Chương 5: Repairing a Soul

Tim inspected the bird closely. He frantically lifted up its wings and looked underneath. He knew how to stay cool in an emergency. Usually he only got twitchy if they were breaking rules. It made Aaron uncomfortable seeing him rattled. Master Addison warned him not to use Necromancy. Maybe he was right and Aaron was a fool for meddling with powers he didn't fully understand. But then again, what else was he supposed to do? Let the crow die? A clamp closed in on his chest, it was hard to breathe.

It was frustrating that he couldn't rely on his own abilities to look at the crow's spirit like he once had. But he knew the subtle tells of a wounded spirit. The feathers were dusky and lost their shine. And there was a sense of vibrancy in all creatures' auras that was faded and dull. Tim stopped inspecting the bird and let out a deep sigh.

"I don't really know what I'm doing. You're the Spirit Healer. I can just tell by the feel of his aura that his soul isn't right. He's dying isn't he?" Aaron felt awful for not noticing the signs sooner.

"Yes, but I'm hoping he stablises overnight."

"Is that normal? I'm no expert, but this looks bad. His soul feels weak."

"I don't know. In truth, the only times I have seen this are in patients that are dying, but the process is usually very quick. Once the spirit begins to fade, their body withers and they can be gone in minutes. But Cuthbert's body is strong, so we may have longer." Tim was biting his nails anxiously.

"Maybe I can find a similar case in the Sacred Library."

"You can try," Aaron said.

"There was little information about this in my studies, though. Either we can stop the soul from fading, or…" Aaron didn't need to finish his sentence. Tim's face wrinkled with worry.

"I'll go and have a look once it's open in the morning." Aaron nodded.

"Thanks, Tim. He looks stable. I think he'll last the night, but we need to find a way to fix his spirit sooner rather than later. Such damage to the spirit only becomes more difficult to fix with time." Tim yawned. There were deep bags under his eyes.

"You're the Spirit Healing expert. Why don't you pick out some books and we can search through together for something that will help?" Aaron couldn't help but yawn as well. He had to force his eyes back open.

"I have a few ideas. I'll get some now." Tim put his hand on Aaron's shoulder.

"Aaron, wait. You're exhausted. We'll do a better job once we've had some rest."

"You're right. I can barely keep my eyes open. My magic is really taking it out of me." They said goodnight and parted ways into their respective bedrooms. Aaron jammed open his bedroom door, only just getting it open enough to squeeze inside thanks to the pile of books stacked behind it. It was a small room. A simple wooden bed was pressed against the wall. The mattress creaked as he collapsed onto it and he stared at the ceiling as the shadows flickered from the small candle he'd brought in with him.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. As he stared at the dancing light above, a sickness crawled up his stomach as he reflected on what he'd done. He tried to shuffle his legs around to get comfortable, but they barely moved. It was like shovelling rocks. Maybe he should have listened to Master Addison's warning and this was all a mistake. But then again, this was bigger than the crow.

Traditional healing had failed time and time again to cure his brother, so perhaps it was time to try something new—even if it was potentially dangerous, it would be worth it for a chance at saving Tim. Moving a small crow's heart took all of his strength. If he planned on casting more substantial spells, he needed to train. The thought of what that entailed set his stomach churning. The crow's heart had stopped. It had been dead. There was no doubt of that fact.

If he was to train, he would need more specimens like it. And if he wanted the capabilities to save his brother… well, he would need to work on more than just crows. Aaron quickly fell into an exhausted deep sleep. He dreamt vividly, with an uneasy clarity that made everything seem more real. Every word re-lived, every action analysed until everything paused, yet his mind felt wide awake. Darkness. An abyss surrounded him, black as midnight. His heart hammered in his chest. A cold sweat slicked his skin.

Suddenly, he didn't feel like he was dreaming at all. His mind was fully alert. He took a step into the darkness, searching for anything, but it was so complete that he couldn't even see his own hands before his eyes. Just as he thought he was alone, the darkness shifted. A figure approached out of the blackness, their footsteps silent. Everything was cold and still. He could hear every breath he took, every heartbeat. There was no magic here, no spirit, no life. A worn hood covered the figure's face.

The figure's head lifted slightly, shadow giving way to reveal a pendant with a black onyx gem in the centre. The pendant setting was of gold, and radiated an inner light, while the gem appeared black at first, but on closer inspection it was not reflecting the light. Its blackness was deep and consuming and within it there was nothing, just the absence of light.

"Aaaaarrrooonnnnnnnnnn," a deep, raspy voice bellowed from beneath the hood, deafening and reverberating through the abyss. The darkness pulsated with it. His body trembled, the voice more than a simple sound, but something that pierced Aaron to his very core, icy cold and terrifying. It wormed its way through his veins. It pressed in on his mind. Shrieking, Aaron closed his eyes and covered his ears.

Pain lanced through every part of him like needles tearing him apart from the inside, building and building until he thought it might kill him. He woke in a cold sweat. He sat up, bolt upright and looked around the room. His heart was pounding. As the ringing in his ears began to clear, it was replaced by the sound of birds chattering outside. Beams of sunlight filtered in through the small window at the top of the room, revealing fine specs of dust in the air.

It was just a dream, but it felt so real, Aaron thought. For a few seconds, he sat still, half expecting to feel that same pain in his body. He inspected his hands and arms, but everything was whole.

"Just a dream," he muttered to himself. He pushed it aside, he had more important things to focus on today. Caw, Caw"Wow, look at you Cuthbert, you've gotten so strong!" came Tim's voice from the living room. Aaron lay back in bed and took a few moments to calm himself. It was nice to hear Tim sounding happy once in a while. He couldn't remember the last time he'd heard him so energetic, and Cuthbert was sounding more spirited too.

They had been in survival mode for so long, trying to get through each day one at a time. It had been two years since Tim's illness had worsened. Two years of muscle atrophy, fatigue, and bone deep pain layered on top of his exhaustive list of symptoms. Aaron could tell Tim tried not to show it, not wanting to worry him, but there was no missing how weary his brother had become. He wasn't able to work for a living, but Aaron didn't mind looking after him.

Tim filled his time by reading books; he loved learning about history and told their stories to anyone who would listen. It was a shame that he couldn't leave the house much. Aaron always thought he would have made a great teacher. With a groan, Aaron dragged his aching body out of bed. His arms and legs were sore and fatigued. A pounding headache rattled through his brain.

Despite the pain, he was keen to see how the crow was doing Barely opening his eyes, he shuffled through to the living room and sat in a chair next to Tim. He had a bold grin beaming across his face.