VII. Relativism — Parisa

Parisa arms Callum with a Wessex pistol and brings him to the Society, revealing her intent to resolve the archives’ demanded death—potentially by offering herself, not killing Libby Rhodes. She confirms the wards remain accessible thanks to leverage over Sharon, whose daughter’s cancer was cured, and dismisses Callum’s protests.

At the threshold, Parisa senses the wards are altered by an unstable, burned-in magic she recognizes from Dalton. Inside, the house trembles; the archives’ familiar drain is gone, replaced by dangerous overactivity. In the reading room, Dalton ransacks the space, demanding something from the archives and insisting he needs “his magic,” not a body, raging that “she killed him.”

Parisa tries to parse Dalton’s fractured mind while enlisting Callum’s influence. Callum admits he knows what Dalton seeks but warns it is morally troubling. Dalton grabs Parisa, vowing to revive or remake the lost mage, hinting the traveler will be compelled to help.

Alarms flare: the telepathic wards are breached via Dalton’s subconscious. A young man staggers into the room as psychic pain slams Parisa and Dalton to their knees. With reality blurring, Parisa’s consciousness is dragged into a devastated psychic landscape.

In that mindscape, Gideon Drake appears and hands Parisa the sword she once used against him. Accepting it, Parisa abandons her plan to die here and prepares to confront the dreamer.