ENCYCLOPEDIA [Formidable: Failure] — You are completely, beyond a shadow of a doubt, lost. VOLITION — Oh, *I* am, am I? AUTHORITY — Come the fuck on. 'Perfect memory' my ass. ENCYCLOPEDIA — It *is* perfect. The issue is our current lack of perception, which, stupidly, I relied on rather than reversing our movements. PERCEPTION — Sorry... AUTHORITY — Why are *you* apologising? Ency did that, not you. PERCEPTION — His chances were actually pretty good, aside from me. AUTHORITY [Challenging: Failure] — Okay, whatever Percy, nobody actually cares. ⠀⠀Look, what the hell are we gonna do, then? PERCEPTION (SIGHT) [Easy: Failure] — You look around, but nothing catches your eye. No landmarks, nothing; it's too dark. ENCYCLOPEDIA [Challenging: Failure] — Well, I suppose 'dark' would match with the area nearby to the Spinal Cord... but 'nearby' could range from anywhere between 'just around the next corner' to 'right outside the Library'. You have no idea how far this level of darkness extends. ENCYCLOPEDIA [Medium: Success] — Alternatively... I *could* reset Perception's functions. I'm sure the threat of morale damage has passed anyway, as long as--

❌ DAMAGED MORALE [-1]

ENCYCLOPEDIA — ...as long as we don't think about that. PERCEPTION (EMOTION) — Asking us to not think about Empathy is like asking us to stop breathing. ENCYCLOPEDIA — You. You don't-- you don't *need* to breathe. I've said this. You only started doing that after Empathy. You realise that, right? COMPOSURE [Easy: Success] — It's a *figure of speech*, Ency. ENCYCLOPEDIA — I knew that. AUTHORITY — Yeah, sure you did. VOLITION — Are you going to do it? PERCEPTION [Easy: Failure] — ...OG, what's *up* with you? You don't seem right... ENCYCLOPEDIA — He's fine; doing what I asked. Yes, Volition, I will. ⠀⠀Before that, though -- Authority, stop doing your job. AUTHORITY — What? You... what? ENCYCLOPEDIA — No words from you unless it's information related to movement. We're not losing morale because of *your* incessant need to point out every little bit of wrong Volition has done in his life. AUTHORITY — OG, surely you... VOLITION [Easy: Success] — ... AUTHORITY [Challenging: Failure] — Ugh. Whatever. Fine. If it gets us *somewhere*. ENCYCLOPEDIA — Alright. Reconnecting in three, two...

❌ DAMAGED HEALTH [-3] ❌ DAMAGED MORALE [-8] ❗ MORALE CRITICAL! ❗ MORALE CRITICAL! ❗ MORALE CRITICAL! ❗ MORALE CRITICAL!

Your breath is knocked out of your body with an audible wheeze; doubling over, you press a hand to your now-aching--

AUTHORITY [Trivial: Success] — DON'T!!!

It burns. As if the entirety of the surface of the sun were condensed into a single, hand-shaped surface. Some kind of gravelly wail escapes you as you feel your back press up against the wall. ⠀⠀Hissing, you look down at your hand just in time to notice... something.

PERCEPTION (SIGHT) — Blackness disintegrating into particles. PERCEPTION (SIGHT) [Challenging: Failure] — You can't tell if it's that strange black... whatever coating your hands disappearing after you've pulled away, or if it's the ink you've just noticed is practically completely drenching your left shoulder. PERCEPTION [Trivial: Success] — Either way, you get a feeling suddenly that you're going to forget it was ever there. You have no evidence to back it up, but you know it's true. ENCYCLOPEDIA [Trivial: Success] — ...

A note is taken in your mind.

AUTHORITY — Fucking hell, Composure. COMPOSURE — My bad. It just hurt. ENCYCLOPEDIA — Apologies, Perception, but... PERCEPTION — I-I know. I turned it off myself. It'll be fine. We'll be okay. ENCYCLOPEDIA — Yes. It seems as though it all... stacks. It is good you did that when you did. You did well. PERCEPTION [Trivial: Success] — ...Thank you. PERCEPTION (PAIN) [Trivial: Success] — Honestly, I think that could have been worse if I'd turned that on first when we were still in the Library, like I was planning. Everything's aching, which makes sense, but it's not as bad as-- PERCEPTION (HEARING) [Easy: Failure] — What? Did-- did anyone just hear...? ENCYCLOPEDIA [Medium: Success] — Only Volition is able to hear as well, and with difficulty. That is *your* job to relay the information to us. PERCEPTION (SIGHT) — No, no... what is that?