Primal Terror

Lyra intended to set out in search of Kantan's grandfather as soon as she was healed of her leg wound. After she had taken the pill and begun to feel the effects, her mind completely stilled. She had taken pills for minor injuries before, and had always thought that they were just a simple plant based medicine. Now that she had awakened her core though, she could actively feel and to a degree visualize the energy it was releasing. It seemed to seep into her body, her own chi seeming to ignore its presence. This went against her original understanding of how her chi was supposed to work though.

Normally, if a foreign chi or essence had entered her body, her chi would fight off the invading energy like it was a virus. This chi did not seem to trigger her immune response though, as if it could tell that it was beneficial to her. Part of her wanted to ask the nurses why that was, but when she looked at the nurses around her she realized they wouldn't likely know the answer. There were very few of the doctor's and nurses around her that gave off any amount of power. Between all of them, they all had a muted sense of energy, as if it was behind a veil.

She was slightly shocked to find the feeling similar to when she tried to feel and visualize her own core. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that the nurses had to be either unawoken or people at the base rank like her. Lyra had pondered different subjects that she thought would be useful in the past, one of which had made mention of alchemy requiring a large amount of chi quantity and control. It had said that most alchemists would need to be at least the stone rank in order to control the chi properly enough to refine ingredients. Not only did they need to be a stone rank, but they also likely needed the fire aspect to their chi. While fire could serve a very small purpose in healing, it was much more common for them to go to military positions.

Lyra found time had passed quickly while she was watching the effects of the pill, the trance that hung over her made some of the other patients think something truly horrible had happened. She did not seem to notice them though, as her attention was drawn to the energy coursing through her. Once the energy had permeated throughout her body, her chi began to cycle on its own and collect that healing energy. As it followed the cultivation pattern she had been practicing, the energy passed through each limb without stopping or reacting. Once it hit her injured leg though, it seemed to sense the wound and detach from her flowing chi and move toward the wound.

Lyra was enthralled in sensing the moving energy, and before long she was the only person still in the tent aside from the stray nurse that would come over and check up on her. She would respond with simple phrases, only giving up enough attention to satisfy them to leave her alone. By the time the energy had exhausted itself, the bone had mended itself and the dark purple bruise that had formed was replaced by flawless skin.

While her leg appeared unchanged from how it was when she woke up this morning, Lyra was obsessed with everything she had sensed. Something about it seemed to call to her in a way she didn't understand. She felt that if she missed the opportunity to feel and observe that energy, she may never get the chance to again. Now that her present opportunity was gone, she found herself inspecting her surroundings once more with her full attention.

The tent was primarily empty, only a single person remained. As soon as her eyes landed on the man, her heart skipped a beat and she was at a lost for words. While she had been focusing on her leg, she had kept him waiting. It was obvious that he was here for her, none of the other medical staff were anywhere to be seen. Alistar Korellion was an unassuming man at first glance and his appearance did not match the power he was supposed to have. Whenever the clan chief or the third grand elder walked around, you could see the aura they decided to flaunt. She had always thought it over kill, but she couldn't blame them for wanting to show off their power. It was one of the rewards for those who were diligent or lucky enough to reach the heights of power.

Alistar was different though, almost never bothering with the peacock like ritual of the strong. She had always felt like she belonged around him, even though their interactions were limited to the times she had visited Kantan at his house. It wasn't often, as Kantan disliked being in his house too much to entertain guests often. The memory of his parents had led him to close off certain sections of his life, and she knew that pushing him on it would only make things worse between them.

It seemed that Kantan's grandfather had indeed been waiting for her, as now that she had noticed him he cleared his throat. "Hello Lyra, I am glad to see you passed your trial." He seemed genuinely congratulatory, which threw her off. Wasn't he supposed to interrogate her or something? When all she received was compliments, she did not know how to respond. As she failed to formulate a coherent response, he took the lead in the conversation once more.

"It is my understanding that you were the last person to talk to my grandson. It seems that he has wandered off and gotten lost. You wouldn't happen to know where he is, right?" His words were laced with honey, but their meaning wasn't lost on her at all. A soft power had begun to creep up on her, making her limbs and head feel heavy. Subconsciously she had begun to fight the weight, pulling more and more of her attention as Alistar spoke. By the end of his question, it felt like a mountain was going to crush her. Even through the pressure his words were clear in her ears despite her focus being on staying upright.

The weight was beginning to be too much, her body instinctively activating her chi to attempt to fight it off. It took everything she had, but the weight simply increased again. Part of why it was such a struggle to fight the weight was because it was always on the threshold of overcoming her. Her instincts screamed that she had to fight back, whereas if she were simply overwhelmed it would be easier to focus on the source of the burden. A part of her instinctively understood that she was moving toward the clear line of death, comparable to the moment when she had first been batted away by the spider in the dungeon.

The hair on her arms and neck raised as her flight or fight response seemed to go haywire, her thoughts racing as adrenaline pumped through her veins double time. Just as she was about to collapse the weight completely disappeared, leaving her gasping and heaving for breath. Her back was covered in a cold sweat, and her hands were shaking heavily. She wanted to speak, but her body's innate fear of that pressure left her jaw clenching against her will. "I am disappointed that you would choose your father's side in this. I was hoping to leave his only friend alive, but I will not let any further problems meddle with his development. Not until I deem him ready to be on his own."

Alistar raised his hand and snapped his fingers, the next moment the entirety of the world seemed to fall away. All of the sound that had been filtering into the tent, including nature and the crowds talking seemed to vanish. "Now that no-one can hear us, i'd like you opinion on this. Tell me, does this sound enough like you?" After that, Alistar snapped his fingers once more. This time a horrendous scream sounded in her ears, neither too loud or quiet. Normally a random scream would not have affected her much, but this one was different for a major reason. Lyra's own voice resounded in her ears and the sheer amount of pain and anguish in it made her blood run as cold as ice.

Lyra began to shake her head in fear, bringing her hands up to her ears defensively. Still the sound persisted. "Its not good enough? How about this then?" The scream became shrill and hoarse, as if she was hearing herself being tortured in such a way that would make atheists pray to a god to save her.

Lyra's fear made her yell out the only thing she could think of to make it stop, unable to hand the stress of it all. "Stop! Stop! He is fine, please just stop!" Immediately the noise echoed and vanished, her entire body shaking.

"Oh? I know that he is alive, that is not what I asked if you would remember. I asked where he was, dear." Alistar had a neutral expression, simply waiting for her to speak her piece.

This time Lyra spoke rapidly, preferring to clear up this mess before he started the torturous screaming again. "He is in the dungeon. I met him in my trial, I promise. I don't understand it all, but he has some control over what the dungeon does and can move through it freely. He actually saved me from death after I broke my leg."

Alistar seemed to think for a moment before nodding his head, "When the dungeon kicked everyone out, how come he wasn't forced out with the rest of you? If he can move freely, then why hasn't he come out of the dungeon? He can't be injured, or he wouldn't have been able to help you."

Lyra could see the distrust in his eyes, but he neither frowned nor smiled. He only began to move his hand up to snap again, causing her to hysterically answer to stop him. "Something happened to him in the dungeon, leaving would be bad for him."She didn't want to give the specific details, especially since she was worried that his demonic problem wouldn't fly with the clan.

"My grandson is resourceful enough that leaving the dungeon shouldn't be a problem. What are you not telling me?" Alistar had an inkling of what might have happened, but he wanted to confirm it if possible. He let nothing of his knowledge show on his face, remaining impassive to even the most astute of observers.

Lyra feared the man in front of her heavily, and her instincts would not let her relax or move. Alistar was like a coiled snake, ready to bite at any sign of movement or weakness. "I.. I.. If I tell you, you need to promise me you won't hurt him." She knew that defying someone at Alistar's level was suicide, but she would not put Kantan in danger yet again just because she was scared. When she had learned that she was the cause of his current struggles, her guilt had been unquenchable. If her death brought him some form of safety from his grandfather, than that would be her atonement for the pain she had caused him through Bamor.

Alistar seemed slightly surprised, his face shifting for the first time since things had gone south. "I can assure you now and forever on from now, I will never bring harm to my grandson. Even if he would slay me over his parents' graves I would love him for all eternity in the afterlife. Now tell me what happened."