The Riptide's engines hummed softly, but rhythmically. Its medical bay was heavy with tension, punctuated by the mechanical heartbeat of its life-support systems. It slid smoothly through the upper atmosphere, an orange glow from Larake's setting sun reflecting off its polished hull. Inside, thick turbulence filled the air-totally at odds with the sterile, pristine environment aboard.

Larin lay motionless on a medical gurney in the center of the room. His pale face stood stark against the clean white sheets, his breathing uneven, punctuated by faint, strained murmurs. His mangled limbs were set aside in a containment unit, awaiting potential reintegration or replacement. Above him, holographic monitors projected streams of data: heart rate, mana fluctuations, and tissue degradation statistics that seemed to edge closer to the critical threshold with every passing moment.

Lysara paced, her boots clicking softly on the polished floor. Her normally composed face told otherwise as she paused from time to time to glance at the screens. Myrith stood by the bay's observation window, arms crossed and her sharp gaze fixed on the glowing expanse of space beyond. Even with her stoic demeanor, her grip on the hilt of her glaive tightened with each breath Larin took.

Venolium strode into the room, his massive frame almost touching the low, rounded ceiling. His beard-like tentacles wagged to and fro, as if swaying to unheard music, and the translucent flesh glimmered faintly where it was illuminated by the sterile lights. The station officer's presence was a comfort and a reminder of things to come. He held one device for scanning, one vial of blue glowing liquid.

"Well?"

She snapped back, her tone sharp and short.

Venolium's response came slowly, thoughtfully. He eyed Larin's body one last time before responding, "The tissue confirms it. The wounds are those of High Pyrestone magic. The scents are unique and unmistakable.".

Lysara snapped her breath and stopped pacing as she said, with the fire of anger flashing behind her words: "High Pyrestone magic. Of course. Fiery magic, that is - of the High Pyrestones. It should not even exist in this quadrant.".

Myrith spun away from the window, her voice cold enough to freeze the vacuum beyond the glass. "That's not the question. It's why it was used. The accuracy of the assault and its timing point to a carefully planned strike. Someone wanted to say something, and they chose Larin to convey the message.".

Venolium looked at both of them with a reserve that could have been born of only centuries-long exposure. "You may be right, Myrith. First and foremost, however, is keeping him alive. We cannot linger any longer, or this damage will forever set.

Lysara moved forward on Larin, her eyes tracing the ebbing color on his face. "What's our option?

Venolium's tentacles jerked. "There's a process—a hybridization of Auquan and test Seafoam processes. It's to re-build his limbs, with channels to mana incorporated in them and transplanted regeneration cells onto his core." He stopped. "But there's a cost, and we've not conducted much research here about this planet's biology. A few centuries, at best—decades' worth of studies and findings."

"'Cost' " Lysara went on, her voice lowly.

“The procedure isn’t guaranteed. His body may reject the enhancements, or worse, the grafted cells could destabilize his mana flow permanently,” Venolium explained. “The psychological toll could be equally severe. And, of course, it will require significant resources—resources the station won’t allocate without higher authorization.”

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

“Then I’ll cover it,” Lysara said without hesitation. Her voice was steel.

Myrith raised an eyebrow but didn’t contradict her. Instead, she added, “We both will.”

Venolium stared at them for a moment, his great liquid eyes narrowing. "You are seriously thinking about taking him on as a disciple, then?"

Lysara straightened up, the fire in her eyes burning high. "Larin isn't anyone. He's got the potential-a type of brilliance which can shape the future of Seafoam. Letting him die now would be a failure of everything that we stand for.".

Myrith stood forward and she was very strong. "That is not for the preservation just because he might turn out to be an asset. The precedent is our people cannot face their faces away from the promise because that might cost it.".

Venolium exhaled, his tentacles stopping their movement as he digested what they said. Finally, he nodded. "Very well. I'll start with the preparations. But you understand both of you: this way binds you to him as much as it binds him to you. If he succeeds in doing that, it would be your success. If he fails… " "We will have the consequences too," Myrith said very firmly.

Venolium nodded his head forward. "So be it then."

The medical team, in luminescent teal, arrived soon after the devices came. One of them started juggling a string of complex devices and twisted something above Larin's gurney. That adjusting caused the holographic screens to shift and realign responsively. Bay lighting, dimmed now, revealed a containment field that engulfed Larin in a soft, glowing cocoon.

Lysara and Myrith recoiled, expressions set in bleak determination as the team worked on. Venolium stood over the helm and conducted with well-practised ease the subtlety-dance of living against dying.

The treatment has begun, now the room swarmed with thudding, steady machinery and the less regular pulsebeat of mana-harnessed energies. Lysara turned on Myrith, her words low. "Do you reckon he'll take it for his reason?

He does not need to know now, Myrith said, gazing down at Larin's unconscious body. What matters is that he lives. The knowing can come later,.

Hours ticked by as the procedure continued in slow motion. Venolium's hands are steady, moving like any surgeon since grafting those new enhancements onto Larin's body. Each limb that had been grafted was filled with a delicate mesh of mana channels, and the soft light a sign to the might and sophistication of Auquan technology.

Finally, the containment field dropped out, and Venolium stepped back. His tentacles dropped in exhaustion. "It's done," he said. "Now we wait."

Lysara stepped forward. Breath caught inside her chest as she examined Larin's reconstruction. The enhancements were sublime, nearly natural, with only the faint bioluminescent veins running through his new limbs.

"Will he wake up soon?" she asked.

Venolium shook his head. "His body needs to adjust. It will stay stasis for three days at least, then. maybe."

Myrith placed a comforting hand on Lysara's shoulder. "That's all any of us could do. We leave it from here.".

And the two women remained with Larin as the medical crew filed out, the weight of their decision like a heavy cloak settling over them. Beyond the walls of the Riptide, stars burned cold and uncaring, an indifference in their light reminding of the vastness of the universe.

Lysara spoke. "If the High Pyrestone magi are active again, we have to discover who is in their employ and allowing High Pyrestone to be used here, in Sinlung. And for that, we need Larin."

Myrith nodded. "Agreed. First, however, we allow him to rest and recover. Then, when he is able to speak clearly again, we inform him he does not fight this battle alone.".

As Riptide plunged through the void, with valuable cargo and weight of new responsibility to the Auquan station of planetary standing, so too across the infinite reaches and darkness that made knowledge vain and boundless in depth, yet there on board a fragile fire seemed lit and faltering, small flame to an increasing shadow cast upon this star-broken sky.