"I wonder if there's some little piece of their real selves in there." Luka muses quietly. "Enough for the magic to recognize it as them, and the machinery keeps it alive in its own way."

It's kind of a grim thought. A clone of themselves that exists only to fill a slot, a little piece of their bodies sacrificed so that they wouldn't need to die for it. It brought up a lot of philosophical questions that Luka is unsure he wants to dwell on right now.

He nods and makes a noise in agreement when Gyre suggests leaving. He was eager to get out of there and back into the fresh night air. "That's a good place to start. Nine must have some answers for all of this."