rummaged through her belongings until she found the wrapped tea leaves she had brought with her. After such a long night, she decided she deserved a treat.
As she was measuring out the water, she wondered if her new friend might want some. And with that thought, she also realised that she hadn't even asked his name. She had given him her own, but she had been so nervous and eager to get out of the room she hadn't waited for a reply.
“Stupid...” she berated herself.
Deciding to return to his room and apologise, she turned off the stove and left the kitchen. However, as her bare foot touched the first step of the stairs, she felt a wrenching nausea in her gut, and a feeling of panic hit her.
“What...? Oh no! What is he doing?! Stupid! I should have told him right away!”
She ran to the entrance, threw the door open, and took off after him.
<> <> <>
Luca estimated that he had run half a kilometre from the town when he was forced to a sudden stop.
A feeling of unease and worry had been filling him as he ran. He had ignored it, and continued running, trying not to notice that it grew the farther he went. The feeling had gradually turned into pain, but he had written it off as aches from pushing his injured body into action.
He realised now, as he could go no farther, what a mistake he had made.
Luca's stomach heaved, and he doubled over onto the ground. He began to violently cough, and red drops of blood sprayed the dirt below him. The pain in his chest grew in a crescendo, and he felt something within his ribs moving. His head spun, dizzy from the overwhelming pain.
His breathing was suddenly laboured, and came in thin gasps. It felt like his lungs were pulling themselves apart. He would have screamed were he able to breathe.
This suffering continued for several long minutes, but gradually lessened. By the time he saw the raven-haired girl drawing near him, it was all but gone.
“Thank goodness,” she gasped. “I'm so sorry! I didn't think you would take off, but I still should have told you...”
Emila offered her hand to him, and he reluctantly took it. She helped him back to his feet, and he moved to a tree and leaned against the bark for several minutes, catching his breath. Emila watched him with a strange expression, but she said nothing.
Once he was recovered, he turned to her and glared.
“What the hell - did you do to me?!”
Surprise crossed her features for a moment, but that quickly vanished. Emila's eyes narrowed, and her lips tightened to a thin line.
“I saved your life,” she said firmly.
Luca blinked in surprise, then looked to the ground in shame.
“I did what I had to do,” Emila continued, her voice softer than before. “If I hadn't - you would never have made it. It was a taboo magick, and for good reason. But it saved you.”
“What exactly did you do?” he asked.
Emila hesitated, but she told him.
“I linked us through magick. Essentially, I tethered your spirit to my own. A small blade had found its way into your lung, and even after removing it, you would never have made it.”
A small blade - ah, the top half of his old hunting sword, which Zinoro had cut in half. He remembered now that he had fallen and stabbed himself with it.
“The wound was too severe,” Emila continued. “You could never breathe with your own lungs. Regular healing repaired the damage, but your lung won't work without the magick's support for a while. The Soul Tether sends my mana to you, filling any gaps in your life energy. The only way you're breathing right now is because the magick is doing it for you.”
Luca took a breath, feeling air fill him. “It still feels the same...”
“If the tether were to be severed, you wouldn't be able to breathe anymore. That's what nearly just happened.”
Another question had entered Luca's mind, and he wasn't sure he would like the answer. Still, he had to ask.
“How long must we remain connected like this?”
Emila thought about
As she was measuring out the water, she wondered if her new friend might want some. And with that thought, she also realised that she hadn't even asked his name. She had given him her own, but she had been so nervous and eager to get out of the room she hadn't waited for a reply.
“Stupid...” she berated herself.
Deciding to return to his room and apologise, she turned off the stove and left the kitchen. However, as her bare foot touched the first step of the stairs, she felt a wrenching nausea in her gut, and a feeling of panic hit her.
“What...? Oh no! What is he doing?! Stupid! I should have told him right away!”
She ran to the entrance, threw the door open, and took off after him.
<> <> <>
Luca estimated that he had run half a kilometre from the town when he was forced to a sudden stop.
A feeling of unease and worry had been filling him as he ran. He had ignored it, and continued running, trying not to notice that it grew the farther he went. The feeling had gradually turned into pain, but he had written it off as aches from pushing his injured body into action.
He realised now, as he could go no farther, what a mistake he had made.
Luca's stomach heaved, and he doubled over onto the ground. He began to violently cough, and red drops of blood sprayed the dirt below him. The pain in his chest grew in a crescendo, and he felt something within his ribs moving. His head spun, dizzy from the overwhelming pain.
His breathing was suddenly laboured, and came in thin gasps. It felt like his lungs were pulling themselves apart. He would have screamed were he able to breathe.
This suffering continued for several long minutes, but gradually lessened. By the time he saw the raven-haired girl drawing near him, it was all but gone.
“Thank goodness,” she gasped. “I'm so sorry! I didn't think you would take off, but I still should have told you...”
Emila offered her hand to him, and he reluctantly took it. She helped him back to his feet, and he moved to a tree and leaned against the bark for several minutes, catching his breath. Emila watched him with a strange expression, but she said nothing.
Once he was recovered, he turned to her and glared.
“What the hell - did you do to me?!”
Surprise crossed her features for a moment, but that quickly vanished. Emila's eyes narrowed, and her lips tightened to a thin line.
“I saved your life,” she said firmly.
Luca blinked in surprise, then looked to the ground in shame.
“I did what I had to do,” Emila continued, her voice softer than before. “If I hadn't - you would never have made it. It was a taboo magick, and for good reason. But it saved you.”
“What exactly did you do?” he asked.
Emila hesitated, but she told him.
“I linked us through magick. Essentially, I tethered your spirit to my own. A small blade had found its way into your lung, and even after removing it, you would never have made it.”
A small blade - ah, the top half of his old hunting sword, which Zinoro had cut in half. He remembered now that he had fallen and stabbed himself with it.
“The wound was too severe,” Emila continued. “You could never breathe with your own lungs. Regular healing repaired the damage, but your lung won't work without the magick's support for a while. The Soul Tether sends my mana to you, filling any gaps in your life energy. The only way you're breathing right now is because the magick is doing it for you.”
Luca took a breath, feeling air fill him. “It still feels the same...”
“If the tether were to be severed, you wouldn't be able to breathe anymore. That's what nearly just happened.”
Another question had entered Luca's mind, and he wasn't sure he would like the answer. Still, he had to ask.
“How long must we remain connected like this?”
Emila thought about
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