你所爱过的演剧

"What is this? Why is his soul being attacked?" Zamia asked, anxiously caressing Ceph\'s back to ease his pain. Naturally, she was casting her strongest healing spells to try to aid Ceph, but nothing showed any affect. Worse, she could find the cause.

Agamemas stood next to her, in his Alicorn form, eyes closed. Trying to find anything that might be the cause. Alas, he found no clear signs. Ceph\'s lifeforce was being drawn out of him. Yet it did not go anywhere once drawn out. It disappeared without a trace.

As much as the thought terrified him, he knew of only one thing that could cause such a phenomenon. Something had to have happened to Eldrian, something that was damaging and devouring his soul.

Foolishly, they had thought that Ceph would be safer by making a contract with a Player. Yet, here Ceph laid on death\'s bed. Opposite of their goals and a terrible showing of their failure.

"There must be something we can do!" Zamia shouted, coming to the same realization as her husband. Alas, they did not know of a method for breaking the bond between two soul partners. It was a contract which, once completed, entwined two people\'s lives for as long as they should live.

It was a double-edged sword. But in times of war, it is common practice for it to be formed between battle brothers and sisters. While it creates the possibility of death for both if one of the pair has their soul extinguished, such a thing is uncommon. Most often, it ensures resurrection is possible since it allows the physically dead to reside their soul within the living one. In extreme cases, their body can be reconstructed if it had been completely lost.

They had considered the risk minimal. After all, players had the aid of the gods behind them. Surely nothing would be capable of extinguishing their souls. And no matter what, they would resurrect. Eldrian had seemed like the ideal candidate for a Ceph\'s battle brother.

"There must be a way." Agamemas agreed. "Zamia, keep Ceph comfortable." He said, taking flight and disappearing from sight instantaneously. A loud boom echoing and sending a shockwave throughout the forest.

...

A while later, a little girl walked to the pair left behind. "Is Ceph hurt?" She asked, a small wooden cup in her hands. An icy mist flowing from the inside, spilling over like a waterfall and causing the air to crystalize. Yet, it did not hurt her hands.

"Yes, something is hurting his soul." Zamia replied, trying to keep her calm.

The little girl frowned upon hearing this. She understood that this made the situation more difficult. To heal physical injuries was super easy for those living in this forest. Even she had become capable of healing cut and even broken bones. But she had never tried healing a hurt soul.

Yet, she couldn\'t just watch. She had made this cup following the flowers\' advice. Having kept in mind all her teachings, it had taken her approximately an hour.

"Akarui, what is that in your hands?" Zamia asked, her eyes wide in shock. She recognized the sight. But she couldn\'t fathom how Akarui could have created that potion. Few could use Ice Lilies without ruining them. Even Zamia wasn\'t capable of making a perfect potion with them.

Yet, the sight before her appeared as she had learned long ago from her own mother. A potion that chilled the air, causing it to crystalize, yet did not harm the living.

"I made this. The flowers said it would help Ceph." She said, thrusting it forward, causing the liquid to splash inside the cup. Nearly spilling and giving Zamia a heart attack. Akarui\'s excitement soon turned to sadness. "But... they told me it wouldn\'t heal him."

"Thank you, Akarui. This is just what we needed." Zamia said, asking the little girl to bring the cup nearer. "Ceph, can you transform?" Zamia asked. Drinking the content would be rather difficult in his Alicorn body.

With a weak nod, Ceph morphed into his Elven body. The process too far longer than normal, but there didn\'t appear to be any side effects. Carefully, the two helped him drink the cup.

As soon as the liquid entered his body, his skin tone became far healthier. He was still pale and breathing heavily, but he could take full breaths now.

The effect was shocking. So shocking, in fact, that Zamia didn\'t know how to react. It had healed the damage and exhaustion of his body. Something her spells had been incapable of. But more importantly, it was preventing further damage to his soul.

She could sense this, but alas, she couldn\'t determine how long this would last.

...

A few hours later, Agamemas returned, friends in tow. He was shocked to see Ceph appearing far better than before. But soon learned that this was only temporary. Turning his focus to welcoming his friends, he pulled out a voidstone disc. A mobile magic tower.

His old one had broken when he had aided Cephaphyr and Eldrian in becoming soul bound. He had never gotten to repairing it. After all, the materials needed are beyond rare. This tower was one he had gone to borrow from the nearest friend who he knew had one. The majority of his time away had been spent registering as a user with this mobile magic tower.

As soon as he set it up, he broadcasted to everyone he had contacted earlier that he was ready. And mere minutes later, an elf appeared atop the pitch black voidstone.

"Ah, I see I\'m the first to arrive." He commented as he approached Ceph. While his condition was stabilized, he was still weakened. "I\'m afraid this is beyond me. The most aid I can offer is to form a bridge into his soul. But since we do not know the cause, we can\'t be certain that doing so won\'t worsen the situation." He said, cautioning against haste.

Agamemas had the same concern, which was why he and Zamia hadn\'t done that right away. They were capable, and they had everything they needed to accomplish it. But they feared worsening the situation by rushing to do something simply because it was the only thing they could do.

"Wow, you can visit other people\'s souls?" Akarui asked in wonder, drawing attention to herself. Upon laying eyes on her, Athtar\'s eyes widened in shock. Since the first potion, she had made two more. The remnants of which lay next to their patient. And wouldn\'t escape the elf\'s notice.

Pushing his own curiosity back, the elf smiled at the little girl and nodded. "Indeed. It isn\'t easy, but it is possible to visit the soul of another. Though it isn\'t easy and shouldn\'t be done without reason."

"What do souls look like?" She asked next, her curiosity taking hold.

"Well, that depends on the person. It normally mirrors the person\'s nature."

"What does that mean?" She asked, titling her head in confusion. A small frown on her head as she tried imagining it.

"Well, someone who likes to roam might have a vast soul filled with grasslands. Someone who likes water might have a lake or ocean in theirs. And someone who likes flowers might have a glade filled with them inside their soul."

Hearing this, Akarui\'s eyes sparkled. She turned to look towards Ceph and mumbled, softly, her words lost to the wind: "What would Ceph\'s soul look like?"

Leaving her to her musing, Athtar tried to cast a few spells on Ceph. Some to collect data, others to aid him. However, he soon discovered his attempts at aid being blocked by the Revival Potions that Akarui had made. But he managed to confirm that Ceph\'s life was not in immediate danger.

"Athtar, do you know of a way to break a soul bond?" Agamemas asked.

Explore new worlds at empire

"I have heard of a way. But only in one passage I\'ve read decades ago. It did not explain the method. What it did mention is the need for concent from both individuals involved."

That bit of information dashed Agamemas\' hopes. Eldrian wasn\'t present, thus it would be impossible to get his concent.

"Hah, you aren\'t wrong, but that\'s for a nullification of the bond." A chipper voice interrupted, followed by a hearty laugh. "Why don\'t we move it to another instead of nullifying it?"

The source of this voice was a petite woman barely as tall as Athtar\'s chest (1.6m). Her skin was a dark hue mixed with glittering sapphires. Her eyes were of the same color and her hair was a darker shade of royal blue.

"Are you mad?" Agamemas countered. "Even if it is possible, that would kill the person we move it to." Agamemas knew Zamia would do it for her son, but he could never let her.

"Ah, little Agamemas, do you truly think I\'d suggest one of you sacrifice yourselves? Have you forgotten that I am your godmother?" She asked, somehow looking down upon Agamemas despite being several feet shorter than him. "I\'d never suggest something so crude. Obviously, we will shift the soul bond onto me."

"But you will die!"

"No I won\'t kid. I haven\'t been alive for eons without picking up a trick or two, you know."