[ kaveh thinks. alhaitham waits. the answer is no more illuminating, though it provides the basis for eliminating a few of the more unlikely theories. gone is the potential of the throne having erased a core component in order to self-correct. gone is the potential of a missing energy or memory source gated behind the mysteries of this world. gone is the potential of missing magic circuits or a skill translated poorly in an era where feats of heroes have been replaced by feats of technology. the block, alhaitham thinks, is akin to that of a closed door. a password-locked file. a window that has long-since been sealed. kaveh is a home without a key. this, alhaitham is capable of understanding.

the green of his gaze flits. kaveh's hands are steady. slowly, then, alhaitham shakes his head. ]

Easier, but less effective. [ ease is not alhaitham's major concern - completion is. holistically, a memory either exists or does not. it is a binary in motion, not a what-if statement. it ought not require reconstruction. but theory has never been enough to understand the complexities of a mind. alhaitham is its facsimile; there is, then, nothing more to it.

the explanation comes, no more and no less than what is warranted: ] I have its pieces. I require its reconstruction. To that end, you were not summoned for the purpose of winning the war.

[ however, alhaitham looks. the tilt of his head is that of a bird upon its perch, claws curling around the wood of its stand as it considers a mote of light against a window. ]

However, should you desire it, I am amenable to a negotiation.