Magic doesn't just seep into the bloodstream like a poison, Astarion. It doesn't travel through the veins or organs of the body.

[He rubs where Astarion prodded him absentmindedly, his expression faltering.]

When this orb became a part of me, it- [hesitation, the span of a heartbeat] it first severed my connection with the Weave. Devoured it, and most of what command I had over it. It tainted my very aura.