Lirae doesn’t flinch beneath Shenua’s glare, though she shifts in her seat — not out of fear, but as though preparing herself.

“Then tonight it is,” she says first, to Iromae and Vorenus. “I’ll get you there safely. You’ll want to travel light. Anything magical should be concealed — or wrapped in mundane cloth if possible. Some guards are trained to recognize spellcraft by sight or sound alone. Don’t give them a reason to look twice.”

When Iromae asks about Veil & Vellum, Lirae nods. “Yes. They specialize in what they call 'mirrorcraft'. Illusion-anchored garments that bend ambient echoes — essentially cloaking small magical signatures beneath mundane ones. It doesn’t block powerful spellwork, but it helps hide magical tools or auras if you’re standing near the sensors. They can also weave in misdirection, if you know what signature you want to emulate.” A beat. “It’s not legal, technically. But it’s lucrative.”

She gestures vaguely toward the door. “They’ve survived because they’re clever, discreet, and rich. I can get you in.”

But Shenua’s frustration, the sharp edge of her voice, cuts through the planning — and Lirae finally turns fully toward her and Diego both.

“I don’t know what he remembers,” she says quietly — bluntly. “But I do know this: whatever you all were before the runes pulled you here — that Diego wasn’t part of it.”

She looks briefly at Iromae. “Not until afterward.”

Then her gaze settles fully on Shenua. “What’s going on? Your memories were overwritten. Rewritten. Not just removed, but filled in — so they felt seamless. Kalis wasn’t just taken. She was erased. And someone … or something … slotted Diego in to fill the void.”

She doesn’t sound accusatory. Not even suspicious.

But she adds, “He wasn’t supposed to come here. He was never one of the original five.”

At last, Diego speaks — softly, but audibly: “I know.”

He looks up at the others. No more dodging. No more deflecting.

“I don’t know who or what I am. But I know I’m not who you all remember me to be.”

And then he falls silent again, eyes drifting down to the shimmering text on the page. It glows faintly — more clearly than before.

Lirae lets the silence hang a moment longer before adding, “If you still want my help, I’ll be waiting near the old tribunals at dusk. Bring what you need. Dress plainly. And be ready to lie well if you’re caught.”

With that, she rises from the table. She walks toward the door, leaving the weight of her revelation — and Diego’s confession — behind.

As Lirae disappears, Diego closes the book with a snap. He holds the tome out to Vorenus and says, "Here. I'm leaving too. I wasn't supposed to be here — and I need to find out ... find out who I really am." He glances down at his hands and shakes his head. "I'm no good to you like this. I can't get my head in the game."

Without looking at the others, Diego turns and walks away, leaving Shenua, Iromae and Vorenus alone.

Iromae stands stunned as Diego leaves. It takes a few minutes to gather herself to speak. "Our memories were changed?"

After another long pause, she goes on a bit more. "I mean, we knew that, right? Changed to forget Kalis. Didn't we agree to do that? Or..."

It's another minute or two before she gathers her thoughts enough to speak again. "Lirae said he's not one of the original five. And there has to be five, because clearly there were the five tools. We have us three, then Kalis, and...  Who could the fifth person have been? The one with the baton. The one who help us blend together. "

Then suddenly she adds. "Did he take his tool? We still have it, back at the hideout! The baton." But she doesn't know what that means. Isn't sure if it even matters. She's near tears as she wonders how else their memory might have been altered.