I stood up. I pulled off my lanyard.

Stage two: Beneficial silence. The corruption accelerated quietly. I started small.

My elven heart cracked. I did not use force. I did not use my enchanted binding words. Instead, I gave him a hug.

“I will not partake of suffering,” I said, chin high.

The Ninth Circle was cold. Not winter-cold, but betrayal-cold . The kind of cold that seeps in when a friend forgets your name.

I drank.