The pressure built in Rane’s head. He could feel the warm touch of blood dripping down his nose again as the torrent of nora fed the magic on his palms. In sped up time, the pain from a long and arduous amputation and the surgery that followed it could be reduced from hours to minutes. Atinas had let Rane grasp the fundamentals of his new powers, but the structured methods Loric had taught him really were different. He had plenty of opportunities to train them too in the infirmary, so while his progress was fast, it was to be expected. What surprised him the most was Seoltrin. The old doctor had arrived a week before in defiance of the king’s orders, he’d learned, and already begun looking for a cure. Despite his age he’d learned to cut limbs and stitch the skin together under the influence of Rane’s time magic in only a few days. He’d agreed not to share the secret too, provided it helped the patients. Strict and disciplined though he was, Rane knew helping others was always his priority, so he’d taken a chance.

Rane counted in his mind. Twenty seconds to cut off the limb with Seoltrin using his own magic to the fullest, and another two minutes for the sutures. The ashfen writhed uncomfortably, biting down on his pillow. Even with the herb’s numbing effect, the pain of amputation would often spill over. It was important to finish the procedure quickly, while the effects were still strong. Rane backed away once Seoltrin was done, letting one of the other doctors take over.

His method and speed were almost admirable. After so many days and so many amputated limbs, the two had all learned to work like machines. They had to, if they wanted to have a chance of stopping the infection. The disease was weird, through and through. If the black spots on the skin were found, amputation of the infected area was the only way to stop their spread. The markings themselves passed from one ashfen to the other through touch, so it was mostly arms and hands that had to be cut off. If it appeared in another part of the body, like the neck or head, there was little the doctors could do. The worst part though, was that marks could take weeks to appear. The patient they were treating now had returned. Originally they had only cut off his hand, but that hadn’t been enough. They had to take the whole arm this time around.

Seoltrin had the wound bandaged and tied in under a minute. The quicker the procedure, the lesser the pain. “Take this,” he said, bringing another dose of the infusion up to the Ashfen’s mouth. “It should last until the pain has mostly faded.” The ashfen nodded with tears in his eyes as he gulped it down.

Seoltrin backed away and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He looked around at the many beds and ashfen patients. “You should sleep,” he told Rane. “The next one scheduled has just been given the anaesthetic, so I have about twenty minutes to rest.”

Rane shook his head. They had been working for more than ten hours straight, admittedly, but he found it hard to doze off. Even if he felt nothing himself, the pain of the ashfens kept him awake. “I’m fine.” He held back the urge to pant. “I can take some more.”

“You’ve helped enough for the day.” Seoltrin almost growled at him. “I want you well-rested for tomorrow. They say there’s a new wave incoming.”

“Another?” Just how many cities had the emperor torched? Danira was already pushed to its limits. They couldn’t send many of the ashfen inland in fears of the disease spreading. “I should spend the night here then. We need to empty beds.”

“No. You should rest.” The man nearly pushed him out. “Doctor’s orders.”

“Fine.” Rane relented with a sigh. “Good work today.”

“You too.” The man’s aged palms patted him on the shoulder before leaving.

Rane went through the entrance and breathed in the clean air outside. The infirmary’s building had not been enough, so Daniran officials had set up several large tents that acted as secondary treating centers, dedicated to Ashfen. No matter how well ventilated they were made to be, the smell of charred flesh always lingered. Rane never thought he’d get used to it, especially after Sydell, yet here he was. He sat on the ground outside the infirmary and the day’s fatigue came rushing to him. His legs ached, and his chest burned slightly as his nora returned to him. From every patient that died, Rane earned a bit of magic, as well as a small share of their pain. There were dozens of colors in his soul now, but the strands of color in his irises were too thin to make out. They all blended together to form a radiant yellow arc that contrasted his natural gray. Rane had learned things about his magic as well. Even if his soul could hold a lot of nora, it took a lot of time for it to return to him after he had used it.

“There you are,” Loric spotted him from a distance. “I was wondering when you’d come out.”

“Had a lot of people to treat.” Rane chuckled to himself, then looked up at Loric with furrowed brows. The circumstances had forced him to spend a good chunk of his time treating patients. He was worried that Loric would feel lonely. “I know I’ve promised to train with you… I’m sorry.”

“Bah,” Loric shook his hand. “Don’t mention it. Besides, the more nora you gain, the easier it’ll be to train your origin magic. Just be careful not to get soulburned again. I know you work yourself ragged.”

“I can’t help it.” Rane’s leg fidgeted. “Not one should have to suffer like I did. Just the thought of people suffering keeps me up at night. My powers don’t help either. I feel them constantly. I just want it to end. Whether by magic, fighting or medicine, I don’t care any more.”

“You need to be alive to do all three of these.” Loric extended a hand.

Rane grasped it and the Lanar pulled him up. “Enough about that though. I don’t want you to start feeling down too,” Rane continued as they started walking. “What have you been up to?”

“I’ve been drilling the soldiers.” Loric puffed out his chest slightly. “A commander who was in the city put me up to the task before leaving for the capital. I used to be part of his squad, so he knows my skills first hand.”

“I see.” Rane smiled. It was good to see Loric excited for something after so long. “Are they responding well to your training?”

“Better than you!” Loric laughed out loud. “Some pick up skills faster than others, but it’s to be expected.”

Rane ignored the jab. “I’m sure that with you as a teacher they will all excel. Probably feel more confident as well.” He stopped and looked around. “This isn’t our usual route back to the city hall.”

“That’s because we’re not going back to the hall.” Loric put an arm around Rane’s shoulder. “Since you have to tend to patients every day, I saw to it that we get rooms close to the infirmary. That way you won’t have to walk across half the damn city every morning.”

“What about Smallie?” That’s what Loric called the little ashfen girl. Of all the names Rane had suggested, this was the one that stuck.

“Relax. She’s waiting for you in your room with lots of toys and lots of food.” Loric rubbed the back of his head. “A nurse checked her out for injuries as well.”

Rane examined Loric with an exaggerated frown. “When did you become so thoughtful?”

“Oh shut it.” Loric stopped right in front of the infirmary’s building. He grabbed Rane’s hand and shoved a key into his palm.

Rane examined the small glyph carved into its metal. “I’ve been meaning to ask. Where do you go every night? No soldiers train that late.”

“Usually hunting.” Loric tapped the sheath on his waist. “There’s a lot of game I’ve never seen before around these parts.”

“Old habits die hard, don’t they?” Rane gave him a soft punch on the arm. “You better be careful out there.”

Loric chuckled. “Who do you think I am, brat? I’ll be fine. You’re the one that should rest,” he said as he turned to leave. “You look like shit.”

“Wow, thanks.” Rane watched the Lanar grow distant before smiling to himself. Ellin had been right after all. Being given new purpose did help Loric keep his mind off his past.

Rane went inside and was quick to find his room next to the doctor’s quarters. He touched the glyph against the flat surface and it clicked open. Before he could even let go of his bag Smallie had wobbled up to his leg for a hug.

“No, cutie!” Rane pulled her back by the hood of her clothes. “My clothes are dirty.”

Smallie simply sat down in front of him and looked up. She still wouldn’t talk, and he couldn’t really tell what she wanted. Rane sighed and collapsed onto his bed. “You’re not hungry…” Rane mumbled to himself. The haze of sleep was already getting to him the moment he touched the soft covers. Smallie climbed onto the bed and sat next to him to play with her toy.

Rane let himself sink deeper into the bed and pressed his face against its softness with a groan. It was easy to drift off after a day’s work, and the slumber was long and peaceful. There was no guilt to keep him awake, no reason to think of the things he’d done and all that he’d suffered. Saving lives, even in such a gruesome way, was a form of redemption. A way to make things right. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Now all he had to do was wait until the remnants of the ashfens’ pain and grief subsided. They were more vivid today. Perhaps it was because he was closer to the treatment center. Their screams even echoed in his mind. He stared at the wall for a few moments. Something felt off.

Rane pushed himself up on the bed and held his breath. He heard them again, faint and coming from above. The screams weren’t his imagination or a manifestation of his powers. It was real. “I’ll be back.” He patted Smallie’s head and slipped out of the room.

Following the sounds of screams and guided by the glowstone on the ceiling, Rane climbed up to the infirmary’s higher floors. No one roamed the halls of the infirmary other than him. Not at this hour. With every step closer that he took, the despair and anguish he felt would spike. He tried to focus on what Atinas had taught him, to control the raging emotions that reached him, but it proved difficult.

By the time Rane reached the top floor he was gritting his teeth. Only a fraction of the pain transferred over and yet his heart was about to burst. How was the person directly subjected to it still alive? He leaned on a wall for balance and followed the screams to a part of the infirmary he’d never seen before. The roof here was made of glass and exposed to the moonlight.

Larger beds filled the room, all of them empty. When Danira’s resources were so limited, why would they not treat patients here? He turned a corner and saw an ashfen standing over one of them, so he doubled back and waited. Perhaps it was another high ranking ashfen that was being treated. But that didn’t make sense. Why not administer the anesthetic?

“Kill me!” An otherworldly cry interrupted his thoughts. “Put an end to it!” The voice pleaded between screams. “I beg you. Lay me to rest. I beg you!”

“No,” another voice replied, barely audible. “This is the only way to give you nora.”

A cold shiver ran down Rane’s back. That ashfen was torturing someone the same way he had been. A person was being driven insane right in front of his eyes. The thought consumed him and nora drifted to his fingers before he could stop it.

“Release her!” Rane rushed the ashfen with fire in his hands and fury in his heart. She was slower than he had anticipated. It only took two quick steps to reach her, but by the time he did the flames had fizzled from his hands. He called upon his magic again to no avail. It was like trying to move a boulder many times his weight.

“Who are you?” The ashfen asked with a frown. “You can’t be up here.”

Rane backed away slightly. What had just happened? His gaze fell on the person on the bed and his breath caught in his chest. Green chains of nora bound her to the bed, digging into her skin. Her body and face were mangled, burned and bruised beyond recognition. He was surprised she was still conscious. “Why?” he hissed as he tried to call magic back to his hands. “Why are you killing her?”

“Killing her?” The ashfen woman scanned him over. “I’m the one keeping her alive.”

“No more.” The woman on the bed strained against the chains, bleeding from the side of her mouth. Her body spasmed and convulsed. “No more!”

Rane frowned and looked away. “How is this keeping her alive?”

“You wouldn’t even understand.” The woman sighed. “I should turn you in for trying to attack me, but I won’t.” She turned back to bed and the green chains pulsed with her magic. “Now leave,” she said. “You’re distracting me.”

Through the waves of pain, Rane caught a small glimpse of worry reflected on the ashfen’s face. She had deep cuts on her face as well, deep scars faded by time. “No.” Rane tried to calm himself as he approached. He couldn’t leave a person in so much pain. “I’m Rane, archmage Atinas’ disciple.” Rane used his most authoritative tone. “Now tell me what’s wrong with her.”

The ashfen examined him once more with narrowed eyes. “Asah.” She extended a hand from under her robes and Rane shook it. “Silyra’s third archmage.”

That took him by surprise. What would an archmage be doing in Danira? He doubted her at first, but it would explain why his magic faded like it was a mirage. All the archmages hid terrifying powers, yet she seemed different to all the others he had met. Almost… normal. “I didn’t know,” he said.

“It’s fine.” Asah shook his hand with a sigh. “Her name is Liera,” she continued, gently pushing the hair away from the human’s face. “And the truth is I don’t understand what’s wrong with her either. She was soulburned during training and ever since then nora can’t return to her body.”

“Ever since then?” Rane questioned. “How long has she been left without her nora?”

“Seventeen days now.”

“Impossible.” Rane shook his head. “Nobody can survive without nora that long. Unless…”

“I think you have the right idea.” Asah nodded. “I’ve spent these days giving her the most powerful experiences I can conjure, in hopes that the nora they grant her can keep her alive. I’ve had her experience pleasure, reawakened memories and delved into the most horrible anguish that I know, and yet…” The chains faded, and Liera’s arched back collapsed onto the bed with a long, hissing breath. Asah leaned over her and pulled her eyelids open, revealing clouded eyes. “She’s gone blind, and she can barely hear. Her body is dying. No matter how unusual or potent the experiences I give her, they can’t make up for a lifetime.”

Rane didn’t believe in fate, but such a twisted coincidence bordered exactly that. Not even a month after seeing Ravenlock’s technique and he was already forced to use it. There was a lot to learn about the technique and even more that could go wrong. He simply wasn’t ready, but the world had a tendency never to wait until he was. “I know something that might,” Rane mumbled. In the end, he’d save her or kill her. It beat waiting by the sidelines and watching her die.

Asah gave him a look full of doubt. “Explain.”

“Well– I–” Rane stammered. Could he reveal that he was an Empath, let alone Ravenlock’s technique? Atinas had made him promise secrecy, and he’d already broken that promise once. “Atinas forbade me from sharing it,” he settled.

“You expect me to trust you blindly?”

“It shouldn’t be so hard for people to do that in general,” Rane replied under his breath. “Look, we don’t have any other choice. I’m not sure if my method will work either, but you said it yourself. She’s dying.”

“I doubt you can do anything I haven’t already tried.” Asah sat by Liera on the bed and rubbed her cheek with a finger. “But you’re right. I am out of options. What do I have to do?”

Rane drew closer to the bed and examined Liera. It was difficult to tell that she was human by this point. The chains had cut deep into her flesh and her blood had dyed the sheets many times over. He touched the area over her right breast, finding the gap between her ribs where her soul resided. “Was she a mage or an apprentice?” According to the instructions written in the journal, he’d have to know how much nora she was used to.

“Apprentice,” Asah replied. “She struggled to amass nora to begin with. I doubt she’d ever become a mage.”

“Good.” Rane nodded. That should make it easier. “Do you have anesthetic at the ready?”

Asah lifted a cup from the table behind her, the liquid inside steaming. “I have healing salve as well.”

“Then we should begin. We can’t waste any time.” He placed his palm over his soul and separated a strand of Eln’s nora. The brilliant red mist twisted over his palm and lit up the room. It glowed even brighter as it twisted and shrank to his will, becoming no thicker than a strand of hair. He had worked on his control with Loric, but he had never pushed his nora to such an extent. It took a lot of focus to keep the shape consistent as he brought it close to her chest.

Asah grabbed his arm. “What are you doing?”

“Infusing her with my nora,” Rane said through clenched teeth.

“You’re mad,” Asah said. “It will kill her.”

“Just do as I say!” Rane snapped at her. “Do you want me to try and save her or not?”

Asah let go of him and shook her head. “I’m holding you accountable,” she said. “No matter what happens.”

“I don’t care.” Rane turned to Liera again. Her life was the only thing that mattered to him now. “Be ready to hurt her.”

“Blights,” Asah cursed under her breath. “How much?”

“I only get one shot at this.” Rane looked at her solemnly. “So as much as you can without her dying.”

“By the Arbiter, what am I doing?” Asah bit her lip and looked up at the ceiling. She held her hands open and the green chains appeared loose around Liera’s body.

“Here it goes.” Rane took a deep breath. He touched the nora against her and the smell of charred flesh reached him as it sizzled and burned. The screams began anew. Rane fought with all he had to keep the magic contained, to lessen the burden on her. Liera’s skin dried and cracked open as the radiant mist tore its way through her chest and towards her soul. Between the blood, the burned flesh and the smoke, Rane saw with his own eyes what Ravelock had sensed. The ethereal, glass-like sphere that was her soul. “Now!”

The chains clanked against each other as they snapped into place. Liera’s eyes went wide and her screams came to an abrupt stop. A new wave of suffering and pain hit Rane through her, but he didn’t dare lose focus. He pushed the nora deeper still, trying to get it through the opening. The tip of the energy alone filled the tiny hole. It was like trying to push thick rope through a needle’s head.

“Damnation!” Rane shrank the nora down even more. The pressure in his head mounted and warm blood dripped from his nose. He blinked furiously, trying to drive the tears away from his eyes. “It’s not enough!”

“I’m doing the best I can, Rane!” Asah screamed back.

Just then, the small gap in Liera’s soul almost doubled in size. Rane gave one final push, pressing as much nora as he could to her. More than half of the strand settled into Liera’s soul before he lost control. He pulled the remainder of Eln’s nora back and stumbled back. “Stop,” he called out with a raspy voice. “Give her– The medicine.”

Asah looked at him with a stupefied expression for a few moments before letting her magic dissipate. She rushed to Liera’s side and tended to the wounds first.

“Good…” Rane felt the strength leave his knees. He fell to the floor and spread his body on the cold stone. He’d have never guessed infusing nora would drain him like this. Ravelock had made it seem effortless. Rane wiped the sweat and tears from his face. “Is she alive?” he asked between pants.

“She’s breathing!” Asah couldn’t hide her astonishment. “Broken Oaths, there’s color in her eyes!”

“What did I tell you?” Rane coughed and smiled. As the pain Liera felt slowly faded, so did most of his own. There was still a dizziness and a throbbing headache, but he’d worked through his fair share of those. He used the bed to push himself up. Under the healing effects of the salve the wound on her chest was starting to close. Her breathing gradually calmed and her head drooped back. After all that pain, it was natural that she’d faint.

“Did Atinas teach you that?” Asah turned her head to him as she checked Liera’s pulse. “I’ve never seen a technique like that before.”

“I cannot share any more...” Rane collapsed back onto an empty bed next to them. “Please, keep what you saw a secret, or it could cause trouble for me.”

“I understand.” Asah nodded with a hint of disappointment. She gave Liera a heavy dose of anesthetic, twice what Rane had seen the doctors use on patients, then went to work on Liera’s wound, old and new. “You’re an empath, aren’t you?” she asked after a while.

“You knew?” Rane was a bit startled. The existence of empaths wasn’t a secret in itself, but the power was so rare that only a few studied people knew it.

“I could put two and two together,” Asah chuckled. “First, your eyes and the nora you used are different colors. There’s few conditions that would cause that. I also saw how much you struggled when I hurt Liera. You felt it too, didn’t you, her pain?”

“A small fraction of it,” Rane replied.

“You should be thankful for that.” Asah softly stroked Liera’s head. She seemed to have already drifted off to sleep. Not that he could blame her after what she went through. “Now there is only one question I’d like to ask.”

“Then ask it,” Rane took a deep breath and pushed against the bed, bringing himself forward. “No guarantee that I will answer of course.”

“It’s obvious that the procedure was taxing for you as well.” Asah pulled her cane out from under the bed and slowly rounded Liera’s bed. “Why did you go through so much pain to save someone you don’t even know? Why did you help her?”

Rane laughed to himself and shook his head. There it was again, the age old question. Every act of kindness had to have an ulterior motive and every helping hand extended had to be doubted. “In hopes that people won’t have to ask what you just did,” he replied. “In hopes that one day, people will be thoughtful of one another.”

Asah nearly flinched. A gentle smile graced her scarred face. “Then I’m genuinely sorry for doubting you and your intentions. It’s hard to understand the young ones these days.” She softly stroked Liera’s head. “The task you’ve set yourself too sounds quite daunting, doesn’t it? How do you plan to tackle it?”

“The only way I can,” Rane said. “One life at a time.”

“I think I can see why Atinas would take you in. Deep down, he is a kind soul, even if his methods are a bit extreme.”

“A bit?” Rane looked up at her suspiciously. “Do you know him?”

“Okay, they’re very extreme sometimes,” Asah admitted, “but he means well.” She paused for a moment, stealing a glance at Liera over her shoulder. “We got reports about what transpired in the capital,” she whispered. “Is it true what they said, that Atinas is hunting Caelus? Do you have any recent information?”

“When I left Silyra my master was still after Caelus,” Rane said. “I’ve had no news since then.”

“If it’s Atinas himself, I wouldn’t be worried,” Asah said. Her gaze lingered on Liera for a bit. “If any word from him reaches you, please let me know.”

“I will.” Rane stretched his legs and arched his back before standing. His eyelids were starting to feel heavy again as the adrenaline and the pain faded.

“Are you leaving already?”

“I’ve had a long day today treating the infected, and I expect an equally tiring one tomorrow.” Rane chuckled as he turned to leave. “I’ll be back soon, to check up on her at least.”

“Please do. I’m sure her family would love to extend their thanks. And Rane...”

“Yes?” Rane stopped and looked at her over his shoulder.

“Don’t stress yourself.” Asah stifled a giggle. “One life at a time, right?”