Soulburned: The School of Souls

Chapter 20: Adjustments

I'm bored. Entity said

Lyra's hand slipped, causing her to cut a deep gouge in the wrong place of her rune stone. She swore.

"Professor Greystole, can I please get another rune stone? My hand slipped."

Professor Greystole glared at her but pulled another of the smooth oval stones from his robes.

"Class, you have twenty minutes remaining," he said.

I said, Entity repeated, I'm bored. This is boring

Well, deal with it. Lyra thought at the spirit, I have to pass and get this right to take the Summoner's exam. He won't let us even touch the Circle until we've proved we draw the Glyph correctly.

Of course, you can draw the glyph correctly, you just need to let me-

No, Entity. No.

Lyra once again began carving the lines onto the stone.

She started with the Target glyph. This was the series of runes that corresponded to the creature or item that she would be summoning. The runes making it up would be the Target's plane of existence, its race, and its name. For this first exam, Greystole had given the students the Target runes. The creature being summonsed was a simple Fae, a gnome by the name of Bingles. Greystole had a longstanding agreement with Bingles, and he assured the class that even if they completely botched the Containment glyph, he would be non-hostile.

It took Lyra, several minutes to carve the runes. If even one line was carved incorrectly she'd have a faulty summoning circle, or worse, she'd summon the wrong creature. Once complete, she used a carving compass to scratch a perfect circle around the runes, turning it into a glyph.

Next, Lyra started the Containment runes. These were simple warding glyphs, meant to restrain the creature within a certain range, determine how hostile the creature was allowed to be towards the summer, and how hostile it could be towards others. This was the simplest glyph, especially for a low-level creature like a Fae Gnome. She set the containment to be the circle's edge, and both hostility runes to 'Null'.Like the first, she etched a circle around the runes, making sure that this circle was tangential to the first, and the same size.

She moved on to the next and final glyph, the Contract glyph. The runes making up this section of the summoning circle would be the most complicated. They would be the terms that the creature could either accept or decline at the moment of summoning. There were near limitless possibilities here, but Greystole had provided these runes as well. Bingles was to have free will, would be able to end the contract himself, and would be sent back to his own plane of existence once the contract was terminated. It was the simplest, and frankly, least useful Contract glyph one could create.

As before, Lyra etched a circle around the contract runes, turning it into a proper glyph, again, this circle was the same size, and tangential. When she was done with that, she encircled all three circles in a fourth, larger circle.

She sighed in relief.

"Time's up, present your stones," Greystole said.

When Lyra handed him her stone, he examined it closely.

"This is good work, Lyra. You can take the exam at the end of the week.

A plume of pride radiated through Lyra. This was the first summoning circle she'd created successfully.

It's a Gnome. Entity sneered, Don't get too excited. When will we get to summon something interesting?

There was a large repository of name runes in the Iris, although only a handful of these were available to First Tier Wizards.

It's probably going to be a while... I don't have access to most of the Library, and even if I did, I don't really have the skills to summon anything of real power.

Yes, yes... but I do. Entity said. I even know some runes, just get me to the Circle and let me blow your mind!

Lyra sighed.

"Ugh!" Veron Gimbel, the other noble in the class groaned, "Why a Gnome? There are so many more useful summons we could be learning. This is a waste of time."

See?! The snobby girl gets it!

"Basics first Miss Gimbel," Professor Greystole said, "I'm sure you'll be summoning dragons in no time. Let us mere mortals catch up."

Dragons, Lyra. Dragons.

Lyra sighed. It was going to be a long week.

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"Today," Professor Pistris, said, "We'll be casting spells!"

The majority of the class cheered. Until now, Intro to Combat Soulmancy had been nothing but historical recountings of famous battles, and theoretical tactics.

"Now, obviously, as Wizards, we will not have the raw power of a Sorceror's evocations, or the physical prowess of a Mage's transumations. To clarify, you won't be throwing lighting bolts, or transforming your hands into talons...However, you will, in time, be capable of rudimentary mental attacks like 'Mind Spike'. If your foe has Logos in thier soul, you'll be able to manipulate it. Today, however, we're going to keep it simple."

Professor Pistris cleared his throat, then raised a hand and pointed at the assembled students.

"Blind."

Everything went black. One of the younger 1st Tier's screamed.

"In combat, a wizard's primary role is that of support. Hard to fight when you can't see, hmm? Simple illusions like this will be your bread and butter. You'll be able to blind or deafen an attacker, obscure your allies, or create distractions."

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The spell immediately faded, causing the world to reappear. Some of the other students chuckled nervously.

I like this guy... Entity said.

"Now watch."

Pistris began drawing lines of green light in the air with the tip of his finger. He began forming a glyph.

"Professor Fumis, tells me most of you have been able to produce some level of lightweaving, what I'm doing here is using that lightweaving to create a glyph. The same thing you're doing in Runes... just with strands of light. This technique will allow you to conserve Eros when casting spells the same as if you'd written the glyph on paper. This one here, is 'Blind', the spell I just used on you. Copy it down.

Lyra did.

You don't need to write it down, Lyra. You may have forgotten, but I have a perfect memory.

Entity showed the glyph to Lyra in her mind's eye.

If you're not going to let me actually draw the Glyphs, at least let me remember them for you.

Lyra had to admit, that was incredibly helpful.

Thank you, Entity.

Lyra copied down the glyph regardless.

Entity pouted.

"Now line up, and begin trying to copy this glyph in the air. This isn't how you'd normally cast a spell in combat, since it's too slow, but practicing with the glyphs will help you get a feel for the spell, which will make casting it in a hurry much easier."

Lyra focused strands of her logos into a beam and began light-weaving the glyph.

It took several minutes, but eventually, every student on the field managed to complete the glyph.

"Wonderful." Pistris said, "Now, pair up into twos and spread out across the field."

Lyra wound up paired with Kreg. They moved to the far end of the courtyard.

Ugh, this guy again. Entity complained. Why is it always this guy? You should pair up with that Veron girl, at least she's interesting.

He's nice, and she isn't.

He's only nice because he's terrified of your father! He's a- a sycophant!

Wow, big words today, Enity.

Entity huffed.

I am a personification of intellect! I've got nothing BUT big words! The biggest!

"Now, face each other. Draw your Glyphs, and cast."

"He wants us to blind each other?!" Kreg scoffed, "Isn't that a little extreme? We can't practice on dummies or somthing?"

"Some of us are practicing on dummies." Veron sneered.

Kreg bristled.

See? Interesting.

"Don't worry Kreg, it's not a dangerous spell. You'll be fine." Professor Pistris said.

Lyra began weaving.

Kreg's eyes widened in fear, then he also began rapidly weaving.

"Once your glyph is completed, pour logos into and cast."

Lyra did.

"Blind."

Entity flooded Lyra's spell with Logos.

The entire class screamed and yelled in shock, some laughed nervously.

"Disspell!"

The class's vision returned.

"Who did that!? I am not a valid target! If it happens again, the entire lot of you will be running laps up and down the Iris.

Lyra was stunned.

Did I just Blind the entire class?!

Entity chortled in her mind.

We did, yes.

Entity! I told you not to take control!

I didn't! I just juiced up your spell a bit. You did it all, I just gave you a bit of a boost.

Warn me next time!

Entity huffed.

It was going to be a very long week.

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Why do you keep coming up here, Lyra?

Lyra had returned to the small Library higher up in the Iris. She was alone.

I just like the space. It's quiet.

Right, it has absolutely nothing to do with the beefcake Guardian that hangs out here.

Lyra blushed.

Obviously not. He hasn't been here in days.

She did like the Library. The smell of it reminded her of the Library at her Father's estate, and while most of that estate had felt like a type of hell, the LIbrary had always been warm, and quiet.

Fine. It is nice here, but what are you looking for?

Lyra scanned each shelf meticulously, taking in the title of each tome and volume on its shelves.

I'm just looking. I don't know what I don't know... you know?

I don't...know. I know most things. It'll just be faster if you ask me about them, instead of trolling through this duststorm of bookshelf.

I'm sure it would be, but I don't know what to ask yet. We don't share a vocabulary. I can't really ask you about...

Lyra stopped to pick a book.

'Advanced Mycenian Horticulture', if I don't even know the word 'Mycenian.'

Horrid bunch of short people. Farmers on the island of Myca. Brew a mean beer, if the records are to be believed. They did it by fermenting a-

Exactly.

Entity was silent for a minute. Lyra went back to perusing the shelves.

This isn't easy, Lyra.

Lyra blinked.

What isn't?

This. Not having a body. Not have any agency. Don't get me wrong, but out here with you is better than not existing.

Lyra's stomach twisted. She hadn't really thought about this situation from Entitiy's perspective. She'd been trapped in a state of limbo for who knows how long, and then when she finally found a means of escape, she'd inadvertently traded one prison for another.

Lyra was no better than her father.

I'm sorry, Entity.

It's fine. It's just... not what I'd hoped for. It's an adjustment.

Lyra sighed.

Would you like to steer for a few hours?

YES!

Lyra's head spun as her limbs started moving on thier own. Then she fell to the ground.

Woah! Lyra laughed, or at least, she tried to, Be careful! We bruise easily.

"Sorry," Entity said, "This will take a bit to get used to..."

What do you want to do?

"I'm going to eat a sandwich."

Lyra laughed

Let's avoid the stairs today.

"That's... quite intelligent, Lyra."