Ijemaru was thinking carefully about what was said. Particularly what the dragon said about ancient knowledge. He'd never had a master, no teachers, inadequate parenting, and no formal education. But he'd been a child obsessed with the mysteries of the world. He taught himself how to read, though his parents were illiterate. He took on odd jobs in his home town to earn money, and when he had enough he left. At the time, he was still very young and had only an old dagger for protection, which he could hardly use. He outsmarted most adversaries he met up against, and practiced fighting in case he met one where that was impossible. In every town or temple he came to he sought knowledge from the writings inside, and he'd never forgotten a single word he read. Knowledge being his obsession, he was rather weak as a fighter, so he took to a style with lighter armor and weapons, a type that focused on the slight of hand and cunning of mind. Even still, he was not as good a fighter as others of this class, for he always put learning first. But... there were things out there that were so ancient they'd never been documented. Like... he didn't know what the orb that Skippy had was.<br/><br/>Yes, the magic in the seal was dark, and was probably considered illegal. Perhaps it did warp nature, but... wasn't that what he wanted to do? Wasn't his goal to make an impact on the world? The human was so lost in thought that he didn't respond at all the Drake's first words. Only when he spoke the second time could he give an answer. Part of him was tempted to say no, but logically speaking, Black was on his side, so why not help him be stronger?<br/><br/>"Fine," the human said. "Those who can heal should, so by all means, go ahead. I'm sure he'll appreciate it."<br/><br/>"No." Black said, cutting in so quickly he was almost interrupting. He went on when faced with quizzical looks. "I've no right," he said, remembering the terribly familiar image of Drake's true form, "to be healed by you." He lowered his voice then, so only Drake could hear. "You know who I am," he said. "I'm certain you do. And I'm sure you know what I've done. I know it too. I remember it too clearly. I have too many memories of things like what I did then." He lifted a hand to his chest and lowered it again, "Demons... don't have consciences. I'm not supposed to be affected by my deeds. But I am. If you heal me, it will only add to that painful thing I can feel in my chest." He paused for a moment. "Also... Kyralae... she doesn't know who I am. Please don't tell her. She... gave me the first pleasant conversation I've had in over a thousand years. I don't want to hurt her... I don't want her to know. And.. just to be safe, I can't be sure, but I don't think Ijemaru knows quite who I am either. I'd prefer he didn't know. Oh, and one more thing," he suddenly felt guilty, asking the poor man to keep so many secrets, "There are still some people in this group who don't know I'm a demon. I'd... like that to last a little longer as well."