"Yes. My daughter, Elise." Vess's voice was steady despite the pain. "She acquired a Lesser Legendary Compass at age twenty. By twenty-one, she couldn't make any decision without consulting it. I removed the compass. She recovered. But she's never—" Vess's voice caught. "She's never trusted herself again. Never believed her judgment was valid without external validation. That's what untreated trauma does. It makes you doubt yourself forever."
She looked at Marron directly.
"You were possessed. Completely. Your body moved without permission. You smiled while trying to kill your companion. Those experiences don't just disappear because the possession ended. They stay with you. Shape how you see yourself, how you trust yourself, how you interact with the tools."
"I know," Marron whispered. "I can't look at Lucy without remembering. Can't touch the Blade without feeling echoes of the joy. Can't sleep without dreaming about what would have happened if Aldric hadn't stopped me."
