"...I don't know!" Chris yelled.

"I keep telling people! I don't know!" he said.

"I don't remember this Vanessa! I don't know who I am, or who I was!" he went on.

"All I know is that the image of her kissing another elf won't leave me alone, and it eats away at my soul!" he continued, tears streaming down his cheeks now. He was truly pitiful and pitiable right now.

"But I now know I want you to control me! You're like her! THAT I do know as well!" he then went on.

"Let me serve you... my mistress!" he added, suddenly adding the addressing out of nowhere.

Chris now looked crestfallen.

He was silent, before sitting down and hugging his knees.

"...why...?" he asked.

"Why do you reject me like that?" he asked her.

"I feel like I should belong to you. Why do you reject me?" he asked further.

"I'm sorry for whatever I did... please..."

"...but... but I can see it." Chris then said, looking at her again.

"I... I don't know how else to say it, but... when I look into your eyes, I see... her." he told her further.

"I don't know what that means, but I feel like you are her." he went on.

"She threw me away for whatever reason, but YOU'RE here." he continued.

"I'll do anything for you." he declared.

"Use me. Abuse me. Do whatever. I'm yours."

Chris just nodded in response.

"Yes." he responded.

"Yes, of course." he then said.

He then sat down, and Ashley could visibly SEE him trying.

He was wracking his mind. Trying desperately to find the memories.

As he did so, she saw a bit of a red sheen flash over his body, but it was gone as soon as it came.

And as it did so, she saw Chris, ever so briefly, as a tool.

Something to literally use... and throw away.

But that, too, was gone as soon as it came.

Chris just nodded again.

As he concentrated, and she stepped a little closer, she saw that sheen across his body once more... although, for the brief moment it was there, she swore she saw a 'piece' of it 'chip' away.

"....barrier...?" Chris mumbled in a moment of clarity.

Meanwhile, in an unknown location, Azari had brought Vanessa more of the mana tea.

"Here you go, Madam." he said when he stepped into the room.

"Freshly made, so it should be more potent than normal."

"....." Azari was silent as he heard that, and the almost... fatalistic tone in her voice.

"Madam?" he asked.

"You sound as though your life is dependant on this." he told her.

"I mean, this is definitely a boon to us, to be able to have your mana spread like a virus, but... if it fails for whatever reason, surely we can keep going?" he then asked her.

"Merely a minor setback, yes?" he asked further.

He had to admit, he didn't like the severity in her tone... especially when there was no anger. There was just... a heaviness to it.

And it concerned him greatly.

Azari's jaw almost dropped, and his heart shattered when he heard that.

"No..." he said.

"No... no, that can't be..." he said in a hushed tone.

"Surely there's something that can be done." he told her.

"We have some of the best medics and researchers on the planet under your control." he continued.

"Surely we can do SOMETHING?" he asked her.

"...or... or is this inevitable...?"

"........" Azari was silent when she asked her question.

"I..." he stammered.

"When I joined you, it was because you saw something in me. Something worthwhile." he told her. "When others saw nothing, and outright scorned me, you at least saw me as worth something." he went on.

"I'd sworn myself to your cause. I swore I would help you achieve your goal by any means." he continued.

"But now... faced with this choice... I can say that if you would want me to listen to her, I would. But I would not be happy about it. Not one bit." he told her honestly.

"I... without you, my life would have a massive hole in it, that nothing could fix or fill." he then said. "Unlike the little grub that has effectively killed you, I'm not so pathetic as to say that my life would be empty without you. I would continue on your work as best I could. However, it just would not be the same." he informed her.

"...so while I WOULD listen to your sister, my own personal preference would be to die alongside you."

Azari looked into her eyes, before nodding slightly.

"Of course." he replied.

"I would do anything for you." he told her, before pausing, and pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Not... to sound like the little grub... but... you know what I mean." he muttered, shaking his head a little.

"I would consider it a reward to die alongside you, though." he then added sincerely.

"And yes, of course, shall I go and tell them to start mixing up whatever it is?" he asked, pausing again.

"What... is it, exactly?"

Azari's eyes widened, and his face turned red.

"O-oh." he stammered.

"Oh yes. Y-yes, of course." he said.

"I'll get that done right away." he told her. "Which... which is to say, I'll have the alchemy team start work on it immediately." he clarified, before excusing himself and leaving the room.

As soon as he did, he loosened the collar of his shirt, and exhaled slightly.

"....heh." he chuckled, looking forward to the very near future.