Soulburned: The School of Souls

Chapter 27: The Climb

Lyra chewed her food slowly and thoughtfully. She hadn't spent much time in the Dining Hall, preferring instead to take her meals on the go, and she was beginning to regret that. The Iris was a marvel of magic and architecture, and it was starting to bother Lyra how quickly she had learned to ignore it. The Dining Hall, for example, was gorgeous!

Crystalline orbs floated above her, their blue soul-light illuminating intricately carved support beams that stretched across the Hall's peak, each bearing intricately carved figures from the Iris's history. She marveled at the level of detail that was given to something almost no one would ever see. The table she sat at had been cleaved from a great tree and then transmuted into living marble. The grain of the once wood glimmered and shone as it flowed ceaselessly from side to side.

While she was glad to have made the journey for tonight's supper, Lyra mourned the little details she'd already started to take for granted. Already she had managed to carve out an almost mindless routine of shuffling from one drab classroom to another, with only brief periods of dissociating on the Spiral in-between. She hated how quickly her experience here had become so mundane.

I don't suppose I could get a turn, Entity said, pulling Lyra away from her self-destructive thoughts. You know I love those rolls.

Lyra ignored Entity's request. While she was no longer actively stifling the spirit, she wasn't exactly ready to forgive her, either.

To Entity's credit, she had refrained from forcibly taking control since their interaction with Thale and Sylane in the Library and had even managed to keep her thoughts to herself during the subsequent study sessions with Thale. It was admittedly a low bar for common decency, but Lyra was glad that Enity was at least making an effort nonetheless.

She'd never admit it to Entity, but she was glad to have someone to talk to.

Of course, Lyra had honored Entity's arrangement with Thale. She had to! She wasn't going to stand him up just because it was Entity's suggestion, and not her's.

She had met him in the quiet Annex Library further up in the Iris. While it couldn't boast the same bounty of information that the Main did, it did offer seclusion.

Thale had been nervous to admit that he was technically an Artificer, but eventually, she managed to put him at ease, and he came clean. Much to both her and Entity's chagrin, even after she'd managed to get him to make the concession, he had still refused to give her the details on why he didn't have a Mark.

After the awkward half-hearted interrogation, they had done exactly what they'd planned to.

They studied.

Lyra found it amusing that now she was the one offering him shaping advice, considering that that's what she had been searching for when they met. She helped him with Shaping since it was the only thing he could manage with his low-level Logos. He helped her with Rituals, as it was a subject that he had already taken during his time at the Iris, it being a subject that didn't actually require a specific Soul Component.

Lyra had just finished one of the rolls, only slightly rubbing it in Entity's face, when Erika, her roommate, sat down beside her.

"Lyra! I've been looking all over for you!"

Lyra finished chewing.

"Why?"

"Greystole's requested you to come to his office! You're going to take another Trial!

----------------------------------------

As her Vocation Head, Greystole was responsible for leading Lyra to her Trials when she was ready for them. This second Trial wouldn't be enough to bump her into the next Tier, but taking her another so early into the term would place her squarely at the top of her class. She felt more than a small degree of pride at that.

Hey, let's not forget why Greystole thinks you're ready, hmm? Entity chimed in Lyra's head.

I'm glad you haven't let your little stunt go to your head or anything Entity.

Of course not! Entity said, I've let it go to yours. I do live in it, you know.

How could I possibly forget?

Lyra was, in all honestly, terrified. She knew that the only reason Greystole thought she was ready for this, was because he witnessed Enitity summon a drake.

Dragon, Entity corrected, and relax Lyra. I'm going to be right there with you if you need my help.

Lyra swallowed the lump growing in her throat. Knowing that Entity could bail her out at any time was suspiciously reassuring.

You're not able to affect my emotions... are you?

Entity scoffed, as much as a non-physical being could.

My non-existent ears must be deceiving me. You would never level such baseless accusations of Thymos manipulation at me, your beloved Logos spirit!

The knot in Lyra's chest loosened a little as Entity laughed.

Right, of course not... Just, Entity?

Yes?

Promise not to intervene unless I ask you to.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

I promise. You won't even know I'm there.

Greystole panted, stopping a moment to rest on one of the Spirals' landings. They weren't headed into the depths of the catacombs this time but instead had climbed high up towards the peak of the Iris.

They'd already moved well past any height she'd achieved thus far, and Lyra huffed and panted as well. She had stared wistfully at the Annex Library as they passed, mostly because she could use a break, this was a lot of stairs, but also because she'd hoped to see Thale, if even in passing.

She didn't know why, but seeing how he'd reacted when that woman, Sylane, joined them still bothered her. Their encounter had been brief, and Lyra had obviously been preoccupied with Entity's antics... but the woman's presence had given Lyra a bad feeling. She was dangerous, Lyra was sure of it.

Entity said it was only jealousy, and had yet to let her live it down.

He's a bit old for you, don't you think? Entity asked.

Hey! You were the flirt!

I didn't say he was too old for me. I'm positively ancient, but pursuing any sort of relationship with you mere mortals would be... inappropriate. And besides, you were doing just fine flirting on your own.

Lyra's face reddened.

"Are you alright, Lyra? It is a lot of stairs, isn't it?" Greystole asked,d "I once asked the Archmage if we could use the Teleport Nodes for this particular Trial, but he refused... Said that it would defeat the point! That the climb is part of the Trial!"

They continued on.

The Spiral had led them to a large platform. There were no doors or archways to secret libraries here, only a solitary wooden ladder stood in the center of the room, reaching high up into the ceiling, before latching onto a dark, metal hatch.

"After you, Lyra. We're just about there."

Lyra started to climb.

As she grew further and further away from the stone platform below, Lyra's stomach became more and more queasy. Looking at the drop gave her butterflies.

"Best not to look down, Lyra." Greystole coached from just below her on the ladder.

Thankfully, while wooden, the ladder wasn't very flexible. Lyra suspected it was quick-wood, a standard ladder would have bent considerably under their combined weight.

They reached the top of the ladder and the metal hatch.

The metal was a dark bronze, like that of the Sanctum doors deep in the catacombs below. This too was engraved with the Wizard's Mark.

"You'll need to pour some Logos into the Contract Glyphs," Greystole said.

Lyra blinked. It was a contract glyph. She was surprised that she hadn't made the connection before. She took a moment to look at the runes, trying to puzzle out their meaning.

Why would the Marks have a contract glyph?

"Any day now, Lyra. I don't like being on this ladder."

"Sorry, professor."

She poured a stand of logos into the glyphs, filling the engravings with power. They flashed, and then the hatch opened.

She was blasted by cold mountain air.

They'd reached the very top of the Iris.

She peeked out of the hatch.

The roof was perfectly flat and seemed to be carved from one solid piece of black stone. If Lyra didn't know better, she would have thought that the Iris had been another peak in the Brow, simply shaved down into a simple spire.

Five large spikes jut out from equidistant points on the roof. They were the only thing that protruded from the surface of the roof, there was no railing or guard of any kind, and Lyra found her gaze shooting out into open air just a few dozen feet away.

"Up, and out Lyra, please."

Lyra pulled herself out into the night air. The wind was frigid and took her breath away. She carefully crawled away from the hatch's opening, terrified to stand.

"This wind is going to blow us off!" Lyra shouted over the wind.

Greystole pulled himself out of the trapdoor.

"We wouldn't be the first!" he shouted back, "But that hasn't happened in years!"

Lyra's heart dropped into her stomach.

"WHAT?!"

Carefully, Greystole stood.

"Are you ready, Lyra?"

"For what?!"

"For your next Trial!?

"Here?!"

Greystole pointed to a glyph ring in the center of the roof.

"Stand there!"

Lyra crawled to the spot.

She didn't recognize these runes. Every Glyph she'd ever seen shared a least the same base runes etched along the outer edge. This glyph also had runes around its edge, but they seemed to be from a different runic alphabet, one Lyra didn't recognize. Even stranger than that, however, was the glyph's shape. Every glyph Lyra had ever seen was made up of at least three equally spaced circles that touched but never overlapped.

This glyph was shaped like an oval, with a pitch-black disk of stone inset in the middle. Runes extended out from this dark circle like rays from the sun.

It's an eye. Lyra realized. It's the same shape as the City.

Lyra stood.

"Lyra Mornstag!" Greystole shouted.

The Summoning Professor pointed a metal spell rod at the tip of one of the spikes. A bolt of green light shot out of it and collided with the stone obelisk. Its surface ignited with glowing green glyphs that she hadn't noticed before. One of the sections of the glyphs she was standing on lit up.

"By reaching this Summit, you have become one chosen by the Fragment!" He pointed again, and another obelisk ignited into orange glyphs. Again, the glyphs she was standing on lit up to match.

Wow, Entity said, I wasn't expecting the pomp and circumstance. I haven't heard that title in forever.

"You have climbed your way to the peak of your craft! Leaving peer and behind you." Another beam, another obelisk. This one blue.

The air grew heavy with static power. Lyra got goosebumps.

Lyra, I don't think we should be standing here. Something doesn't feel right.

Greystole knows what he's doing. Lyra said.

"Now, to receive this blessing of the Fragment..." A beam of purple light struck the next obelisk. "Reach out and be held by the Fragment!"

Lyra, really, get off of the circle.

Lyra felt Entity reach for control, then stop.

Lyra, please!

Lyra started to step off. The panic in Entity's voice pulled her to action.

"May you be held forever, together in the Void."

A final, black beam of power struck the final obelisk.

For an instant, the world was awash in color. Polychromatic arcs or lightning danced between the pillars. Lyra tried to move but was stuck to the black disc beneath her. She tried to scream, but couldn't seem to suck in enough air.

Entity!? she screamed in her mind.

There was no response.

Everything went black.