Soulburned: The School of Souls

Chapter 18 (Redux.): Ripples

"Frankly Lyra, I'm not so sure why this is difficult for you. It's the simplest Soul Shaping I can think of."

Lyra focused on the bowl of water.

"That's definitely helping, Kreg."

The pair sat in the center of the "Common" circle, the Summoner's circle that someone decided was more important than furniture, practicing for their Soul Shaping exam scheduled for tomorrow morning.

Kreg pointed a finger at the bowl, then calmly and causally flicked the surface of the water with his Logos, creating a neat circular ripple.

Lyra huffed, then tried again.

Classes had finally started in earnest, but Lyra was already struggling. She'd expected to excel! Especially since she had a damn 'Entity of Logos', living inside her head. She'd even been disappointed when Professor Charwhal had assigned this.

The thread of Logos she'd extended out from her hand was frail and poorly controlled. It flopped around like a wet noodle. When she connected it with the small dish of water, she did little but disturb the water, causing it to spill.

Why is this so hard!? This is simpler than the lock in the Sanctum! We put up the damn dome for Void's sake and I can't flick some stupid water?

I could just do it for you... Entity said.

Entity extended another thread of Lyra's Logos out from her thumb and flicked the water, just like Kreg had.

"There you go!" Kreg said.

Lyra flipped the bowl of water with the back of her hand. Soaking Kreg's lap.

"Hey!"

That's not the point, Entity!

Lyra stood.

"I'm going to go get some air." She said curtly. "I'll practice on my own later."

"Yeah, alright. Geez." Kreg wicked water off his pants with the back of his hand.

Lyra left the Summoner Hall. When she came to the spiral stairs at the core of the tower, on a whim she decided to walk upwards.

I don't think pouting about it is going to help...

I don't think you doing it for me is going to help!

Lyra's agitated footfalls were heavy, sending echoes cascading up and down the Iris.

It struck her as such a strange design. The tower was huge, yes, but sticking this massive stairwell into the center of it seemed an awful waste of space. Each step jut out about 8 feet from the wall and then terminated into open air... If Lyra wanted to, or was slightly more insane, she could lean over the edge and peer all the way down to the lower floors that made up the tower's wider base.

Just thinking about all that empty air made her bones feel weak. She gripped the railing on the walled side of the stairs a little tighter and slowed her ascent.

I love it. Entity said, The fear of falling reminds me of flying.

You can fly?

No more than you can. But, in the Trial, yes. I flew, or at least people thought I did. That's all the Trials are, really. Thought.

Lyra thought back to the amorphous blob of liquid that Entity had been when they met. It had been floating.

Do you have any favorites?

Favorite trials?

Yeah, any you were particularly proud of?

I've always enjoyed being a dragon. Entity chuckled. The screaming is always amusing.

A dragon? Really.

Yes. I'd say when one in ten adolescents hears the word 'trial' they immediately imagine dragons... Must be all the trashy novels and songs you people consume... I'd oblige when I had the fancy.

How often was that?

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Most times. Paradoxically, the more dangerous a Trial seemed to the students, the safer they were... Only a few of the prospects taking that Trial wound up brain-dead. When compared to the puzzle-style Trials, fighting a dragon in your initial Trial could have been a vacation.

Lyra stopped walking.

Dead?

I mean, yeah, it's a Trial. If everyone passed it'd be more of just an, I don't know, initiation.

So you've killed kids?

The excess Logos in their system killed kids. Entity said defensively, The ways that their minds decided to portray that death isn't on me...

Lyra reached one of the landings that were scattered up and down the staircase. Several doorways were dotted around the tower here, leading to classrooms, dorms, and who knew what else. A large archway, devoid of a door, revealed row after row of books.

How many libraries does this tower have? Lyra thought.

Sixty. Entity said.

Lyra balked.

Why? That's so many!

Lots of books. Lots of people wanting to read those books.

I guess... must be a nightmare to keep it all organized, though.

Lyra walked through the archway, which upon further investigation, she saw was engraved with the words 'VOCATION OVERFLOW LIBRARY 3, S-Z'.

She entered.

Row after row of untouched volumes lined the many shelves. A beautiful blue carpet stood by ready to immediately deaden any noise that would dare disturb the books' rest, leaving the library as quiet as a tomb.

The smell of parchment and dust saturating the cramped space made Lyra's nose tingle.

I doubt this is what you meant by 'get some air.'

The library was mostly deserted. As far as Lyra could tell, the only other resident of this Library was a man about Declan's age sitting alone at one of the tables scattered throughout the library.

That's the guy that stole my kill! The muscle man!

Lyra blinked in surprise at Entity's sudden bloodlust.

Stole your- Oh! The Guardian that killed the Soul-Eater!

The young Guardian was engrossed in the book he was reading. One hand held a large book open against the table, the other rested on the hilt of a large, black sword, its tip embedded in the carpet.

"The poor carpet!" Lyra said.

The young Tower Guardian looked up from his book, suddenly pinning her in place with a stare. Lyra hadn't seen him tense, but she saw him relax the grip on his sword the moment he registered her as a non-threat.

"Sorry." he said, "You startled me. I haven't seen anyone else in here before."

"Sorry!" Lyra, "I just- your sword! It's burrowing a hole in the floor."

The guardian lifted the sword and gently laid it across the table. He shifted one of his hands from the hilt to the blade, but ensured he was maintaining constant contact.

"Sorry. It's quite destructive, isn't it?"

"It is a sword..." Lyra said.

The Guardian chuckled.

"Yeah... it is. I'm Thale, by the way. Do you need help finding somthing? I spend enough time here that I could probably point you in the right direction."

"Oh, uh," Lyra's mind was blank. "I guess I'm looking for somthing to help me with my shaping class... the first exam's tomorrow and I can't even manage to ripple water..."

"Mm. Shaping, I struggled with that one."

Lyra furrowed her brow.

"Aren't all Guardian's Mages, not Wizards?"

"Well, yeah, I'm sure Eros is different, but we still had to take a Soul-Shaping class. It's all Soulmancy at the end of the day."

"Oh. Any pointers?"

"Sorry, no. Just practice and patience. I failed my first shaping exam, so maybe just make sure you're mentally prepared for that."

Lyra deflated.

"Oh, well, what are you studying."

Thale turned the book over, showing Lyra the cover.

Lyra raised her eyebrows.

"The Book of Contradiction? You walk all the way up here to study scripture?"

Thale sighed.

"No, not usually." He fidgeted with the hilt of his sword. "I just seem to have stumbled into it..."

Lyra studied the sword.

"It's so..."

"Intimidating?"

"I was going to say beautiful."

Thale picked it up and held it closer to Lyra so she could see.

Lyra reached out to touch it.

DO NOT TOUCH THE SOUL ABSORBING SWORD, Lyra. I am literally made of Logos!

Lyra froze and lowered her hand.

Thale didn't seem to notice Lyra's strange behavior, having already turned back to his reading.

"There's just nothing in here about the Blades... and it's all so... well, Contradicting. The Void is both the lack of existence, but also where existence came from. It's both incorporeal..' He flicked the sword's blade. "And quite corporeal... I don't get it."

"Maybe you could try talking to one of the priests? They can't seem to stop talking about the Blades, or the Void in general."

Thale shook his head.

"No, now that I have this they look at me like I'm some sort of saint... It's annoying."

Lyra simply nodded.

"Declan says hello."

Thale brightened immediately.

"Declan? Mornstag?"

Lyra nodded.

"He says thank you for pulling the Banshee off of him, but he's mad he'll lose the eye."

"How do you know Declan?"

"He's my brother."

"You're Lyra!" Thale said, smiling.

Lyra melted a little.

"Yeah, I am! I'm surprised he mentioned me."

"Wouldn't stop, we teased him relentlessly for it." Thale chucked, then sombered. "He's going to lose an eye?"

Lyra told Thale the same story Declan had told her in the tavern.

They talked for hours, and all worries she'd had about her first exams, were temporarily forgotten.