"....normally I wouldn't reveal this to one I'm not close to." Hal then said, seemingly randomly and cryptically.

"But these are extenuating circumstances." he reasoned.

He then held his hand up, his fingers together.

"Your wish..." he said, trailing off some.

"...is granted." he finished, snapping his fingers.

Almost instantly, Hal could see what was going on, and nodded.

"I understand." he replied.

"Your wish... is granted." he told her, snapping his fingers again.

This time, the mana coated her again, but it also extended off her head into a circular pattern. Then, mana started to come out of Ashley, and it felt like her insides were being wrung together.

This continued for close to a minute, before a VERY dense ball of mana was seen floating in front of her, suspended in Hal's own mana.

"....oh my lord..." Hal commented.

"That is a dense amount of drow mana..."

"........" Hal was silent for a moment, thinking about what he was told.

"Hmmm." he mumbled.

"That name sounds... familiar." he said.

"The alias one, that is." he clarified.

He then paused again, before furrowing his brow.

"...Vanessa procreated?" he asked her.

"I... never thought such a thing would be possible, from what I've heard of her." he admitted. "And not because of physical impossibilities or anything, but more because of her insanely high standards."

"....hm." Hal mumbled.

"She must have gotten desperate if she actually bedded down with her little toady..." he muttered.

"But it makes sense why it's so familiar." he commented.

"...also, question." he then said.

"You never thought he'd be a problem... and it's clear you're referring to Cedric." he went on.

"...why did you think that?" he asked.

"...." Hal was silent, almost able to SEE the ire and venom in her words.

"....hm." he mumbled.

"I understand." he said. "Everyone deserves a chance to live, and children should never inherit the sins of their parents." he reasoned.

"However, it would seem that Cedric has chosen to willingly inherit those sins, through his own attitude and actions." he then went on.

"Regardless, thank you for the information, and I'm glad I was able to get that interfering mana out of you." he told her.

"I'll let you leave now, as I assume we both have things to do in regards to this new revelation." he then said, before pausing for a moment.

"Oh, would you care for some medicine?" he asked. "Odds are your head isn't doing so great, and we have special fast-acting meds for that."

Hal was silent, before sighing as well.

"Yes, I understand that." he said.

"Not only would the high altitude wreak havoc on your brain, with the spread of the movement, we don't know if you'll be attacked while flying." he reasoned.

"Would you care for an escort to the front door?" he asked.

"Or wherever you are getting him to meet you?" he asked further.

It was clear that Hal was feeling a little guilty over the state that Ashley was in, even though it had helped her in the long run. It had been necessary, but this was just the kind of man he was.

Hal just smiled.

"Let's go, then." he said.

"I'll make sure you get there." he told her.

She then received a text from Ash.

Be there in a few seconds. it read.

You already gonna be there?

Hal thought for a moment about her question, before sighing.

"...one." he said.

"You're going to be VERY lightheaded in about an hour." he told her.

"And you're going to experience some euphoric highs over the next few hours as well." he added.

"The thing about my mana is that it lingers. And it often mimics the effects of certain substances." he explained. "Nothing I can do about it, sadly." he lamented.

"...also, please keep this under your hat." he then told her.

"Only a very select few know what I am."

Hal just sighed again.

"Something tells me he may already know." he said.

"And no, I don't have any reasons or evidence to back that claim up, I just... feel it." he told her.

He then looked at her as she winced, and looked concerned.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"Effects from what you just went through?" he asked further.

"Well, if you say so." Hal replied.

"And, actually, we're here now." he told her with a small laugh, as they stepped out into the security area, where Ash was waiting for her.

"....the hell happened?" he asked.

"What did you guys DO to her?" he then asked Hal, eyeing him suspiciously.

"You're better off not knowing the details." Hal responded, which seemed to stoke more of Ash's ire.