Soulburned: The School of Souls

Chapter 28: The Mage Garden

Adler once again found himself in the Oroboros chains. Now that his Logos sense was slightly more developed, he could sense the dampening effect they were having on him.

As usual, Thale marched in front, leading him to yet another near-pointless tutor visit.

To Adler's eyes, it seemed that the Guardian was getting around a bit better. He still used the Shireve Blade as a walking stick but was putting significantly less weight on it.

Adler believed he'd have enjoyed seeing the Artificers of generations past faces' when they heard that Thale was using their magnum opus primarily as a cane. Adler wasn't a Voidalist believer, but even he could detect an act of mild heresy when he saw one.

Today's venture was Alchemy.

Adler had expected the Alchemist's lab to be a place of anarchy, and judging by the surprise that he felt coming from Thale, so did he.

Instead of chaos, however, they were greeted by order in the extreme. The walls were pure white, and lined with black counters. Shelves of beakers, burettes, flasks, and other refined equipment were well-stocked and neatly organized. All spouts on the clear glass instruments were facing the same direction, and Adler began to assume that whoever had stocked these shelves was particularly...particular.

A long glass vessel hung from the ceiling, from chains. It stretched almost the entire length of the room. It had no top and was filled with small, bioluminescent mushrooms that glowed with a soft, yellowish, off-white light.

A short man stood on a stool in the center of the room, he leaned over a smooth steel cauldron, carefully scrubbing its metal surface into a brilliant reflective mirror.

"Take a seat." The man grumbled. "And do not touch anything until I tell you to!"

Adler sat.

"Which of you lads is Thale?"

"I am, sir," Thale said.

"My brother speaks quite highly of you." The short man said.

Adler felt a bolt of Amusement from Thale.

"You're brother being Magnus, I presume?"

"Aye. Name's Eyre." Eyre said.

"And, you're the Alchemy professor?" Adler asked.

"That'd be me. And, you're the terrifying Sorceror that has the rest of the faculty, and my brother, shaking like a leaf?"

Amusement, this time Adlers. As always, it was gone in an instant.

"That'd be me. " Adler confirmed.

Eyre grunted.

"What experience do you have with Potionas and Alchemy?" He asked.

"None." both Adler and Thale responded together.

Adler raised an eyebrow at his armed guard.

"Ah! I see you've brought yourself a partner then. That'll simplify things, most recipes are doubled anyway, so we'll be able to skip the long division today. "

"Oh." Thale said, "I'm not here to participate."

"But why not!?" Adler asked with exaggerated disappointment. "From what I've read, Alchemy doesn't discriminate between Soulmancies! It's not like you'd need to have Logos!"

Irritation from Thale, but none of the usual apprehension.

Interesting. Adler thought. He knows I know, and that no longer scares him.

"Adler is correct! I myself am no Soulmancer at all! While it's true that many of the Wizard spells dealing with calculations and the like are quite helpful for Alchemy, they're all quite easily replicated by simple pen and paper."

"No, really, It's fine."

"I'm afraid I have to insist," Eyre said.

Thale nodded, then sat next to Adler.

Excitement. Thale's

Pleasure. Adler's.

Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

Adler would have been pleased with Thale's excitement.

"Here. Take these," Eyre said, pulling a pair of old, but pristine textbooks from underneath one of the many cupboards and cabinets. He slid them across the table to Adler and Thale. "and turn to page thirty-one."

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

Night had fallen by the time they left the Alchemy lab.

"Thale," Adler said, "If I was able to, I think I would have enjoyed that."

Thale smiled, pleasantly surprised.

"I enjoyed it myself. Thank you."

Adler raised an eyebrow.

"For?"

"For not being an ass for the entire time."

"It wasn't easy, I can assure you that."

"I could tell, you only hinted at being able to see my Logos three or four times instead of the usual ten to twelve!"

Adler smirked, feigning mirth.

"You caught that, did you?

"I'm not an idiot, you know. I know, that you know."

"I suspected," Adler said. "Now I know. How did it happen? You didn't dive into that pool of unbound Logos like I did, did you?

Thale shook his head.

"No, supposedly, that'd kill me... I don't really understand it. The Archmage and Artificer changed something inside my head. Now I can see Logos."

Adler nodded.

"Those two do like thier... exprirements."

Thale looked at the symbol emblazoned on Adler's tunic. The Same Symbol that was emblazoned on all of Adler's tunics. but said nothing.

"You know," Thale said, "Let's take a detour on our way back to your rooms. I need some air."

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

Thale led Adler to the Mage Gardens.

Here, growth sprang eternal, despite the wintery mountain chill. Large crystal stakes were pushed into the ground every few hundred feet, warming the earth to a temperature suitable for vegetation. A large translucent sheet of Eros-infused cloth was blanketed over the spikes, creating a sort of tent to trap the warmth.

"I've never been here before." Adler said, "Apparently there's a significant portion of the Iris I have failed to visit."

"Did you explore much of the Mage's Wing?"

"No." Adler admitted, "It was always described to me as inferior... That anything that could be learned here, could be learned in the main quarter for less effort. As a result, my visits to the area were always quite surface-level. I suppose I should know better than anyone that a Wizard's prejudice shouldn't be taken as gospel..."

Thale nodded.

"Most wizards think themselves superior to mages. Void, many mages agree with them. Their ability to use Glyphs makes them more adaptable, and the risks associated with overdrawing are lower."

"And you?" Adler asked, "Do you find Wizards to be superior?"

Thale reached out to one of the many plants, grabbing it tenderly by one of the smallest branches.

Adler couldn't see it, but he got the impression from Thale's emotions that he was channeling his Eros into the plant. The young man practically reeked of concentration and determination.

A bud suddenly opened and blossomed into a flower.

"No." Thale said, "I don't."

An emotion that Adler didn't recognize pulsed through him, before swiftly being consumed. It was followed closely by surprise.

Interesting.

"What are you feeling right now?" Adler asked.

Surprise.

"That is an odd question coming from you, of all people," Thale said.

"You're wearing an expression I've never seen on you before." Adler said simply, "Just because I can't feel emotions, doesn't mean I'm not curious about them.

Puzzlement. Bemusement.

"Is curiosity not an emotion?" Thale asked, a small smirk twingeing his lips. "You're awfully perceptive for someone so cold, Adler."

"You're dodging the question."

"Because I don't have a simple answer," Thale said.

"Try me."

Consideration, followed by the same mysterious emotion as before.

"Do you have family out there, Adler?" Thale asked.

"No." Adler said, "I lived in an orphanage from birth. The Archmage sent a Guardian to 'adopt' me the day before my Branding."

Thale grimaced.

"Well... Have you ever missed someone?"

Grief. His own.

"I was never given the chance."

Guilt. Grief. Resentment.

They both stared at the flower.

"Do you remember it?"

Adler laughed, but he was unable to explain why.

"Perfectly," Adler said. "And unfortunately, my subconscious remembers how it felt. Most would assume that someone immune to fear wouldn't experience a nightmare. Most would be wrong."

Guilt.

"It's not your fault, Thale." Adler sighed, "You work for the man that put this on me, you didn't burn it into me yourself. Spare me your misplaced guilt.

"I..." Thale deflated, "Am I so easy to read?"

"Yes," Adler said. "You are."

The top of the Iris burst into a bright array of colors. Both Adler and Thale's gaze was drawn to it.

Thale's face split into a grin.

"That's probably, Lyra's trial!" He said. "I doubt any other 1st Tier's as close as she is."

"Friend of yours?" Adler asked, turning away from the illuminated clouds to look back at the flowering plant.

"Yes. She's brilliant."

"She must be. I don't think I've ever seen those light up this early in a term before. You'll have to-"

A hammer of mental force slammed into Adler's forehead. A flood of alien Logos crashed into his mind, forcing his own out of the way. The displaced power bolted out through Adler's eyes in a burst of telekinetic force, obliterating the plant Thale had nurtured.

He fell to his knees and screamed, clutching his temples in a feeble attempt to keep his skull from breaking apart.