"No, it still has to be in direct contact with the host," Mithos explained. "Otherwise, it won't be able to feed efficiently."

And feeding was what the Exsphere was likely to need most. Pondering aloud, he continued, "Unlike a regular Exsphere, though, a broken one like this is going to need extra nourishment. It's probably going to need more than one host."

As for how many, even he couldn't say yet. Half a dozen? A dozen? It could even be many more than that.