228 Risk

ELIA

"Does this damage happen as soon as they cross? Or does it take time?" Candace asked, suddenly uneasy.

"It seems to be different for each individual. The histories give at least ten accounts of humans who have lived here for a time, then returned to the human world. Two returned within six months, sickly and weak, but they made it back. The stories seem to indicate it took them some time to heal, and they regretted the trips as it weakened them. Permanently. There was a part of themselves they never got back after they'd left Anima.

"There is a single story of a human returning and able to regain whatever it was they lost by leaving. But that human was male, and only left for a short time. Less than six months. And even he was weakened by it. He was able to sustain, however, and later joined the Equine tribe.