Sia flew to his side and squeezed his shoulder firmly. *Hold on. Before you proceed to insert foot into mouth and get both of us killed in the process let me give you some advice.*

*Oh thank you, wise lady,* he replied sarcastically. *Please shower me with your exalted wisdom.*

She frowned, backed away a little, and folded her arms. *Anyway, you've been focusing so much on your Talent that you've neglected your System specific powers.*

She then proceeded to explain in excruciating detail just how limited Theo’s understanding about pretty much everything was. Once she got that out the way she got down to the business of explaining how he could more efficiently use his powers. During Sia’s infrequent pauses he absently wondered what he must look like to Lisey.

Luckily for them, this interaction took place in Theo’s mind. So as far as Lisey was concerned only one or two seconds had passed since she had asked her question. Thanks to that gap in perception Sia had plenty of time to fully explain to Theo just how much of an idiot he was before she got down to business and explain how he had been limiting himself.  

*Just remember this,* she warned in conclusion. *Any powers generated by the System will affect family the same way it will affect a complete stranger.*

He gave his mother a short glance and blushed unconsciously. He averted his eyes before he got himself in even more trouble and replied, embarrassment written all over his thoughts. *Understood.* 

Theo could be forgiven for harboring a few base thoughts about Lisey. The part of his mind that originated in this world understood that she was technically his mother and thus subject to all the taboos that title represented. But the part of him that came from another world saw a beautiful older woman that he could control utterly if he simply let his baser instincts run free.

Differences in perception could only save him for so long. Judging from the look on Lisey’s face, impending violence was inevitable if he didn't offer her an explanation she found believable.

Theo blew out a long breath and schooled his face into something resembling calm confidence. Then, following Sia’s suggestions, he used his Ruby-Jeweled Talent as fuel for his current favorite class, Charmer. This class gave him the best chance to change the threshold of what she would find believable. 

Every skill granted by Charmer received a boost of Ruby-Jeweled fuel. The effects were instantaneous. Lisey’s expression immediately changed.

As soon as he saw his opening he pounced, figuratively speaking, of course. He didn't want to alter her mind in any grand way so he settled on altering the parameters of her disbelief instead of erasing them entirely.

*That's actually a good idea,* she remarked, with grudging respect when she saw what his plan was.

*Shut up.* He shot back absently, the majority of his attention focused on Lisey.

Theo stood tall with his jaw firm and his shoulders square. ”I don't understand it either,” he said, brushing a few stray strands of hair from his forehead. ”Maybe it was some special Ability or a new poison but I feel different now. I don't know how to explain it any better than that.” As he spoke he was careful to always maintain good eye contact.

Lisey listened to his strangely reasonable explanation and was unable to find a flaw in said reasoning. This inability to find fault with what she should obviously find very faulty should have concerned immensely.

He saw the seeds of doubt taking root and decided on a whim to decrease the distance between them. He decided not to look too closely for the source of that sudden desire. 

It would only take six steps to close the distance between them. Theo took that first step and was happy to see his influence grow the closer he got to her. 

*Don't you feel just a little bit dirty manipulating your mother this way?* She asked, unsettled by his cavalier manipulation of another’s emotions.

*Nope. Hell, you're the one who told me I needed to better utilize my powers.* He noted the look of indecision on Lisey's face and smiled internally. *I’d consider saving our lives an excellent utilization of said powers.*

While her son was busy talking to himself Lisey took one hesitant step back. The sound of her heel hitting the ground resounded through the bath suite. She needed space to think. And instinct told her the closer the man got to her the harder thinking would be. 

Only her sense of noble pride stopped her from retreating another step. ”Hold on,” she said, putting her hand up to prevent him from coming closer. ”Be that as it may, that still does not adequately explain why you both sound and look different now.”

From Lisey’s perspective, there was such a marked difference in Theodore’s personality now as opposed to before he fell ill there had to be a reason outside of the simple explanation she just heard.

”Fell ill,” he muttered, as he folded his arms, irritation bubbling just below the surface. ”That's an interesting way to describe attempted murder.” 

Theo’s Charisma had an unexpected effect on Lisey. It not only made his words more favorable to people who heard them. Apparently, it made any words spoken in anger more likely to change opinions that may have caused said anger. 

Lisey’s face tried to maintain its stoic mask but it was slipping rapidly. Her eyes began to soften and her lips began to lose their rigidity. And most importantly, her ironclad control over her psychic barriers was beginning to slip. 

The same dark presence he felt earlier stirred again. Thankfully it was easier to tamp down on it before it could gain purchase. 

Sia noted the change but said nothing. Theo noticed Sia noticing and was thankful she didn't make an issue of what she noticed.

Sia wasn't the only one who noticed the sudden change. Lisey looked at Theo with an expression she hadn't shown in a long time, concern. 

”What just happened?” She asked as she took an involuntary step towards him. 

”What are you talking about,” he replied evasively. 

”You know exactly what I'm talking about. You felt the change just as strongly as I did.” Then she gave him a look of disapproval. ”Your psychic discipline is terrible and an embarrassment to the family.” 

The sound of Sia’s laughter bouncing through his brain struck a sensitive nerve. He ignored that and asked a question instead. *What just happened? One second she's eating out of the palm of my hand. The next she's on my ass about training.*

Instead of answering his question, she continued laughing. It took her several more seconds to finally get her giggles out before she could be bothered to answer. 

*Sorry about that,* she said between giggles, again not sounding very sorry. *It’s all about your state of mind. You have to be consciously aware of your desire to use your powers. Otherwise, your powers would be active all the time. I’m sure you can guess what kind of issues that would cause?*

Yes, he could. He also saw how the System had formatted his passive skills in such a way to make them both powerful and limiting at the same time.

Once again he let the power of the Charmer flow through him. This time he decided to show her a look of tired frustration. “Since I woke up I’ve felt this underlying darkness scraping at the back of my mind every time I use my Jewels.” 

“That’s not surprising,” she said, noting the level of power she’d seen…

Theo saw the change and this time he was the one who took the step back. The sudden look of cold calculation made the back of his neck sweat.

Lisey took another step towards Theodore. Now only four steps separated them. “My son,” she said in a low voice. “That’s to be expected. The darker the Jewel the more of a cost would be expected from its use.”

“Would part of that cost include the emergence of impulses he wouldn’t normally have?”

She thought about his statement for several seconds before she finally answered. “It is not only possible, it is a certainty. What you’ve just described is the primary detriment ascribed to the use of dark Talent.”

Now came the question he wanted to ask even though the possible answer scared him. “And is it possible for a separate identity to manifest if you use dark Talent for too long?”

Lisey looked him straight in the eye and answered him simply. “Yes.” Then her face softened somewhat. “But that only happened in the most…” Her voice trailed off. She looked past him to the crumpled body in the corner and understood what he was getting at. “I see.” Then she looked at him again and said. “Now I understand what happened here.” And more importantly for her why it happened. 

*You should be thankful that your skills softened her up before she found out just how strong you are.* Sia’s translucent body circled Lisey as she spoke. There was just a tinge of jealousy on her face. 

Theo guessed where she was going with her statement and could only silently agree. *Do nobles have such little regard for family?*

*Quite the opposite actually,* she replied thoughtfully. *But it's the family as a whole that they believe to be important, not its individual pieces.*

*Which means I’m only as important—*

*—As you are useful to the family.* She finished his statement because she felt something in him tear just a little.

Theo turned away from his mother and walked in the direction of the fallen maid. When he reached her he knelt down and brushed her matted hair from her face. He firmly stepped on that part of him that enjoyed what he saw and sighed. “Is there anything I can do for her?”

Instead of an immediate answer, he heard the sharp sounds of heeled shoes approaching him.  A strong yet surprisingly gentle hand rested on his shoulder. 

“Perhaps,” she replied finally. “But that slim possibility would only be possible after you’ve rested. Healing her would require that you use your full powers.”

Theo began to stand but Lisey’s strong grip prevented him from doing so. He looked at her and saw her shake her head. “An attempt now would be ill-advised.” She let go of his shoulder and placed a hand on the maid's forehead. “Put simply, the connections between the three regions that make up her psyche have been severed.”

The urge to ask questions was madining. Theo desperately wanted to ask what those three regions were called and what made them so important. But he reasoned that information like that would have been common knowledge. And asking such a series of questions to a woman who already found your actions suspicious was suicide. 

Besides I can always ask Sia later, he thought as he stood up. 

“If you have any intentions on helping that girl you will need to be at your strongest.” Lisey looked at the weariness her son was only barely able to hide. “Besides we have more pressing matters to attend to. “Such as?”

“The Ranger you nearly killed,” she answered sharply. “Do you have any idea how much of an issue this could become if we are not careful.