[The candid description Howl gives of his own introduction into their sect makes Liem's brows furrow. Given how reluctant he's been to think about his own suffering in the Kenoma's lodestone cavern, the discussion of forced scarring and cruelty is like a dash of water to the face, momentarily bringing the realities of the Regent's methods into sharp focus. His eyes linger on the mark on Howl's arm.]

I've seen marks like that before, but… I didn't realize they were given unwillingly.

[He is acutely aware of the scar on his own palm: a symbol with similarly spiritual significance, but one that he sought out and bought with hard-earned gold. He had thought the few marks he'd seen were symbols of individual devotion. Learning otherwise visibly unsettles him.

He wonders what else he's failed to understand about the circumstances of the original aions.]

Can you tell me more about the ritual?