The Grand Weave

I was led down an underground tunnel, passing several door frames lined with enchantments. I recognized a few of the runes but not all.

Sixteen? That's a lot of silence runes.

Gloworbs lined the walls, and the robed woman in front would raise her hand and light new ones after each section we walked through.

Nathan and Anastasia followed behind, silent but smiling. As I looked back, they gave a thumbs-up with big, goofy grins.

They didn't have to come but they offered and I saw no harm in it. The base of the healer's guild was situated in the middle ring of the city. They commanded a wide space, including a massive garden, a forest, and even their own restaurant and housing.

The two were known figures and allowed us to cut through the line and get in direct contact with one of the head healers. After the receptionist returned after enacting a privacy barrier enchantment, we were led to a side room where Syrreisha waited.

She briefly explained some things to me and asked basic questions, some of which addressed the Lightcrests' trust in me.

After all was said and done, she dropped the bomb-shell that she was a tier three healer who specialized in natural regrowth and mental health.

It made me reconsider the human woman in a new light. I barely detected her power, and I doubted that she was wearing an enchanted item like the blindfolds Teddy's parents wore.

Every word she spoke was delicate yet firm. She looked young, maybe in her mid-twenties, but I suspected she was a lot older than that. There was something about the way she spoke, almost like an aura of wisdom that exuded from her presence.

Of course, I asked Galarion about it, and he confirmed it for me. She was exuding an aura, and it delicately brushed along my thoughts but not in an intrusive way.

When I questioned her, she smiled, the emerald hexagons in her irises glowing softly.

Apparently, it was a passive like Teddy's Calming Presence.

From there, she activated a button, and a door opened up, revealing a hidden passage that extended far into the earth.

"And we're here. Please take a seat where you feel most comfortable," Syrreisha said.

I regarded the various cloud chairs and smiled. I picked the pink galaxy one and plopped down, the cloud folding around my body as it adjusted to my weight. Anastasia and Nathan hopped into the floating ones in the corner and lounged upside down.

Syrreisha ignored them and sat behind a sleek metal desk and tapped the center. The metal became liquid and formed a stand as she summoned a blue scroll with glowing white lines and unfurled it.

"This is a soul contract. It's a minimally invasive one that requires consent from everyone who signs it before it's split and absorbed," she explained. She noticed my frown and smiled. "Don't worry. This is standard procedure. It's to ensure your privacy and the safety of our patients. Please take all the time you need to read through."

I did and found myself surprised at how simple it was worded, yet it easily covered all bases. By signing it, I promised to not intentionally do harm unless it was agreed upon and in the patient's best interest. The main gist of it, was that I couldn't delete memories or fuck somebody up because I was bored.

It also detailed a binding contract between Syrreisha herself and the guild to keep the knowledge of my skills private no matter what. That was my major concern, so I was glad to see it addressed. If they couldn't guarantee that, I would have left without looking back.

I scanned through the other small clauses and found them acceptable, surprisingly simple in their need. They were niche enough that I understood why they covered their bases even if they would almost never matter.

"Have you any questions, Cyrus?"

"A few," I nodded. "How exactly does the contract work? And it says you are the main guarantor of ensuring my privacy, but it also mentions the guild. If they aren't the ones signing it, how does it enforce that rule?"

"The soul contract works as a binding piece of mana that attaches to your soul. As an example, if you were to break it intentionally by deliberately harming a patient, it would inflict you with soul damage and temporarily bind you. The guild would know, and I would personally come to handle the matter."

Soul damage, huh? Alright.

"So someone could spill my secrets and get hurt, and I would still be shit out of luck?" I prodded.

Syrreisha shook her head. "No. The moment they tried, the soul damage would prevent them before they could complete the sentence and be subjected to an assortment of debilitating problems. I don't know if you've received soul damage before, but it's not something one can disregard."

Yeah, I'm not sure about that.

"I see you still have doubts. Have you received soul damage before?"

I couldn't help it; a snort escaped before I could reel it in. Syrreisha frowned and opened her mouth, but I shook my head and held up a placating hand.

"Sorry. I'm not trying to be rude, but trust me, I have. And that's why I'm hesitant. You definitely could speak if you powered through it."

"I see," she said slowly. Syrreisha glanced at Teddy's parents, who shrugged. "Do you still believe that this young man can help the guild?"

Anastasia stared at Nathan and he nodded in return. Whatever they communicated, she squared her shoulders and beamed a smile. Literally speaking, her teeth were magically enhanced to glow the brightest shade of golden-white I had ever seen.

"I am not a toy. The rift is over. The experience is done. Rekka no longer exists, and I am free from such madness," she shouted to the ceiling.

A beat dropped, and Syrreisha's eyes widened as her jaw dropped. Her irises widened bright enough to rival one of the gloworbs as she stood up and clapped.

"Truly? You can finally say it? How? What was the breakthrough?"

Anastasia pointed to me, "Him and his new skill. We rid ourselves of the worst parts of the memory and some of the emotions with it. We're finally free, and not a lick of damage to our psyche."

Syrreisha conjured a vine from the stone and extended up to the cloud where the couple rested. Nathan and Anastasia leaned forward and let Syrreisha place a hand on their foreheads.

After a few minutes, they opened their eyes, and Syrreisha pulled back while clapping some more.

"Truly, there's no damage. Marvelous. Of course, we'll have to do some testing to ensure that the memory loss won't hinder your recovery, but yes! You've finally broken through."

Nathan extended an arrow made of water and had it stretched in my direction. "As we've said. We trust him, and his skill."

Syrreisha studied me, a seriousness in her eyes that cut through the calm aura she exuded. Now she truly looked older, calculating. Not malicious, but she looked like she was deciding something.

She returned to her seat and grabbed the scroll. It disappeared, and in its place was a similar scroll, pink in color and giving off a silver glow. She unfurled it along the stand and clasped her hands while intensely staring.

I read through it and blinked. "Severe soul damage, along with the sealing of your core for the next decade? That's... crazy."

"You are concerned, yes? If your skill truly works well enough to help two of my dear friends in a way that I never could, then I am willing to acquire your help, whatever the cost."

On one hand, it sounded extreme. Taking out one of the kingdom's best healer who spent their day to day helping people, sounded like a lot. On the other hand? Fuck it, it didn't matter if she had no intentions of betraying me.

"How does this work with the guild? I get your penalties, but what about them?"

She tapped her chest and pinched. A ripple across reality distorted her hand, but as she pulled away, a pink sheet with gold letters exposed itself.

"This is the soul contract I share with every employee who works for us on an official basis. By extension they won't lose their tier and have their skills suppressed. But they will suffer the same soul damage after receiving a warning. The warning is impossible to miss, as it feels like someone is shoving spikes into your brain and blending it into mush. Does that assuage your concerns?"

It did.

"Yes. But I have a couple of last questions. How does the process work? Since I'm not an employee, what exactly am I, rank-wise?."

Syrreisha pushed the contract back into her chest and tapped the table once more. Several new stands formed, and she deposited different stacks of papers.

"These are detailed guides that'll walk you through the process, but I'll be working with you personally. I can't be there for every session, but I'll be around for most."

I grabbed the thickest one and leafed through it, noting the different code terms and procedures they used.

"Since you're not an employee, you'll be considered as a lone contractor. You can come in when you please and we'll push patients your way for as long as you can handle them. So don't worry about a schedule, and we'll accommodate you at any time of the day."

"Got it," I said as I reached for the second stack.

"Depending on how your skill works and the level of anonymity you desire, we'll adjust how your interactions with patients go. I must ask, though: This is a new skill, yes? Does that mean you are tier one? Usually, I can tell, but you, however, remain blank to my perception."

I bit my lip and considered my options. Eventually, I went with what was easiest that didn't require me to answer a dozen questions.

"I can't disclose that. But yes, it's a new skill. Don't worry; I have a lot more mana than you think. Is that acceptable?"

She nodded tersely. "It'd help to better understand your limits, but very well. As long as you are open about the effects of your skill and the limitations, we can go from there. Since it's new, and from how the Lightcrests have spoken, I'll help guide you. There's a lot to learn with people's skills, something most don't take seriously. I hope you are not one of them."

"I'm not, don't worry. A lot of my skills are too vague for me to simply accept what the description says."

At that, her smile grew much wider, as did her presence. "You brought an interesting one. I'm getting excited."

"Hah! As if we'd waste your time," Anastasia boasted.

"So, how do we sign?" I cut in.

Syrreisha tapped the table, and a sharp spike jutted out. She then tapped her thumb along the spike and squeezed out a drop onto the page while closing her eyes.

"Your turn," she whispered.

I used my fang and punctured the skin along my thumb. I extended my hand over the scroll and let a fat, semi-clear droplet splash onto the glowing paper. It absorbed it, and a needle of pressure pushed into my chest. Spectral chains stabbed toward my heart, and I sank into my soulspace.

The chains extended to the island like hungry worms. My familiars gathered in response to the intrusion, a series of mental imagery showcasing their anger. They circled the chains while keeping a healthy distance away, and Chomperz came to a stop above my shoulder.

"Whatcha think Chompz? Looks pretty spooky."

Chomp!

This time, I didn't understand. I turned and he flew in a straight line.

No?

"Why no?"

He stopped and turned toward the chains, all six of them, as they neared the obsidian island.

They didn't hurt, but it felt weird, wrong even. Something inside me rejected the idea of the chains and I extended my arm before I realized what I was doing.

Ding!

The chains touched the island and an explosion of gold erupted from the center. I blinked away the light and willed my vision to return.

As it did, I cocked my head and stared at the orb the size of a bowling ball made of gold runes woven together that encased the swirling chains.

One tried to poke out and the orb flashed, causing the chains to spasm before they stopped.

Information blossomed and I parsed through the snippets of understanding.

Oh. Huh. I guess I'm immune to soul contracts.

I knew that if I wanted to, I could grab the orb and annihilate the chains. They were completely under my control, and couldn't affect me if I didn't want them to.

As I grabbed onto the energy, a spire of jagged obsidian grew from the island and locked the orb into place. It hovered a few inches from the crystal and spun lazily on a diagonal axis.

I guess that's that. Might as well keep it for now.

Exiting the soulspace, I found Syrreisha spasming on top the desk. Anastasia and Nathan were monitoring her and keeping her head to the side.

"Cyrus? What happened?" Anastasia asked, concern coloring her voice.

"Apparently, soul contracts don't work on me. I can terminate it if I want to. I didn't do anything, and it's still there in my soulspace. But maybe there's blowback on her end?"

Nathan grabbed a health potion and sliced a small cut along her bicep. He poured the potion into the wound and held his hand over it while activating his mana. After a few seconds, he stepped back, and the wound sealed while Syrreisha groaned. As soon as her eyes fluttered open, a salvo of skills erupted and blanketed the room.

The gloworbs flickered while other enchantments activated along the ceiling and walls. I knew suppression was one of the runes and it activated, but I didn't feel its effects.

Syrreisha shot to her feet and stared at me. I waved and smiled apologetically.

"You!" she exclaimed.

"Me," I replied.

Her eyes darted and took in the situation. Slowly she calmed and waved a hand. The enchantments stopped; the gloworbs stabilized. It took several minutes of intense staring before she returned to her chair. Whatever she saw had calmed her, but her eyes failed to hide the tension she controlled through an iron grip.

"The suppression enchantments didn't affect you. How?"

"Perk. And a passive, I guess. If it makes you feel any better, I can stand just fine next to ether."

Her mouth opened then closed and she groaned while glaring daggers at Teddy's parents.

Anastasia shrugged. "Hey. We warned you he was interesting."

"And I wasted a tier three potion on you, and you stare at us with such evil thoughts behind those eyes?! How dare you, woman!" Nathan shouted.

"Just sit and shut up," she muttered.

The couple shrugged and skipped happily to the cloud hammocks.

"That was more intense but I suppose that's on me. Ehem. Now that the soul contract is in place, may I see what this skill of yours is? We should be able to begin right away if it's not too complicated."

Famous last words to live by.

"Hey, Galarion. Are you ready?" I asked.

He sprang to attention. "More tasty food?"

"Something like that. Come say hello. Be on your best behavior. She's the one providing you food to eat."

I barely managed to raise my hand in time before Galarion squeezed himself out of my skull and plopped into my palm. He rose into the air in a swirl of cosmic dust that settled into... a tux?

"Galarion? Why are you wearing a suit?"

The little cosmic squid looked absolutely adorable in his tiny suit, with several of his tentacles bursting from the bottom pant legs. I poked the sparkly pants and it burst apart into clouds that resettled into his body. The suit disappeared but left behind a way-too-big bowtie that fit snuggly just below his mouth.

"Best impression!"

I chuckled and watched Syrreisha stare with her jaw hanging.

Best impressions indeed.