Veiled eyes watched Ellie with the gentle intensity of a benevolent deity. Whether out of respect or desperation to avert her gaze, Ellie lowered her head in a respectful bow and led her family to do the same. The staff clutched in the woman's hand was a sight that Ellie knew she had seen before, but it was lost among many others in a clouded lake of memories.

"I had hoped to meet you for awhile, to be honest," Saint Soleil spoke. "Unfortunately, the Walker somehow caused more chaos in its wake than its arrival." She smiled and took a step forward. "I heard it was you who to put an end to that horrid invader, only to hide your triumph behind our beloved Mayor Bedelia. Your reasoning for doing so was sound, but even so, you should be commended for your bravery. After all, who knows what would've happened to—"

Janus cleared his throat. "Saint Soleil. I'm afraid that Ellie's memory is... lost." He shifted to look at her at his side. "She remembers nothing of her time in the Night Realm."

Saint Soleil frowned and kept her attention fixed on Ellie. "Solarists?"

"I can imagine no others having reason to do this to her."

It was only when Saint Soleil returned to the altar and placed her hand on its stony surface that Ellie noticed how it differed from the one that was just traded the staff. That one was delicate yet weathered, and the same golden tone as the rest of her medium complexion. The other was gnarled, gangly, and nearly as gray as the stone it now caressed.

"I am fairly certain I can restore what was lost, given the nature of the magic likely used for such a spell. But it will require more energy than what now flows through my veins." She tilted her head to the bag slung over Janus's shoulder. "If I may?"

He hoisted the bag over his shoulder with considerable care and unraveled the twine holding it shut. Saint Soleil approached him and nestled her staff in her elbow, taking in her hands one of the orbs swirling with murky light. So close was it to her face that it nearly clanked against the metal, partial sun mask. A breathy, relieved laugh parted her lips and she grinned.

"In less than one month, you've accomplished fourfold that which has taken me centuries." Her voice shook and she touched the orb lightly to her cheek.

"Regrettably, I did need a sliver of energy from one orb to mask the new gate," Janus said.

Saint Soleil shook her head. "The loss means nothing. You used not even a noteworthy fraction of what you brought me." Stroking the orb like a beloved pet, she returned it gently to the bag and retrieved another. "Ah, this seems to be the one you used." Saint Soleil turned back to the altar. "Truly have I been such a stubborn, old fool these great many years."

"Only from a desire to protect the people you love," Janus whispered, his voice hardly audible even to Ellie at his side.

Beside the altar, Saint Soleil searched the stone surface while holding out both the solar orb and her staff. "Please step forward, Ellie," she beckoned, then glanced to her when there was no response. "Do not be afraid. I'm going to return that which was taken from you."

"I'm sorry, but—" Vena stuttered. "Are you sure this is safe? This isn't some sort of—of wicked magic that'll turn her brain to mush?"

"Vena," Bram said, moderately shocked by the unintended offense. "Remember; trust Ellie, if no one else."

Timidly, she withdrew to her husband's side. Ellie took a deep breath, gave her family a reassuring smile, and proceeded to the altar. Its intricately carved surface was a work of art; patterned, deep etchings of the sun and moon were carved into its surface and connected to a round socket on the opposite side.

"If you could please lay down," Saint Soleil requested in a soft tone.

Ellie blinked, then sat on the altar before laying her back against the cold stone. There was a hollow scraping sound as Saint Soleil placed the orb into the socket and shifted her weight to one side. Golden fluid like what Janus had used trickled from the orb and into the etchings. It was neither obstructed nor absorbed by Ellie's garments as it passed through seamlessly to fill every groove in the altar.

"Breathe, and relax," Saint Soleil said. She sensed the tension in Ellie's body and nodded when it began to dissipate. "Good. Now, close your eyes."

There was a peculiar warmth upon Ellie's forehead when Saint Soleil gently placed her palm on her. The sensation slowly coursed through her body until it met the very tips of her toes. Even when Saint Soleil lifted her hand just slightly and her palm began to glow, the warmth yet remained. The experience was so strange that it could be nearly described as otherworldly.

"As I thought." She stared intently at Ellie's relaxed face. "Your memories have not been lost nor stolen. They're merely locked away, perfectly intact. So then where lies the lock to the door barring them in place?"

Saint Soleil moved her hand down the length of Ellie's face and neck as she followed her veins like streams. Her brow twitched and her hand came to an abrupt stop when she met with the black wound above Ellie's right breast.

"Janus." She summoned the vampire to the altar with a stern voice. "I cannot see clearly. Please expose the wound for me."

Ellie inhaled sharply at Janus's cold touch as he peeled away the collar of her dress and respectfully moved aside the white slip beneath. Saint Soleil could somehow now see it unhindered, despite her metal veil. She then released a sympathetic sigh.

"I understand now." She waved Janus a step back and placed her hand over the wound. "This may sting, but it will not be unbearable."

The orb's golden liquid emerged from Saint Soleil's palm and dripped into the opening. Ellie clenched her teeth from the burn pulsing through her chest. The wound then slowly expanded to accommodate the volume of the liquid as it filled it to its brim. Now nearly twice its original size, Saint Soleil clenched her hand and squeezed any remaining fluid back into her palm.

"This will be unpleasant, Ellie. But I ask you to please endure."

With her staff held firmly in the other hand, Saint Soleil focused her energy and pointed the sun tip toward the wound. She then slowly raised the staff upward, meeting resistance as though she were pulling forth something from within.

Vena started toward her daughter when she heard her agonized cry, but was pulled back by Bram tugging her arm. It pained her not to be at Ellie's side, but Vena knew just as well as any of them that no matter how mysterious the situation, the strangers before her were only trying to help her beloved daughter.

Ellie's back arched with the staff like a puppet to its string. From the wound emerged a large, black thorn covered in barbs that made it difficult to slide out without additional hurt. Sweat beaded on Saint Soleil's brow as she continually wove her spell to reduce Ellie's pain even slightly.

"Please, Ellie," she begged. "Endure."

With one last tug of her staff, the thorn was torn free from its dark, fleshy nest. Saint Soleil seized it from the air in a single swipe with a palm imbued with golden fluid as Ellie's body slumped back down to the altar. Her eyes shot open, her temples throbbed, and Ellie squeezed her head and writhed as a thousand memories flooded forth from their prison.

"Gods, have mercy!" she sobbed. Faces both familiar and beloved swarmed her mind's eye; Bedelia, Elise, the goblins, the rats, Rehor and Nairi. Every name, every place that'd been cruelly ripped away had returned at once. But at the end of the stream of memories came one which she never had a moment to process.

◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊

Mid-morning light shone down on a shadow in the forest clearing, holding Ellie to its body with vines made of pure darkness. The man in black—Isadore Renard—smiled as sweetly as a parent to their newborn child and took her into his arms. Her restrained body still convulsing from the taint, Isadore held her close and knelt to the ground while stroking her hair and softly shushing her cries.

"How blessed you are to be embraced by Light's radiance, yet you squander your gift and copulate with the Dark." He trailed his hand down to the thorn protruding from her wound. "But then, perhaps we are not so different, you and I. But fear not, for I will guide you toward Her redemption."

As Ellie wept, Isadore retrieved from an open box beside him a vial of purple fluid so dark it could've been mistaken for black. He flipped the cork with one hand, shoved the lip of the vial over the top of the thorn, and waited. There was then a horrible snap as Isadore broke off the remainder of the shadow thorn and threw it and the vial aside. He clasped one hand over Ellie's mouth and used the other to push the last of the barbed thorn deep into her flesh, stifling the screams that inevitably tore from her. The dark vines holding Ellie withdrew once it was done. Her head rolled back in Isadore's arm, her pupils dilating as she began losing consciousness.

"Now, forget everything and return home to your loving family," he whispered. "You'll return to me in due time, and then I shall bestow you Her light."

◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊

Another sob choked from Ellie as she dropped her hands to her sides. Saint Soleil and Janus watched her, fear knitted in their brows as they waited for the results of the spell. Vena was biting her lip and rocking back and forth mere paces away, knowing it was all she could do to refrain from pushing them aside and reclaiming her child.

Ellie stared into Janus's eyes as a smile tugged lightly at her lips. She then cupped his face with her hand, causing him to gasp at her touch.

"I'm so sorry, Janus," she muttered. "I can't believe I forgot who you were. How can I ever forgive myself for that?"

"No." He wrapped her in his arms and cried into her hair. "It wasn't your fault, Ellie."

As Vena watched how her daughter held Janus and buried her face into his neck, the relationship between them became clear as crystal. And while it didn't eliminate all of her fears, a smile still twitched on Vena's face as she took Bram's hand in her own and linked fingers with him.

From Janus's shoulder, Ellie noticed Saint Soleil and carefully pushed away with a flushed face. She then sat up, rubbed her neck, and gave an embarrassed chuckle.

"I can't believe this is how we finally met."

Saint Soleil grinned and leaned into her staff. "It certainly wasn't how I imagined it, but nevertheless, now we can say that we have."

"I can't even begin to thank you enough for giving me my memories back. But why go through so much effort for me—someone who was never meant to be here and was responsible for the Walker?"

"Now don't you start blaming yourself again," Janus scoffed with a smirk.

Saint Soleil looked between the two. "Do you realize just how loved you are in this realm? And not just by Janus. Why, with how many petitioners came knocking at my door desiring your rescue, there really was no choice but to find a way to make it work."

"Well, I—" Ellie held her knees to her chest and grinned at how deeply her dear friends cared for her. A feeling she rarely felt outside of her family and the brief time she was with Aliwyn. "So, what happened here after that shadow trapped me?"

"There will be plenty of opportunities for exposition at a later time," Janus said. "For now, I think it best we return home so you and your family can have some much needed rest."

"I can't wait anymore!" a shout squeaked from the ground. Gerald leapt up onto the altar and scuttled up Ellie's shoulder where he lovingly rubbed his fuzzy face against hers. "Miss Ellie, thank goodness you're all right! I missed you so much. I'm so happy you're back!"

"Oh, you." Ellie cupped the little fluff ball and leaned her cheek against him. "I missed you, too. I'm sorry to cause so much worry."

Janus extended his hand to Ellie, who placed hers in his as he helped her safely to the ground. But the grin she gave him swiftly faded when she froze in place at the sight of her family.

"Oh, uh—I forgot you were all here," she stuttered.

"How cruel," Bram said with a snicker.

"Seems I locked away a few other memories while releasing the others," Saint Soleil said, then chuckled and waved her hand when Ellie's jaw dropped. "I'm joking, that's impossible."

"Thank you for everything, Saint Soleil." Janus released Ellie's hand as she trotted to her family with Gerald still perched on her shoulder. "I can't even begin to properly express—"

"You don't have to, Janus. I just regret that I must send you all away so soon. I'd like to talk more, but I really should deal with this." She held up her fist, still gripping the black thorn laced in the golden liquid.

"Of course. Then, without further ado..." He started toward the path to join with the family, but was halted when Saint Soleil called him back.

"Actually, there's one more thing I'd like to speak to you about." She smiled to Ellie and the rest. "Go on ahead. I promise I'll release him shortly."

Janus returned to the altar and the pair waited in silence until they were alone. It was in that moment that Saint Soleil's smile was replaced by a grim frown.

"I didn't want to say anything in front of the rest, but this—" She held out her hand and unwrapped her fingers to show him the thorn. "—this is not good."

"I know," Janus said somberly. "Ellie is tainted. I'll have to talk to her about the reality of—"

"No, not that. There is something dreadful about this thorn, even beyond those that the Solarists typically use."

"Is it not the same as the one Elise retrieved from my wound?"

"On the surface, perhaps." Saint Soleil weighed the thorn in her hand. "But this one was laced in something vile that I can't comprehend, which I fear now courses through Ellie's veins."

Janus swallowed hard and gazed at the thorn. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Just watch Ellie. I'll study the thorn, but it will take time. As it is, it's a miracle the girl is here at all. You yourself said you saw the thorn enter her before the shadow took her to the Prime Realm. How many days then did she spend there, and yet she is not dead? And for all intents and purposes, she should be."

Janus clenched his teeth at the thought and pushed back against a tear. "Even I was nearly at my limit before we returned. I braced myself for the reality that she may already be—already be dead by the time we arrived. But when Gerald peeked through the windows that first night to gauge how the family was, and he returned to tell me that they were well and that Ellie was resting peacefully, I nearly—" He brought his hand to his forehead. "I apologize, now is not the time for my report."

"And by no means do I expect you to give one verbally. Write it out when you have time and have Elise deliver it to me." The corners of Saint Soleil's mouth lifted back into a smile. "Now go, tend to your beloved and her family. Ellie seems well for now, and that is a blessing indeed. But if her condition takes a drastic turn, take her to Rehor at once."

"I understand. Thank you, Saint Soleil."

As Janus departed, she stared down at the thorn seated atop her palm. It swirled in unseen, putrid magic extending far beyond that which she'd known any shadowmancer to use, even among the Solarists. The origin of such a disease eluded her, and yet even still Saint Soleil sensed that she'd seen such magic before. But for all her years of knowledge, it would take considerable studying to uncover something so faint.