Thankfully, with this being the most basic of tricks, by the end of the day, I could open a nearby gently closed thing if given a dozen seconds and no stress./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Nothing major and not something I would likely use, but it was the very first step as well as allowing me to hopefully soon access the House of the Sun proper./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"I didn't want to go trawling around in the Woods, given that Velvet made her home there. The secrets I held in my skull would likely see it split open and pulled out; me knowing things like where the Worms came from and that the Wheel still turned was a partial death sentence in certain cases./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Closing up shop, I returned to the small back section to see Ms. Morland waiting as she had yesterday hand outstretched for the keys. "Everything well?" she asked as I plopped them in her hand. "Yes, no issues today," I told her, provoking a hum in response as we both sat down at the table./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Tonight was a simple fare, a pork sandwich that had been lightly toasted on each side. It was delicious, and while even back home I had skipped a meal, I was very hungry tonight. Eating it as quickly as I could while still being polite, Ms. Morland and I had small talk./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"I avoided any mention of the occult as while she was very likely to be involved in it, I didn't want to force her hand, so I simply spent the time talking about the people I served and the non-occult book I read, which was Sherlock Holmes./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"I did enjoy those works ever since a few years ago when during a summer camp I had forgotten to bring enough books and so had borrowed a fellow campers collection of Sherlock Holmes stories and read them obsuisvly over the course of the two weeks./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Soon enough, we were both done and had cleaned up. She then placed a handful of coins in my hand. "Your first few day's wage, you'll get a full week's payment next week," she said before heading up the steps./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Very carefully, making sure not to spill a coin, I tucked the money away and headed back up to my room. Laying the coins out on the bed, I wracked my head to remember what the signage system was called./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Pounds, Shillings, and Pence, from what I remember. The coins I was going to assume were Shillings given that they are more silver; however, that was only a guess./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Nonetheless, having my own money was good, even if I didn't know how far a single Shilling would go. However, I didn't pay for anything currently, which meant I could save my money for when I needed it, like some new clothes,/span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"I then very carefully removed my shirt and pants, leaving me in my underwear before climbing under the covers and rolling on my side to face the door. I then quickly drifted off into a deep and dreamless slumber./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"I woke up once again and slid out of bed before heading into the bathroom. A quick shower, and I was ready for the day. Heading downstairs, I saw Ms. Morland reading the paper as she normally did while drinking tea./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"I quickly ate before cleaning off my dishes and thanking her for breakfast. I then headed into the shop and returned The Locksmith's Dream back to its old spot as I searched around for another book./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"I did manage to find one, but I couldn't even read the title or any of the words inside. However, based on a few things I faintly remembered, I guessed this book to be written in Latin, which only reaffirmed my desire to learn Lantern./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Learning a language could take years, and I was no polymath, meaning it would take months for me to learn even the basics. However, I speculated that Lantern's aspect of learning and knowing would allow me to bypass languages in the act of learning./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"I did have to open shop at this point, which meant instead of progressing further in the Invisible Arts, I spent most of my days reading Sherlock Holmes and helping customers./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Unforantly, I was interrupted near the end of one of the cases by a fairly unpleasant shock. The same officer who had interrogated me was stepping inside the shop, a small frown on his face./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"I quickly made sure everything was hidden before turning to face him. I hadn't noticed that day when he had talked to him due to my shock and my slumping, but I had almost half a foot on him, which I chalked up to time differences./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""How can I help you today, sir?" I asked, giving him a polite nod that he didn't bother to return as he looked around. "I'm looking for a fellow to talk to; he is tall and bald and has skin that is dark like coal," he replied in an even tone that had my heart pounding harder./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"He was likely talking about the man who asked for Morland a few days ago, and given what I knew now, he was also likely a Forge disciple. However, I couldn't do anything except talk to this man and not get the possible occultist in enough trouble that he tracked me down./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""I think I do remember him," I said slowly, like I was dredging memories up. I was no expert liar, but as long as this man didn't know my tells, I should be able to get by./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"The man merely nodded as I said that and pulled out a small pad of paper he started writing on. "I don't remember what he did; he simply looked around for a book and then left," I told him, giving him a helpless shrug even as I had to resist the urge to rub my chest as my heart pounded./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"The man hummed low and deep in his throat before giving me a small nod and tucking his notebook away. "Thank you for that information," he said before turning around and leaving Morland's Shop./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"I slumped back against the wall, my heart pounding in my chest. Thankfully, he didn't seem to notice me, which was good, given that getting on the Suppression Bureau's bad side was a good way to end up in a cell for the rest of my life, and I didn't have any method to escape beyond running which would not get me far./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"The rest of the day passed by like normal, and soon enough, I was eating dinner with Ms. Morland. We made small talk like usual, except she stopped when I mentioned the officer./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""He came in and asked about that man you talked to the other day," I told her, and when she raised an eyebrow, I rushed to explain, "I just said he looked for a book before leaving," I said, causing her to hum as she set down her knife and fork to pat me on the shoulder./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""Thank you, Aidan, that was good of you," she said before returning to her meal. Meanwhile, I was mentally wiping my forehead. I didn't want to get in trouble with my boss as that way lay poverty and dying on the streets, not even accounting for all the occult ways to die./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Soon, we both finished and, like normal, went our separate ways. Unfortunately, I didn't have any books to read before or study, and I didn't want to go rummaging around her shop this late, so I headed upstairs and, after getting undressed like normal, slipped under the covers, ready to sleep and have normal dreams./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"em style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"I awoke in the Woods to my shock and almost immediately saw something step forth from the brush. I didn't know what it was, but I turned and bolted the branches from the tree scraping against my face and drawing thin red lines as blood welled up and dropped to the forest floor./em/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"em style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"My bare feet slipped in the muck, and I barely caught myself as I looked up in search of Glory and found nothing. I didn't want to be caught by whatever that creature was, and while I could hear its wings beating, it seemed like it couldn't just swoop down and grab me./em/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"em style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"Words slipped from my lips as I fumbled through the seven phrases. I needed a way out, and Knock might be able to provide it. Skidding to a stop, my eyes darted wildly about as more and more wing beats filled the air./em/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"em style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"I reached down and grabbed a small rock from under the roots of a tree. My heart was pounding, but with great effort, I slowed my speech and spoke as I used the sharp rock to slash a Wound in the palm of my hand; I then tore a tuff of hair from my head and mixed the blood and hair./em/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"em style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"The wounds on my face opened as well as I thought on the House of the Sun and how I had opened a door to leave. A wound was an open door, and I had just opened it with sacrifice and blood and change. I stood there, my heart pounding as blood pumped out of my hand, chest, and face as I prayed with seven words over and over as creatures kept a faint distance but with beady eyes locked on me./em/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"I awoke with a bloody wound carved into my hand, and I knew that this wound would not heal. Perhaps in a few months, it would close somewhat, or I could scar it over with Edge lessons, but I had spilt blood and freshly shorn hair in the Woods./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"That sort of expression had power, and while it had allowed me to escape with my mind untouched from what I suspected was a minor creature of the Velvet, it had also marked me with Knock; this wound would serve as a tool to channel Knock, but at the same time, it was a wound and would impede me./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Clambering out of bed, I shuffled into the bathroom, holding my left hand to my chest before fumbling around and managing to find a bandage. Wrapping it tight around my hand, I made sure that it wouldn't come loose before heading back to my room./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"While I could use the sleep sitting down in my bed, I knew that sleep would not come that night, and as I stayed lying down in my bed, eyes wide open, and sleepness not clouding my mind, I was proven right, I didn't get a wink of sleep that night./span/p