The Architect's shoulders sagged beneath his tattered shadow cloak; Virion's beating must have drained him completely.
"I'll tell you," he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. "I'll tell you everything I can... but..."
He lifted his hooded head, and I could feel the weight of his gaze as it fixed on Virion with desperate intensity.
"In return, please tell me about her..."
I frowned, curiosity overriding my caution for a moment. "Who is she? An Overseer?"
The Architect shook his head slowly, and for the first time since this ordeal began, his voice carried something that sounded almost... human.
...Hmm.
Something about his tone triggered my instincts. Without thinking, I activated the Discerning Gaze, using my final charge to pierce through whatever deception might be lurking beneath his words.
"No, she's... she's someone, no, she's the only important person to me."
The familiar sensation washed over me, and immediately I felt the telltale dissonance that marked a lie.
