ah, in my former, endless nights, i've seen seashells that could beguile the darkest of hearts with their whispers of the ocean's secrets. on one peculiar occasion, while experimenting with the art of sorcery to separate my soul from the shadow that bounds me, i chanced to pass by a collection of these marine wonders. their intricate designs, each distinct from the last, became the foundation for a new experiment. to resume from the start and behold their beauty was to understand the infinite variety of nature herself.