As Honourshine puts the bell away in her sidereal bag, you decide to ask whether or not she considers her voyage complete. At that, she shrugs.

Honourshine: "I... suppose so. We did learn about the bell's origin, and its enchantment... though it only raises so many more questions about the history of our world. And to think that the answers may have been stricken out of existence..."

You slowly nod. From the corner of your eye, you see Lexicon Anathema smirking at you — but when you glance over to her, it seems as though her deadpan expression has never left her face. It must have been a trick of the light... or the lack thereof.

You take a sip of your tea — its toasty sweetness calming your mind — and figure that forbidden knowledge will have to wait. For now, you move on to your next question.

You take a moment to tell Lexicon Anathema about the soul of Empyrius you found trapped in a dream, beyond a red door, and ask her if there is a way to learn to communicate with it.

Lexicon Anathema: "A soul, trapped in a dream. A red door only you can cross. And you don't know anything about it. What kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into?"

You admit that you were hoping she would tell you.

Lexicon Anathema: "And they say demons are bad... What you're describing is a long-forbidden spell known as Blood Seal. Self-explanatory, really. And by the sound of it, your blood was used to cast it.

Well, not that it matters; you said you wanted to communicate with the soul bound to the seal, did you? I won't question it. Yes, it's possible."

You ask the filly if she can teach you how.

Lexicon Anathema: "I cannot. Not in a timely fashion, anyway. I suggest you ask a greater demon instead; any of them could easily grant you this kind of power."

Moonflower: "So you're not a greater demon?"

Lexicon Anathema: "No, I'm just a filly."

Honourshine: "What is a greater demon, exactly?"

Lexicon Anathema: "Greater demons are divine beings. They are born when a number of demons, united in purpose, successfully meld their souls together. They look nothing like us ponies; their bodies reflect their true nature, whatever that may be."

You can't help but feel that asking a divine being for its power won't come cheap.

Lexicon Anathema: "That depends. Some greater demons are more charitable than others. Since you have access to the Kirin's trigons, I can think of a few nearby who might be willing to help you.

First is Senoha of the Endless Blades. He roams the desert far to the northwest of Yinshin-Pintai. He's as powerful as he is predictable; he will demand a trial by combat. Not against him, of course, but do expect a fight.

If you prefer a battle of wits, try Ryokasei the Saint Omen instead. He resides in Final Rest, a giant mountain southeast of Shui-Ti. I always found his riddles nonsensical, but blades of grass must bow to the wind.

Otherwise, there is Ken. A... disgusting creature, even by demon standards. The less said about him, the better — but if all else fails and you get desperate, you can find him at False Lake; far south of Taihon-Nonchan, past Fenbao-Ku."