Coral * So that's the "Big Hole"... —Proteus— I see you've adopted the crude name my men use. But I trust you see deeper. The vitality of this world has been disrupted. Coral * I've seen other doorways, but... * None of them were quite this messy. —Proteus— This isn't a doorway, Coral. It's a wound. And it is still bleeding. —Proteus— You can see it with your own eyes. The way the air flickers and the ground beneath us loses its natural form. Coral * You mean the glitches? —Proteus— Precisely. This is Corruption. It spills out from this wound into my castle, my world. Coral * So, so... * Do you think interaction with an element from another world, is that what causes this? —Proteus— I believe that something -- someone -- tore a hole open in the membrane between worlds. And now as the fabrics of our realities interact, their essences bleed together and the Corruption is born. Right now it's just doorways that are afflicted. Their paths are overwritten with new destinations. But what happens when the disease spreads to other entities? Coral * You mean... —Proteus— What happens when it spreads to US!? Coral * But why would you think that's even possible? * All the doorways I've seen are stable, we don't even know if... Coral * ... * This gateway. What was it before? —Proteus— ...Tch. It was... the Numic Gateway. The boundary to the soul-stream that I once used to dredge souls for reincarnation. —Helen— !! Coral * Oh-- oh. * Which means that when your men fall... you can't... Coral * Okay. Okay okay. * So we need to isolate our worlds. * Take everything that intrudes and prevent them from interacting, that's how we fix this. * Is that it? That has to be it. —Proteus— ... I don't know. Coral * You don't know??? —Proteus— How much do you demand of me!? This is a problem from beyond the bounds of the world! For all that my domain is vast, it is still not enough!! If I had my sister's command of the natural world, maybe then-- Coral * What about this gateway? We're in the heart of the corruption here. * Are you sure you've learned everything you can from this? —Proteus— One would be a fool to try. The Numic Gateway, in its current form... it is volatile. Coral * Proteus, how can you let fear hold you back like this!? * We need to know-- I can't leave this place without knowing! —Proteus— There are fates worse than ignorance, Coral. Coral * So what, then. * Are you just going to stand back while this continues to spread!? * How bad does this need to get before you act!? —Proteus— ... Perhaps you're right. The balance of risks has changed. I can try... to reach in... —Proteus— Commune... as I once communed with the soul-stream... Coral * ... —Proteus— I can feel... the frayed edges... Perhaps I can reach further... deeper... It recoils, but I can sense... it's... Coral * ...it's what? —Proteus— Damnation...! It tears like knives...

—Proteus— Ngghhh-- NO--!! Coral * Wh--!!? —Proteus— GET OUT OF--!!!