Soulburned: The School of Souls

Interlude 1: Sylane

A sound like thunder echoed through the mountainside, stirring the restless.

Sylane leapt from her bed. A shot of adrenaline pulled her to alarm. She ran to the window.

Blue fire rolled over the domed Shield in a blossoming cloud, turning the midnight sky as bright as noon. The explosion seemed to linger in the air, and even from this great distance, Sylane could feel the Soulmantic power as it charged the air. The hairs on the back of her arm stood on end.

Lighting struck the barrier.

Panicked screams rose and fell in the city below.

Another lighting strike, then another.

The energy hanging in the air lessened with each release of power until it was all consumed. The hairs on Sylane's arm lowered. The cloud of fire began to fade.

She continued to stand at the window for a few more minutes, watching the Barrier shimmer and ripple as it redistributed the force of the blast.

It has to have a weakness.

The amulet that hung from her bedframe began to glow and pulse. She was being called to the infirmary.

Someone was hurt.

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

She was dressed and in the hall within a matter of minutes. On most nights, she'd be reluctant to answer the summons. She wasn't the only Mender on call, and others who were usually closer to the infirmary. By the time she'd arrived, there'd be too many Menders to be useful. She'd usually still go, but she didn't rush.

With an explosion like that though... there was bound to be more than one injured, and she doubted she would get back to sleep anytime soon.

The Iris was abuzz with activity. Students who had been woken by the blast and ensuring lighting poked thier heads out into the hall, some were dressed, and ready to flee, while others were not and merely looked terrified, or even amused. Several teachers roamed the corridors, keeping the peace.

There were no alarms blaring, so there was, as of yet, no reason to panic.

A bit began to grow in Sylane's stomach as she approached the Infirmary. A trial of blood was streaked across the smooth stone floor, beginning at one of the Iris entrances, and leading into the infirmary. She followed it the rest of the way.

Sylane's breath caught in her throat as she entered.

Thale lay unconscious on the metal table. One of the other Menders was tightening a tourniquet around one of his legs, which terminated early just below the knee, where there had been a gap in the Voidplate armor the young man wore.

The wound bled freely and had been for some time. A trail of the young Guardian's blood led out of the room.

Even unconscious Thale clung to his Shrive blade. His skin was pale from the blood loss.

"Void!"

The Mender that was already tending to Thale looked up at Sylane when she spoke, then sighed in relief.

"Sylane! He needs a prosthetic! You're the better transfiguration mage, give me a hand here."

Magnus said nothing. His face was pale too, but Sylane saw no injuries on the man. Just guilt.

Sylane sprang into action.

She grabbed a length of Quickwood from one of the nearby cabinets and quickly transfigured it into the shape of a leg. Her first job was to get it merged with Thale's bone. They'd shape and articulate it later.

"Hold him still," Sylane commanded. "Magnus, you too."

"He's unconscious."

"He won't be," Sylane said.

Sylane probed at the wound with her Eros. It was empty flesh. Despite it being an unnaturally clean and sharp cut, the Eros had been sucked from Thale. The leg was ruined.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

"You cut his leg off?!" She glared at Magnus.

"No choice." The man said gruffly.

"We need to cut away more of his leg." She said. "Not with a Shrive Blade. The Blade has ruined the leg. We can't attach the prosthetic to dead tissue. It won't hold Eros."

The other mender rushed to another cabinet, pulling out an amputation kit.

"There isn't a spell for that?" Magnus grimaced as he saw the bone saw and sharp knives.

"There is, but it's slow," Syalne responded, "The tools are more efficient, and speed is important."

The other mender placed the knife against Thales leg, further up his calf.

"Higher," Sylane said.

"Above the knee?" The other Mendor asked. "but-"

"Feel it for yourself!" Sylane snapped, "There's no Eros below the knee."

Magnus looked like he was going to be ill.

"Magnus. Eros. Now. That damn sword is suffocating him."

The large man nodded and placed his hands on Thale's chest, then began flooding him with Eros.

Sylane began casting Healing spells, trying to slow the flow of blood and purify the wound. Infection would spread rapidly and wildly if she hesitated any longer. She pulled from her own Eros, the little Thale had, and the excess Magnus was pouring into the boy.

The other mendor began cutting way at Thale's leg, peeling the flesh away like one might filet a fish.

Thale began to moan and yell softly but remained unconscious.

"Where's Eyome?" Sylane demanded, "We need his Sleep spells.

"I don't know! I pulsed him too!"

Sylane swore.

"Magnus. Hold him down. This is going to wake him up."

Sylane slipped a small length of wood between Thale's teeth, then began sawing at the bone.

Thale jerked and thrashed.

"Hold him still!". Syalen demanded.

She poured Eros into the cut and a reckless rate, numbing what she could and cauterizing what she couldn't as she cut.

Finally, the ruined stub fell away.

She thrust the prosthetic onto the severed limb and then began fusing the Quickwood with Thale's bone.

He screamed.

Skin and flesh melted and blended together with the transfigured wood, sealing the wound. Eros began to spread into the new leg.

Thale whimpered, then fell back into unconsciousness.

"It's done."

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

Sylane helped Magnus move Thale into his room. They removed his Void Plate, placed him in a stretcher, and then began carrying him up the central spiral staircase of the Iris. It was unwise to teleport the unconscious.

They hadn't gone far when the raspy voice of an elderly woman broke thier melancholic silence.

"Report," Marelda said.

Magnus sighed.

"Not here, Artificer. The information sensitive."

"Please, Magnus, you took a bunch of children out there. Half of Sclera will know by morning. Report."

Magnus sighed again.

"Your Resonators work... but they damaged the Barrier. Cracks formed where we passed through."

"Void..." Marelda said, "We'll need to halt further missions while we correct this... We don't want to bring the dome down prematurely. What of the bomb?"

"You didn't see?"

"Of course I saw, but did it work."

"Yes. I believe so. When the fires reached the creature it disappeared, like the Soul Eater had when Thale beheaded it... I don't know if it disappeared because of the explosion itself, or because the crystal was destroyed.

Marelda waved a hand dismissively.

"It is the same. I suspect it wouldn't have destroyed the crystal if It couldn't have banished the beast. I will request that the Archmage provide me with more of the needed materials to manufacture more. The substance will need to be refined. That was much more... energetic than I had anticipated. Did the explosion pass through the Barrier?"

"Only where it was cracked... Now, please Marelda. I will brief you fully when I brief the Archmage. I'm headed there right after we return Thale to his rooms.

Sylane remained quiet as they continued trudging up the stairs, trying to make herself as inconspicuous as possible. Just one of many Mendors just doing thier job.

None of them spoke again.

Once they reached Thales' rooms, she was dismissed. Magnus summoned one of his Guardians to watch of Thale. Sylane would return in the morning to help ease Thale into his recovery.

It was going to be quite a shock for the young man. She wasn't looking forward to it.

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

The barrier has begun to fail, Sylane pulsed. They've moved the Coals.

There was no response for several moments, and Sylane began to grow concerned, then the small pulse stone, disguised as a button on her dress, began to vibrate.

Find out where. The Shaman grows impatient. This explosion has soiled many Souls. He will need more.

Fear made Sylane's vision blur at the implication.

I will find the Coals. She pulsed back. Remind the Shaman that we have a deal. He is not to touch them.

We do have a deal. The reply confirmed. Honor it.

The button grew cold, the connection having been temporarily severed.

Sylane lay down on her bed, but sleep eluded her.