"....yes, well." Hal responded.

"You two know each other?" Chris asked.

"We're acquainted." Hal replied. "You could say." he added.

"...anyway, I was told that you knew the exact wish to make to free a djinn." Chris then commented.

"...ah, yes, I do." Hal responded, as Chris dug out the small box from his pocket.

"You wish to free her?" he asked.

"Yes." Chris replied. "She deserves it after being kept as a slave by Vanessa." he reasoned.

"Pretty much." Hal responded, before looking at Chris.

"Are you SURE you want to free her?" he asked.

"Yes. Absolutely." Chris responded.

"Be completely honest. Why?" Hal asked him further.

"...well, as I said, after being kept by Vanessa, she deserves it." Chris replied. "...and nobody should be a slave, at all... I've come to recently realise that. And perhaps this is some way for me to start atoning for my past, in some small way." he went on. "And... I don't want to own her. I don't want this power. Already I have selfish ideas brewing in my head, and I don't want to succumb to them." he then admitted at the end.

"That's the first step." Hal told him. "Complete honesty." he said. He then gestured Chris to come closer, which he did, and Hal whispered something into his ear. It lasted for about 15 seconds, before Chris nodded and made his way back to Evona.

"...I just have one last thing to wish for before I do this." he said to her.

"Ayla's vocal chords have been decimated, and she can no longer speak." he told her. "I wish that she could speak again. Or, failing that, I wish she had some way to reliably and consistently communicate with others." he wished.

Chris looked disheartened when she mentioned that Ayla's voice could not be repaired, but he DID smile a little when she told him there would be a way for her to communicate again, and to just give it time.

With that, he stepped forward, placed the box in her hands, and paused.

He took a deep breath, recalled what he'd just been told, and looked at her.

"I wish for your unequivocal and irrevocable freedom my own possession, and that you would have whatever freedom you choose for the foreseeable future." he repeated, just like how Angela had said earlier.

Not that he would know about THAT part.

'Did I do it right...?' he wondered anxiously.

Hal was silent for a moment, before sighing quietly.

"Jenkins." he said.

"Y-yes?" Chris asked.

"Report to the medical wing for examination." Hal told him. "We'll discuss a full briefing of what happened later." he told him.

"Yes, of course." Chris responded, before looking at Evona.

"And... you're welcome." he told her. "Thank you for everything beforehand, and I'm sorry... for the past." he apologised, before making his exit, closing the door behind him.

"...it's been a long time, Evona." Hal then said, taking his sunglasses off, allowing her to see what she'd already 'seen'.

"And yes, destroying that WOULD be problematic." he agreed.

Hal just shook his head slightly.

"Well, you are correct." he said. "I AM involved with someone. Have been for a while. And that IS the reason for the halfway point, as you put it." he confirmed, before sighing.

"It's Hollie Remmington, current Head of the Council of Mages, and sister to Vincent Remmington." he informed her.

"And I consider myself extremely fortunate to have her in my life." he added.

"...but looking back, I wouldn't have traded the time I spent with you for the world." he then told her bluntly.

Hal just smiled slightly, before it faded slowly.

"What about you?" he asked.

"What have... well... what HAVE you been doing?" he asked.

"...surely you weren't in the service of THAT awful dark elf for... very long..." he went on, but then shook his head.

"I'm not that naïve, nor am I stupid." he muttered.

"I'm so sorry you were with Vanessa Encrae."

Hal just chuckled as well, before digging into a cabinet, and bringing out a pair of sunglasses, much like his own.

"One of my spare pairs." he told her.

"Probably a temporary solution." he said.

"If you want something less... obvious, I suppose... then my lab team can probably put together something for you." he continued. "Like a pair of earrings or a hair clip or something." he went on.

"As for what to do with yourself now, there are facilities here you can use." he then said.

"A place to sleep, notably." he clarified.

"Or are you thinking you're just going to head into the world and see what happens?" he asked.

Hal cupped his chin for a moment, regarding her last question.

"Hmmmmmmmm..." he muttered.

"Well, you can leave it here in my office." he told her. "I have several hidden safes in here." he said. "Or you can leave it with ME, and I can place it in the hidden area of my home, where I keep MINE." he suggested.

"Either of those work?" he asked.

"And 'use'? Please, we serve as a refuge for those that need help, until they can get back on their feet." he then told her.

"You DO have a lot to catch up on, but you are free to stay here until such time you feel you're ready to strike it out on your own." he assured her.

Hal looked at the little box, before gingerly picking it up.

"I promise you I will treat this with the same level of care and security as my own container." he told her.

"You have my solemn vow on that." he assured her further.

---

Nate sighed a little, as he stepped into the room and looked over Ashleigh.

"Yeesh." he muttered.

"Well, at least her life-aura's looking stronger than before." he went on, before checking the readouts on the machines she was hooked up to.

"...Dr. Edwards can be a real miracle worker..."

Nate jumped a bit when Ashleigh spoke.

"...teach me to be more observant, and not just rely on my mana..." he mumbled, before clearing his throat.

"Didn't expect you to be awake." he admitted. "Clearly." he added.

"Anyway, how are you doing?" he asked.

"How are you feeling? Anything feel off or not right?"