As everyone finally settled, Liam drew in a steady breath and began recounting everything they needed to hear. Not the entire truth—he had no intention of offering that—but all the essentials, the pieces that mattered and wouldn't drag him into explanations he didn't owe anyone. He started from the moment his life dangled on the edge of death during his and Mabel's battle with Morenelle, Sylvathar's assistant, and how in that fleeting, suffocating instant, he forged a deal with Aesmirius.
He told them how Aesmirius agreed to keep him alive and rescue both Mabel and Sheila from the collapsing sanctuary. In return, Liam had to surrender himself to the unconscious realm of his mind for an extended period. From there, he explained how he had been forced to train within that inner world, pushing himself until he was able to withstand the weight of reliving Marcus' and Serah's memories—his parents' memories—without shattering.
