Soulburned: The School of Souls
Chapter 33: Shards
Thale sat at a wooden table, across from the Archmage, Marelda, and Magnus. Three pieces of dark void -teel lay on the table between them.
The shards of his Shrive Blade.
No one had spoken for some time. Magus stared at the shards, his face pale. He looked like he was going to be sick. Thale probably looked the same.
Magnus had found Thale at the base of the tower, surrounded by the shards.
In the moments after the sword had broken, the Eros that had been trapped in it's blade had snapped back into Thale.
"What did you do?" He asked, leaning heavily against the table. The large man didn't shift his gaze away from the broken relic and was clearly distraught.
Thale said nothing.
Marelda picked up the largest of the pieces and gingerly held it between two fingers.
"Do you still feel the bond?" She asked. Her face, in contrast to Magnus's, was completely serene. She looked like she would be doing some chore or menial task, not examining the remains of a sacred sword.
"Yes," Thale said. The invisible threads of Eros tying him to the sword were still present, and even now he felt naked without it in hand. "But It's no longer drawing Eros."
The Artificer harumphed.
"Well... That's a silver lining." She said.
"S-Silver lining!?" Magnus shouted. "He destroyed a holy sword!"
Shame coursed through Thale.
"How is this even possible!" Magnus continued, "You told me-"
"Enough!" The Archmage snapped. "We have bigger issues at hand."
Thale swallowed.
"Tell me what happened." The Archmage demande.d
"I believe Lyra was possessed." Thale started. "She wielded Logos like- like no one I've ever seen! She blasted Professor Greystole with some sort of beam, then pushed me off the roof with just telekinesis."
"She actually manifested a beam?" The Archmage asked.
"Yes, sir." Thale said placidly.
The Archmage chewed his lip in thought, then shook his head.
"How is Greystole?" He asked, turning to Marelda.
"He lives. I don't have the faintest idea what she hit him with... but he lives." The Artificer responded.
The Archmage turned back to Thale.
"Did you see where they went? Adler, and...Miss Mornstag."
"No."
"Why were you even up there, Lad!?" Magnus asked, "You were supposed to be escorting Adler back to his cell!"
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"Adler collapsed," Thale said, "I was going to take him here, to see the Archmage... but then Lyra screamed."
"That is not an answer!" Magnus spat, "You should have secured the prisoner before attempting any more of your heroics. You had an unstable prisoner, who you claim had just shot Logos from his eyes! What were you thinking!?"
"Is it not my job as a Tower Guardian to guard the students of the Tower?!" Thale shot back.
"Your job," Magnus roared, "Was to guard the prisoner! And now he's gone!"
Thale said nothing, just clenched his jaw.
"What did the creature say?" The Archmage asked.
Thale tore his eyes away from the irate Magnus and took a breath.
"It was pretending to be Lyra." He said, "It wanted to go back to Lyra's room, or at least, that's what it said... This is, until Greystole insisted we all come see you."
"And that's when she struck Greystole."
"Yes, Lord Archmage... I then tried to attack, but she didn't even let me get close."
"You're lucky to be alive... That's quite the fall." The Archmage said, then gestured towards the broken Shrive Blade. "How did you manage this?"
"I-I'm not entirely sure." Thale said, "I tried using my Logos to pull my Eros out... and it worked, but
"That shouldn't be possible... The Blades have always prevented Logos from interacting with them...Maybe somthing about your Mark." The Archmage mused.
"And what of Lyra?" Mareda said.
The Archmage drummed his fingers against the desk.
"She's likely dead." He said after a moment, "No one's come back from that Trial after this long."
Thale swallowed the growing lump in his throat.
"I should have pulled her out of there." He said.
"Perhaps." The Archmage agreed. "I'll need to speak with Greystole when he wakes and get his side of things."
"That's... not exactly what I meant," Mareda said. "I mean, what do we do about her now."
"I'll reach out to her father... We need to frame this in a way that doesn't turn Lord Mornstag against us. We need his council seal to support us. Magnus," the Archmage said.
"Yes, Lord Archmage?"
"Mobilize your Guardians and the Hunters. You've hunted Sorcerors before... Wherever this thing is, you can bet that it'll be with Adler. He's too valuable of a prize."
"Yes, my Lord. And when we find them?"
The Archmage frowned.
"Kill them both."
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Thale limped after Magnus. His void and quick-wood prosthetic landed heavily against the stone floor as he walked. It was normally quite intuitive and flexible, if it was charged with Eros as it should have been. Now, without the Sword, it didn't seem to be functioning properly. He found his movements sluggish without the sword to use as a walking stick.
It was shocking how quickly he had grown dependent on the Sword. He had been using it as a literal crutch.
His muscles screamed at him, demanding rest. He still hadn't recovered from his 'fall'. The Shriving Comoet that he had managed to cast with the Shrive Blades dying burst of Eros, had been intense. He had managed to steer, shockingly enough, but not very well. He had crashed into several nearby buildings, one of which had burned down. Thankfully, no one had gotten hurt.
"Go back to Herclis's rooms, lad," Magnus called over his shoulder. "You're not good to me like this."
"I can help." Thale insisted. "I-"
Magnus spun on his heel.
"You can not!" He growled. "You have done nothing but create problems since you picked up the sword. You should have left it there, and let
Thale ground his teeth, and stared at the angry giant.
"The Archmage commanded you to mobilize all Guardians."
"You, are not Guardian. Not even by technicality. Not anymore."
Magnus turned and left.
Thale stopped following him and just watched him leave.
He felt useless.
Magnus was, of course, correct. Thale had never been a Guardian. He had been continually in the wrong place at the wrong time. He'd done nothing but fail from the moment he picked up the Shrive Blade. He should be glad to be rid of it.
"You forgot this, boy," Mareda said from behind him.
Thale turned to see the Artificer holding the shards of his sword. Even now he could still feel it scratching at the edge of his awareness. could still feel the burns it had given him when he grabbed it that first time.
"It's of no use to me," he said. "I don't want it."
"It's of no use to a Guardian. It will, however, be of tremendous use to an Artificer. Come."