Aya glanced at Seth, who had his eyes lowered.
"And my other choices?"
"You have two more paths," he answered. "Neither is merciful." Master Dino did not soften his voice.
Aya remained where she was, eyes fixed on Seth as if looking away might fracture something already strained too thin. "Say them."
"One," he said, "is to seal the power again."
Her breath caught - just slightly.
"Not as before," he continued. "You were younger then. The seal was laid quickly, and it held just right because you haven't met this man, your guardian." He gestured to Seth. "To do it now will require deeper binding. Longer rites. Your body will remember what it was made to carry, and your power will resist being caged."
Aya's fingers curled into the fabric at her side.
"It will hurt," Master Dino said, plainly. "More than it did the first time. And it will not pass quickly. The pain will linger. Weeks. Months or years, perhaps. And even sealed, the power will press."
