Ocular to the Dying Sun

Voices of Hurting; part 4

Notion after image of blasted corpses of burning Dire-eaters sent bursts of meat smelling burnt with no blood to cover the ground under them, only for this dark liquid to scatter somewhere else entirely. Electric sparks surged from the invisible barrier as the people within cheered as they watched one after another the Dire-eaters around the area diminish.

Further inside the establishment beyond the wall was Verbasi who looked up in the sky, half-hidden by the tall stone barricade, showing the white lights of Yphemu’s magic blink on and off amidst the dark blue of the night. He heard the wisp of "fire brim" that Yphemu summoned. He didn’t need to give her his crystal, because he had to clear the debris and ruin from the residential area.

She knew he didn’t need to be there more for his purpose at the current rather than the help he could provide with his magic and shard, but his belief that his students with him could substitute while he checked this place was more enough than anything. At least,  the emotions of relief had not settled, in him and the unsettling anxiety and anger that he could sense in the magic Yphemu has been throwing around.

The magnitude of her power could be easily perceived by a sensitive magician such as him, especially for his age and experience. Shuddering at the silence that rang in the foreground when each pillar of light struck could not be compared to a vacuum sucking in each existence around.

Waves of light magic could either be a blessing or a torment, dependent on who perceives the magic. In this case, he could sense both, and it was not helping him that he is facing the reality of a death that loomed. Not of anyone he was close to but of an important existence that have yet to be given a chance.

Once one of the soldiers dug over the remains of a dead medium-sized Dire-eater, whom some called a Father, he could see the dirtied linen sheets of the bedroom for what he perceived as the guest's bedroom or quarters. He could feel himself praying for their dead bodies and restless souls, sure that this place will be demolished soon after this event. A new warehouse will be built for the events of the next Ocular will have to be moved somewhere with the same hidden forest but better magic in hiding its presence.

The bright flashing white lights splayed in the dark skies, and more of the soldiers, civilians, and magicians on the premise paused to breathe in awe and relief. Their spirits lifted from the previous destruction, even the rebels that were there before the arrival of the Dire-eaters sit in silent gratitude as they prayed to Slitark of their fortune for the birth of such a strong Prime Magician.

A presence so giving and strong that when the last remnants of a living Dire-eater spewed its last cry for help, Yphemu slowly fell into the arms of Sacr and Epiro. Both were ready to lay her calmly over the Sari-manoks’ saddle.

Paleness was not the correct term for how her demeanor ended up. Yphemu looked white as a sheet as the blood from her body fully drained, from exhaustion and the sheer mental prowess she had to maintain as she threw the last shard of dust.

After her magic slowly dwindled from around them, her wand holder glowed blue and the motion that there was something inside weighed it enough so that it slightly pulled her belt downward. At the same time, she let herself rest well for a minute by closing her eyes before opening them, more so for looking at the night sky.

Reaching her hand upward, a light wisp landed on her hand, as if she knew that there was a message waiting for her to receive. Believing no time should be wasted but knowing what the message was inside the wisp, she let it enter her mind and she simply let her eyes quiver.

Epiro walked beside Sacr who rode while holding Yphemu in front of her, he saw that her eyelids shook as if stopping herself from opening them. But they continued to unfurl and showed her eyes tinged orange and blue amidst the brown glass shine, devoid of any other emotions but looking tired.

No one of the three said anything until they entered the premise entrance for the establishment. From its gates emerged groups of soldiers, all busily holding pikes and stabbing undead Dire-eaters. They each screeched only seconds to symbolize the agony of their deaths, some couldn't even whimper or whine. With a quick swipe of a blade and off their lives were.

"This is my first time on a battlefield this messy," Epiro whispered to himself as he held out his hand to a nearby spear that stuck out of a human's body.

He kept himself from expressing disgust only to be met by the foul smell of burning flesh, slightly reminding him of his favorite food of grilled steak whenever he came home.

Every clump of body, or bodies, he saw were either bludgeoned to mince or mangled from weighted pressure, all a result of the Dire-eater's sheer size and massive weight. Some resulted from accidentally being killed by the trees that fell over, or the luck they lost in the course of escaping for their life.

He didn’t know how many people were left in the forest until he walked this path back to the front. Piled over as if they were rag dolls, heady musk of wet earth and burnt wood, this is a fight he thought he would not witness or only in the word-of-mouth fiction.

“Lady Yphemu, the front-liners will make sure to check all the corpses within the parameter for any other living Dire-eater.” Sacr said as she steered her stead. “Who could think such creatures so laid-back and shard-crazed could fathom through our lands, disturbed, and ravage them all in one night? I’ve only ever seen them from a distance and docile.”

“So do I,” Yphemu said as she steadied herself enough for her to pull out her wand.

Dismissing the pain in her chest, she settled to stand and leave the saddle once they properly neared in front of the walls. Waving at the air, a dispersal of unsavory gunk and blood scattered by a gust of stardust from the ends of the wand, clearing the air of any kind of putrid scent.

It was not a spell of any kind but Yphemu cleaned her wand after subjecting it to a magic spell so strong it had to alter its physical state for long and several times. Her mentor taught her this spell in theory, tigwali, but never practiced or applied it as he died before doing so.

Controlling her own time in pursuit of wanting to prove herself, she practiced all kinds of magic from the confines of her master's library day and night until she mastered spells without several factors that hindered an amateur. Pronouncing, attention, objectivity, and imagination, all these traits in helping a magician cast a spell were all she did until her eyes cried and her mind pained.

Nothing, if not, was enough of a reward for her after all her practice, is to see the people around her safe. Their praise was all high and proud of her hand that held and helped. Relief is far from the comfort she could afford even if she has defeated their current obstacle.

She smelled the air and felt her nose whiff the fresh night breeze and a sorrowful tear fell down the side of her face. To those watching her, she would look like she was weeping for the deaths, like a saint. But her heart was not simply crying, she was doing her best not to break as her knees carried her while shaking.

“Arrange for each airship to depart as soon as the skies clear from all Sprouts," Yphemu said as she straightened her back, her voice quivering. The ache expressed on her tear-stained face made for a portrait of stern compassion, “deliberation of the rebels will be second in order of priority, But I want everyone to be sure to treat them right, without prejudice. The events are not their fault, but we must hold them accountable for the disturbance to the End of the Ocular.”

Epiro nodded as a few men approached him, all from his team that was still on the field. They were already listening in on what Yphemu said and were ready to do Epiro’s bidding when he asks.

The arrival of two riders, all carrying a bedraggled Verbasi to their location. He was clutching what seems to be medical aid as well as necessary first-aid trinkets. He was accompanied by another magician from the Academy that rode with the other Sari-rider, lugging their supply of medicine.

“Lady Yphemu,” he called to her as he neared. "Good gods, you look like you're dying." He says as his fatherly self hurried to tend to her.

There was an alarm on his face when he saw the state of her complexion and pulled out a palm-sized crystal from the partition of the kit he brought. His hands readily poised his crystal as it glowed a light bluish tint of green and placed it on her limp fingertips.

The magic was a tinge of warmth and life trapped in a simple shard, meant to mend the mind of any ailing complexities before tending to the body. These are all crystals bathed in the moonlight of Slitark that shone at night while being soaked in clear fountains within the Academy.

Chuckling weakly, “it is good to see you master Verbasi.” Her eyes refocused until she looked at his face before she was led to the side. The words that left her lips then were whispered more, rather than said, "am I too late?"

He quickly covered her from the view of others, like the guardian he has become to her since her childhood, he lightly patted her shoulders and shook his head. She remembered the same memory of the rubble and ruin of the residentials where her quarters were and the simple fact that there were no signs of the child she birthed during this Ocular and the woman who took care of her babe.

“Are you sure?” She asked as she stopped herself from biting her lips.

“I’ve dispatched to search for her in the premise after I’ve sensed the death of the Mother. They will be doing this along with the search for any other living survivors within the area.” Verbasi affirmed, “we will get through this young magician. There is faith that they might be safe as we found tunnels within the inner workings of the building. I remember that it is a part of an old plan from yore, it might have been used to their advantage. To Elder Lymantera and the other survivors.”

Nodding as she touched the crystal that continued to glow bluish-green, she touched it to her head as a slight color showed from her cheeks. Her resolve couldn’t stay forever stagnant, if there were no body traces yet to prove her child's death then to the field she will bring her to resolve.

“I will look for her,” Yphemu said with her face almost stoic. “I cannot rest knowing my child is still out there. The situation is fairly under control as of now, I’ve done the rest that needs heavy lifting.”

Verbasi nodded, patting her shoulders firmly, but his face was clear of nothing but remorse as he looked down at his younger apprentice. A successor to his original mentor, the Prime Magician.

He could not mutter other words of encouragement as he felt himself give way to guilt and regret. “Young apprentice, I cannot say for you not to worry but I believe that she is still alive and well. Leave the rest to us, we can handle everything from here on, go ahead with where my men are. They have scored the area for any other traces of your daughter or Elder Lymantera.

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