Soulburned: The School of Souls
Chapter 31: Possession
Thale froze in place, rooted to the smooth stone of the Iris's peak by Greystole's warning.
"You'll kill her!" Greystole shouted.
The elderly professor had pulled a thin cane from his robes and placed himself between Thale and the floating form of Lyra. "Stay back!"
"What is happening?" Thale demanded. "Why did she scream?"
"This is a closed Trial, Guardian," Greystole said. "I don't know how you managed to open that hatch, but you need to turn around go back through it.
Beside Thale, Adler winched and grabbed at his head.
Thale's grip tightened on his sword. He wasn't sure what had happened to the Sorceror, but he didn't like it. The energy crackling in the air put his teeth on edge, and he couldn't shake the feeling that somehow Adler was responsible, or at least involved. His collapse in the garden had been too well-timed to be just a coincidence.
Greystole looked at Thale's Shrive Blade and swallowed.
Do I really look so imposing? Thale thought. He loosed the grip on his sword and relaxed his posture. Greystole
"I don't know." The aged man replied, "But you shouldn't-"
The five obelisks, which had been ceaselessly pumping colored lighting into Lyra's body, deactivated. The persistent hum that had filled the air disappeared, leaving just the sound of wind whistling against the tower.
Greystole immediately lowered his cane and turned to Lyra, whose body had fallen to the black stone when the obelisks turned off.
"Lyra? Can you hear me?" Greystole aked.
Thale dashed forward and stood beside the man.
Lyra's hair was a tangled mass on her head and her skin, sickly pale, shone with a thick sheen of sweat. Her breast rose suddenly and sharply as Lyra sucked in a shuddering gasp of air.
She opened her eyes.
Relief washed over Thale. He wasn't even sure why exactly. From what he'd heard of the second Trial, this was standard practice.
Lyra let Greystole help her to her feet.
"Congratulations, Lyra! I knew you could do it!"
"T-thank you," She croaked.
"You were in there a long time Lyra...Longer than any student I've brought before. Do you remember anything?"
"No." She said sharply. She leaned against the old man, who shot
"Lyra," Thale said.
She looked at Thale.
"Thale..." She said, "Why are you, here?"
Thale furrowed his brow. Something felt... off. Her voice sounded strained and stretched, and her eyes seemed duller.
"I...Are you alright?" he asked.
Lyra nodded.
"Yes. I- I'd just like to go to my room now."
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"No. No, I don't think so." Greytole said, "You'll all be accompanying me to the Archmage... I don't like how long you were in there, and I don't like how these two barged in. They shouldn't have been able to even open that hatch without Logos, and yes, I do see that Mark, but I also know that a Guardian shouldn't have let you up here."
Thale arched an eyebrow. Greystole certainly was a suspicious fellow, wasn't he? He was right,
"If you find that necessary, Professor, of course," Thale said. "But I assure you, I was only-"
"Of course, I find it necessary!" Greystole snapped, "A Guardian and a Sorcer just barged into a sacred ritual! "
"Professor!" Lyra protested, "I hardly think that's necessary. I'm fine. Thale and Adler were just concerned. They probably heard my scream."
"You're aware that you screamed?" Greystole asked.
"I-yes. But that's the last thing I remember."
"Hmm." Greystole mused. "Nothing? That is unusual. Usually, people at least remember the platform..."
"When have you met, Adler?" Thale asked, mostly to himself.
Adler, who had been continually massaging his temples glanced at Thale when he heard his name.
He knows something. Thale thought.
"Yes, of course, professor. We'll go meet the Archmage now."
A pit was growing in Thale's stomach.
Lyra began shaking her head.
"No, I'm sorry. That's not going to be an option, Professor," she said, pulling herself away from the man.
Now it was Greystole's turn to look incredulous.
"Oh, really? And why not, miss Mornstag?"
A blast of red light extended from Lyra's open palm and struck Greystole in the chest. He crumpled to the stone.
Thale gaped.
"Void! What the hell!"
Lyra sighed.
"Hmm. Might have put a little too much into that one...I'm sure he'll be fine."
Thale raised his sword and pointed it at the thing.
"What have you done with Lyra."
"Woah big boy, careful where you point that thing. You know it destroys souls right?"
Thale finally shook himself from his stupor and rushed towards whatever the thing that took Lyra's place was. He raised his shrive blade over his head. It ignited into black Voide fire.
With a simple wave of her hand, Lyra brushed Thale off his feet with a telekinetic pulse.
She tsked.
"That's not very friendly of you, Thale. Hardly a warm welcome you've prepared."
He immediately rolled and shot to his feet, before being promptly and unceremoniously slammed by another wall of force.
"Stay down, Thale." the demon intoned in Lyra's voice..
He leapt to his feet again and sent an Arc of black fire flying in the imposter's direction. She dodged the Arc and slammed another telekinetic fist into his chest.
He stumbled backward, right off the edge of the Iris.
He plummeted.
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Adler stared at the young woman. She panted with exertion, still dripping with sweat. She met Adler's gaze with a wicked smile.
"Hello, Entity," Adler said.
"Hello, Adler." Entity said in singsong pleasure
"I take it that this is, Lyra?" Adler asked.
"Not currently." Entity chucked.
Entity stretched her arms and flexed.
"Void, it feels good to be alone." She said.
Fear. This thing had just dispatched one of the most powerful Wizards in the Tower, and a Guardain with barely a thought.
"She's gone then?" Adler asked conversationally.
Entity sighed.
"Mostly." The creature admitted. "She persists... but where she is, she doesn't really exist unless observed, like I was... before."
Enitty reached up and twirled a lock of hair around a finger.
"A bit..rude, to abandon your host like this, don't you think?"
"Please." Entity scoffed. She'll soak up so much Logos from that place that If she ever did get free, she'll be a veritable Archmage herself. I'm doing her a favor."
"I see," Adler nodded slowly, "But, what now? Do you have a plan? Karolus is bound to be on his way. I doubt that this little fiasco went unnoticed."
Entity snapped her fingers.
A disc of white light materialized behind her. After a moment the white added into the image a a calm, dark forest.
"Is that... a portal?" Adler asked.
A sultry smile stretched across Enitiy's stolen face.
"You want to get out of here?"
"I thought you'd never ask."