Very exciting stuff and a lot going on, perhaps bordering on too much. I think that first line might have been better set off as a quote or in italics as a thought. I do like the dilemma you’ve set up here.

I cut out a lot of stuff due to the limit, but hoped that what remained could imply the rest of the story.

I could not make up my mind about the first sentence, so I left it as it was. Thanks for the comment, thx.:D

edited some stuff. I didn’t realize that my original intention to make Herik sound cold didn’t pass on much.