Ignorance is Bliss
Sullivan thumbed through the aged tome once more, sharp eyes glazing over what had previously been integral illustrations, to favor words; snippets of enchantments, ingredients and directions, all of which he could now easily decipher.
“I can read...” he muttered again, half a smile lifting half his mouth as he recalled the now infamous statement. With the memory resurfacing in full, Sullivan didn’t fight the resulting sincere smile that soon graced his features. After voicing his half-asleep but fully sincere congratulations, it had taken Sunny hours to work up the nerve to ask Sullivan to elaborate on why exactly he’d been so excited about his ability to read earlier that morning.
Yongsun knew he was an avid bibliophile, but it wasn’t until he had to sheepishly ask, that Sullivan realized how much vital information he’d omitted from his declaration in his excitement. The situation also solidified Sullivan’s undeniable and unwavering affection for the Diamond. Perhaps he’d been given a ‘gift’ by an intangible entity, but Kee Yongsun was the true blessing in his life.
With an affectionate glow about his features, Sullivan opened the grimoire cover and settled into his chair by the fireside. Instead of skipping around at random, attempting...struggling to piece bits of information together, he could now read the book and he planned to...cover to cover.
There he sat for hours upon hours, pouring over the brittle pages that had sprouted and grown out of a jar of dirt thrust upon him by a mysterious elderly woman earlier that year. At some point Yongsun brought him lunch, which Sullivan obediently ate with his eyes still glued to the pages. He read and read and learned. He learned many things; all of which he was grateful to understand, but honestly, there were things he had been happier before knowing.
By the time Yongsun returned from rehearsals much later that evening, Sullivan was hunkered over the kitchen table, head in his hands. Raven hair mussed from running his hands through it, practically wringing it countless times. There was no longer excitement and wonder on his features as there had been that morning. His expression was grave...burdened...tormented by the knowledge he had since attained. Yet despite that, he could not pull his eyes away.
Ignorance is bliss and there are several enormous revelations that Sullivan is no longer ignorant of.
You can now read the demonic tome gifted to you by the River Witch. As you make your way through it you find out new information about Demons; specifically: that they are beings comprised of Turin and that their contracts actually allow them to imbed some of their Turin within the contractee. Though this does not make contractees vessels (since the demonic consciousness is elsewhere) it does make them Turin batteries. You understand now that this is why when your demon uses his powers, you often feel weak or drained. You also learn this connection has the ability to kill you.
Near the middle of the tome you find a few diary entries dated over 2500 years ago. These entries speak of a coven of Turana Witches with the ability to wield both Turin and Mana. It is clear through the way she speaks of this accomplishment that it was something they did rather than powers they inherited that allowed them to wield the competing magiks.
The diary entry at the back of the grimoire makes one thing extraordinarily clear: The River Witch is responsible for the ranking curse plaguing the continent.