I'm close to a breakthrough with the book. The text is often impossibly dense, and I'm catching things on my second and third readthrough that I didn't on the first. Mostly, though, I read it every chance I can get because it’s my only source of information about what being unbound means. About what I am and the history of people like me.

Tonight, I’m reading about “manifestations” for the hundredth time. Supposedly, unbound can develop a unique, one-off kind of power independent of the affinities. Things like enhanced strength, making plants grow from nothing, matter manipulation, and even terrible things like the ability to pull the blood from people’s bodies with their mind.

These manifestations seem to be the reason humans eventually hunted down and exterminated unbound people. Apparently, Lorkan Grace manifested a power so terrible that people saw the existence of unbound as an existential threat. Worse, unbound can also tether people somehow, just like primals tether elementals. Lorkan was also said to have used the human tether for some nefarious purpose, but the book is vague on the specifics, so I’m rereading again for hopes of finding something I’ve missed.

After half an hour, I’m left with the same uncomfortable conclusion. No matter how many times I try to read it a different way, I can’t see another explanation. Unbound can tether people. Lorkan used this ability to make some kind of monstrous army that threatened civilization itself.

"I smell your fear," Typhon observes, rising to full alertness. "What troubles you?"

I hesitate. Typhon can always feel my thoughts, but I’ve learned it only happens if he’s trying to pay attention. At times, he seems to tune me out, like when I’m focusing on the book. He finds the subject upsetting for some reason and prefers not to talk with me about it. But maybe tonight he’ll be willing to help shed some light on it for me.

"The book. Can unbound tether themselves to other humans?"

Typhon's eyes narrow to slits. It's a few moments before he responds. "Yes. Lorkan Grace was the first to discover a quirk of this ability. Somehow, he was able to twist what had been a typical tether into something more like slavery. To pass fragments of his own manifestation to those he tethered, changing them into monstrosities and beasts he could command.”

"Monstrosities? What do you mean?”

"Creatures who walked the world as humans, but they fed on the life essence of human or elementals. I believe Lorkan used this essence to grant himself eternal life of some sort. As far as I know, he was never found or killed. It’s very possible he still lives, along with his creatures.”

"You didn't think this would be worth telling me?" I demand.