Mending the broken shell (flashback)

[Vick]

Early Summer 310 av

“Vick? Vick? Vick?”

Boss kept calling Vick’s name over and over as Vick stayed on his bed just muttering the same word over and over again. “Djas, Djas, Djas, Djas, Djas.” It many things in the Ancient tongue that Vick knew very well. Boss knew the young child meant it as ‘alone’ and knew what took place in the room where Vick was and was now due to Drainira. She had kept a eye on him even before he knew he was having a problem but it was not a magical one but more of a psychological breaking point for him.

Boss saw it before as it took place often with the new nuits who were children beforehand. He was rather shock that Vick lasted so long before breaking but Boss knew what was going on in Vicks head with his power over Auristics which Vick had as well but were far stronger. He was able to mix Auristics and Hypnotism to help bring Vick back into a better state of mind.

His words were laced with Djed as he spoke to Vick, slowly pulling him out of his state of shock.The words Vick could not understand but it sounded like a song to Vick but the words were of the Ancient tongue and Vick could have understood well if he was in the right mind set. One had to ask why Boss was trying so hard to keep Vick “sane” but if one knew his goals then they would not ask many things. His end goals was to keep Vick safe and sane for the most part and mold him into something far different then what he was but he could not let Vick be broken like he was becoming.

It took bells before Vick stopped talking and even longer before he made another sound but Boss spent the time talking to Vick. He had a way with words that could break many people or save people if he wanted to and for now he was using it to save an already cracked soul. Cracked not broken. A few cracks were needed in someone to handle the idea of living longer then most friends or family and even handling real magic that was more then just simple parlor tricks.

“I...I’m sorry.”

The words were soft even softer then what Vick was use to but Boss just nodded towards him. “I think you need to spend time trying to clear your thoughts and re locate your self Vick. Spend the next few days away from magic and stay here. Drainira will let me know if you need any help and you always have Drainira here.”

Vick did not say a thing but nodded as Boss left after some more time. Vick would be fine for the most part as long as he kept away from magic for now. It would seem Drainira would also make sure he would not do any magic as well or at least just tell Boss if he did or not as she did her other daily work.

He did not know what to say. He felt so much at a lost with words as even his mind felt so empty. He knew some branches of magic could only be learned when you felt like this but even the idea of learning new magic just felt so draining to him. He just stayed along his poor made bed and let his eyes shut. He could not sleep even if he wanted to. Nuits could never sleep even after being put into pain but he could deal with it in the end of things.

Time. What did time mean to him? What did it mean to any kid? He had play time and work time but in the end what did it mean now? He did not really play anymore. He just spent his time in books or watching the ocean. At times he even spent time just watching the golems and talking with Drainira. Yet what did time mean and why was he questioning it so much now? It was just the first word that came to him really.

It was a form of mediation that was used often by people. Focusing on one thing and going over it gave the person in question more ways to think outside the box and work out issues for the thing came in a blink mind often or not meant that it was the problem. In Vicks case it meant he was having a hard event with time.

So why was he having such a hard time with the concept of time? He was not sure. Maybe everyone did? Or maybe he just never spent a lot of time trying to understand it. He knew that the bells and chimes were and the seasons and the basic understanding of that but what was the end goal of it? Did anyone know? Maybe a god would but who was he to call upon a god? He was not a person of faith but maybe he could had changed that one day.

Yet for now he just let the thought fade away like smoke blowing in the wind. Thoughts came back to him but none held much value to him as they left as well without really standing out to him. Mediation was not easy or fun but he knew it would help him down the road. If he was human he would be breathing more and letting his mind focus on the air coming in and letting it out slowly but as a Nuit he did not breath or need to. He was enjoying the fact he did not but he did think of other ways to handle the cycle.

The candles flame illuminated the dark room as Vick bent down lighting the small white candle which was made out of rough wax. The orange flame was like a breath of life inside the undead room as Vick just watched it with a longing look that he could not place at first. However as he kept his eyes along the candle he slowly let his mind focus just on that as a answer came to him. He missed the living. He missed the laughter of people for this island had none. He missed being carefree and just a child which he still was both before and after he became a nuit more then a season ago. He wanted a play mate or maybe just to play with something more. Yet how could he get a playmate? He was not sure as he just kept the candles glow in his mind and eyes.

He moved back into a crossed leg position as the candle kept burning down slowly before long the flame just went out in the bronze candle holder as the melted wax engulfed the tiny flame of orange leaving the room once more in a dark twilight haze. The only light was the soft glow of light that came from under his door from the hallways lights but he was never worried of the dark for some reason.

How long did he spend in the room just letting his mind free and then thinking of what came to it? How long did he stay with his legs folded under him just moving from image to image inside his mind? He was not sure both in the fact he had no sense of time as he kept meditating over and over again not giving in to his urges to use any magic or even to play. He could tell people he did it but he felt like he had to do it for himself. He did not want to be weak which he felt at the time of when he was trying to do magic and afterwards. He did not want to feel weak when he ran from his family for he did not have the power inside him to face them but he ran away. He did not want to be weak again.

His chest moved up and down once more since he could recall as he let his lungs breath in the air around him. The room held the smell of stale air which never saw any fresh air from outside. His nose picked up the scent of the old dust that was along the floor and furniture along the room but no other smells came to him other then the stale dusty air. With that his chest stopped moving once more and the smells around him faded just to a memory inside his head once more.

He never had a heirloom to call his own. His family never did pass anything down to him other then his sister who just gave him gold to help him but that could not be called a family heirloom. He thought of making one but would it hold the same value to him? Why did he care? Just another thought that came to him that he let go. He was alone. So very alone on a island full of people.

Friends. He never had any friends really. He wanted friends. Was it so wrong to have friends? So wrong to be held or laugh with? Why did he not have any? Was he so different even on the island? He heard no one laugh or even the hints of real friendship. Maybe he could find a way to make a friend one day? Would it be the same as having a friend? In the end was there much difference? He did not think so. He just wanted friends.

Another thought he just pushed to the side. Another feeling cast to the side with a bleeding heat that was cracking. Another thing he would have to overcome or find a way to mend. It was something a child should never have felt or deal with but life was not fair. He was learning that lesson so very well with each passing sun. The days were just becoming one and he did not even know when most days went away unless he was outside.

He missed the outside. He missed the birds singing in the day time and the sounds of wild life coming to life at night. He missed fishing but he was unsure if he could really fish on the island. Did the water around the island hold life of fishes? He could find out and maybe he would try to fish just for the sake of doing something that he missed. Yet once again the thought and idea was pushed to the side as he tilted his head upwards watching the ceiling but no more thoughts came to him.

He felt at peace for once. All the different thoughts that came to him did not come anymore. He let whatever thought that came to him he had given thought to. Given the time to understand the matter and feelings behind what his mind told him. Yet for now he felt at peace. A feeling that he was not sure how to understand for he did not feel it often but he was relaxed. Not happy but it was a start in the end. Maybe he was growing up slowly. Just maybe his soul was growing slowly as he spent more time focusing on it. No, not it but himself. He was a soul and not just a soul but he was himself. His soul just used bodies to play with the world around him for now. Growing up and learning. That is what he was doing and with that thought his lips moved letting a meaningful smile play along his face for once.

Only he and Drainira knew that he was holding a true smile that he felt was real. He never even called for Drainira and that alone made him proud of himself. So very proud for some reason that only he held dear in his soul. He was not broken after all.

[Vick]

Late winter 310 av

The book was open along Vicks bed as he kept his eyes moving back and forth along the pages. Boss had given it to him to read yet he was still more or less kept away from magic. The title of the book was ‘Botany - A guide in Sahova’ which was more or less information that dealt with plants around the island which gave information about the most common used ones and even had colorful drawings of what the plants looked like.

Vick voiced his idea of learning more of Philtering towards Boss and in return Boss told him to study up on the plants to use for his craft. It was not magical but was still something to keep him busy as Boss went about doing whatever it was that he did. Vick still had no idea Boss was laying carefully laid plans for the young naive nuit that were slowly guiding him into something he would never understand in his darkest nightmares.

Most of the plants in the book dealt with some type of poison and the fact that the plants were not meant for normal life. It showed him just how hard the island was to really hold life like in the other cities as he stopped at a page that talked about a shrub which was called the Hayuns. Vick took note of it in a notebook that he got from the common item stash bins.

• The Hayuns is a small shrub like plant that can grow two feet tall. It is a common plant on the island but can catch on fire rather easy. Yet the plant will just regrow out of the ashes and it is rather strong of Djed due to the experiments done by the wizards of Sahova. Small animals and medium size beings that eat the plant tend to go into a crazy frenzy cycle.

He always was trying to work on his writing and add to his research but the books he made he never kept for some reason. However he was going to start keeping any book he made and would just copy them from the library which was free for him to use as a nuit and wizard of the island. He was just glad he held a good memory overall but it would not last forever would it? Even if some nuits seemed to be able to remember things from over 500 years ago.

Vick took down the notes and made a rough draft of the Hayun plant on the bottom of the notes. He did his best to keep the bush like little dots in leaf shapes while keeping the top in more of a bulb shape. His drawing use was with a basic charcoal but he added green and pink paint along the drawing to add both the flare of paints and to give him the idea that the top bulbs were a pink shade of color while the rest was a green. Very rough draft however he would hunt up the plant later to get a better visual aide and maybe cut off some and placing it in the book.

• Erikarea, woody bush which can grow from 6 to 15 feet tall. It is covered in short needle like leaves. The pink flowers tend to be bell shaped are between the leaves. The wood from the Erikarea is most common used to make smoking pipes.

The last line made him understand that the wood from the bush was really more like a tree plus the height alone. But it also made him understand that it was not easy to burn if the wood was used for smoking pipes which he knew dealt with a lot of heat in one area. After he made his mental notes he then took his art tools and worked on the drawing for the plant. Leaving a brown coat of paint to show how long the tree like plant was tall with a green top. He added small pinkish dots trying to show the flowers but in the end it was still the work of a childs doodle.

He had to work more on his drawing and painting skills yet he did not take the time for it as he felt like it would be a waste. He really did not want to be reading but having a playmate of sorts and enjoy himself. Yet just another thought he learned to push to the side as he turned the page of the books after the paint had once again was dry.

• Kakeba Palmetto, a tree found in groves or near the cost of the island. Short trunks with long leaves that are shaped like fans. Around 500 berries can be found near the leaves which can be used as food. Mainly eaten with honey. No harmful side effects are known.

Vick saw theses trees a few times, both when he first came to the island and the times he walked around the docks but he never thought of climbing them to eat the berries. The doodle under his notes he made sure to take the time to show that the leaves were more fan like with black dots to act as the berries.

He just let his mind stay still for the next few seconds as he let the notes that he made take effect into his own brain. He did not even make a dent in the book both the botany and his notebook. He was starting to feel trap within the walls of his room and the walls of the island. He wanted to be out and about and let the sun dance along his skin once more.

His thoughts drifted towards his sister and he had to wonder what she was doing. Odds were she was working with the people who needed help such as the poor or people on hard times. She was always the type to follow Rak'keli and Priskil. His parents were odds are working on projects and were the type follow Tivaku. Yet who was Vick to follow? He never knew and he was never pushed to follow any god or goddess but the question came to him a few times now. What god could he follow? What god or goddess would let him follow them now that he was a nuit? Did his race matter in the end?

A knock on the door made Vick lose his thoughts as he turned to the door before it was opened. Boss stood in the doorway looking at the young nuit who bowed his head. How long had passed again for Boss to be here? Vick thought as he got off his bed as Boss came in the room.

“Hello Vick, how are you doing now?”

“Hello Master, I am doing better. Been reading and relaxing my mind like you told me.”

“That is good to hear. Tell me what is it you want to do?”

“I am not sure yet...”

“Why do you think that is?”

“I miss being a kid. It feels like I am not able to be one here and I broke down at my work that you trusted me with.”

“This is not the best place to be a child Vick, I told you this the first day we met but you need to understand I am here to help guide you. Trust in me and you won’t be on your own. As for the work it is okay. You can always start it again and I am sure you will be able to move onwards. You are a strong kid.”

Boss was always good with words and he always did seem to know what to tell Vick. It could have been the fact that Boss knew almost everything about Vicks aura or it could be that he knew what to say from the years of saying things and helping guide people. Yet he never did say what the outcome of things would be and Vick had no idea that he would always be misguided.

“Now Vick. I am going to let you use your magic again starting today. I think you will be more then fine to start using it again. You need to let your magic aide you for it is apart of you. You are still learning it but I feel soon you will have a better hand over it and then once you do more doors will open up to you then you could ever have dreamed of.”

Vick left his room soon after Boss did. He told him he had more work to do yet Vick could go about as he pleased but he had to use his personnel magic. If he did get good at it he would then be allowed to learn another personnel magic of his choice but Boss did not want him to have a lot of magic yet have little to no skill in them.

What other magic would he want? He was not sure but so many came to mind. Sending things to the dark void, blowing things up, throwing things with his astral body and so many more came to him as he walked around the citadel yet as he did he just stopped. He was doing it wrong he thought. He was just looking at things with his eyes and not his true senses.

He never did blink theses days but why could he not just do the opposite? Why could he just not keep them closed without hassle? With that single thought he did just that. He closed his eyes sending his vision in darkness as he stood in the hallway of the citadel leaving only his sense of touch and hearing yet that would not be enough as he let his lungs move once more letting his scent of smell come back to him.

Yet he knew he could do more even with his three senses. He let his mind push inside his soul touching along the djed that was pushed back and slowly let it move to the surface. His magic was called Auristics, the power that let him see auras of people and things for everything held an aura of sorts. Even the large citadel which was a light green to him but the aura was not wavy like everything else but more like blocks coming off in waves. He knew it was Drianera but that did not make him jump but what did make him still was the fact even with his eyes blind to the world around him he still was able to see as if he was looking with his eyes. He never did this when he was blind but he saw the world like he always did with auras. Maybe the magic did not use his body like he thought it did and maybe the eyes were just something he used to focus with?

He took his first small step as a blind man looking around the world with his magic yet never keeping his eyes on just one or two. He felt like he was getting stronger with it and he could last just a bit longer each passing day when he used it unlike when he first learned it where he could only use it for a bit before he felt tired. It was just another sign that he was growing as a wizard but if this is what he could do now then what could he do years from now?

He went into the common labs where he found other nuits working like always but he saw the auras of them and understood a bit about each one. It was still very basic but the feelings each one held was more or less just for the work and the passion for research. He had to go to each one shifting to each new aura but each time he did that he felt more and more tired until at last his djed left back into his soul. He stood once more in darkness still not letting his eyes open to the world of light.

The darkness felt better to him then the room filled with lights. If he could he would just fade away into the shadows but that he could not do. Could he just stand still forever? Maybe but would he? No not really. With a heavy sigh of air he let his eyes open up once more and he found himself standing in front of his little work area but everything was cleaned up. No snake bones, no konti eyeball and no tongue. Just a clear table that had seen better days.

“I don’t think I am ready yet...But I will try it again...”

[Vick]

“Vick, you will work on Malediction soon yet I don’t want you to do it just yet. I am going to spend some time with you and teach you about a personnel magic. You see this was mainly used as a second skill in most schools when magic was being taught by schools. You already know the details of it, Voiding. As you know it sends things into the void such as items or even other magic so it is a good skill to have even when you work with world magic. Learning it is rather safe but it won’t be quick.”

Boss said as Vick found himself in a bare small room. It looked more like a broom stoage room then anything as Boss stayed near the doorway. He held a book in his hand that looked like a leather cover yet that was all Vick could tell as Boss ripped out a tan looking page of the book handing him the page.

“This page as a message on it, you are going to sit in this room and read it over and over until it has no more meaning. You must understand absolute emptiness. You might spend weeks in here letting your mind go over the words until then but once you do then you will know what voiding is. Once you do then you will be able to open up your first portal and no matter the size once you do then you can learn more of it.”

With that Boss left Vick once more closing the door. He was not sitting in a dark room for the lights along the wires above him kept sending a soft glow of light yet that was just like Boss. To really teach him he meant giving him something and leaving him making him figure it out on his own. Vick could have yelled that it was not fair but deep down he knew it was to make him stronger in time. In time he would prove to everyone on the island he was stronger then them.

The message did not make much sense to him as his eyes read the paper over and over making sure he was looking at what he thought he was. ‘The room filled with people is really not filled with anything.’

He had to wonder what that meant. People were both people and bodies which made the room filled with things. Yet he kept going over the message over and over in his head as he stayed along the stone floor. His mind kept racing over the thoughts of the message, breaking each word down before saying the message again and again in his head. Another form of mediation but far different then what he had done in the past as he pulled forth his djed to his eyes from the depths of his soul. The paper was not magical or had any other message then just the words on it that he saw with the aura around it.


He was losing track of time once more, his Auristics came and left more times then he could count both to see auras and in case he missed anything both on the paper and the floor yet nothing came to him. With a sigh of air he just stayed in the room going over the message. How many times? He was not sure, he lost count or maybe he just was not counting as images came to him in his head of what it could mean.

He was not sure when but somewhere when he cursed under his breath to the point of standing and sitting he just became a corpse. Unmoving corpse with the paper on the ground, crushed in a ball for the message was already scared into his brain. He was not even sure if he was thinking anymore as he felt empty and alone once more. He was always alone it seemed. Always alone even filled with people around him.

As the emotions overwhelmed him something clicked in his head. His eyes looking towards the ball of paper yet he was really looking just past it as his djed took a life of its own or maybe it was just his soul knew what to. A tiny flick of light moved about like a spark in the darkness past the ball of paper. It was the size of a needle point poking a hole in the skin almost as a tiny black dot came between the door and the paper.

It lasted just a second or two as Vick jumped back towards the wall yet as he did the door opened at last. Boss was standing in the doorway with a smile along his face as he laughed clapping his hands.

“Good job Vick, Draiana told him you just performed Voiding magic so I came. Well really she told me that you were performing it slowly and saw the signs so I just waited until you had that little last push. Now take the paper and come with me. You still have much to learn but feel proud. It has only been a few weeks. Most take months to understand the feeling yet I have felt you would understand the meaning sooner with how your emotions have been.”

Vick stood slowly up, the feelings he felt just seconds ago still were lingering around his heart as he picked up the paper. He knew now what the message meant and knew a part of him would forever be cracked. Yet how far did that crack lay inside his soul? That was the question wasn't it. Yet he said nothing as he walked with Boss for once he did not even care where he went anymore.

Where did he go? Where was Boss taking him? The questions were not even forming right in his head as he stood in front of a desk that held papers, mugs, tubes of glass and other little items but the room was still rather empty. No other nuits were inside other then him and Boss.

“Vick did you hear me?”

Vick just shook his head as he let his body blink a few times looking at Boss. He did not hear a thing as his eyes took more of a note of his master. His master, such a odd term to him in a way but Boss was always around when he did need him the most. A mentor of sorts.

“You know how to use voiding yet it is still very very rough. I have some ink and paper for you but you need to focus more on it. The portals you make can be better but right now you can only make a tiny point, your portals can reach about your hand size and can only send things to the void that are light objects. You know the terms and lore of the magic from your time spent researching in the books I told you to read. This is why I told you to research them. I know you can do better but you need to understand you can do better. I am going to give you inks so you can focus with glyphing but you will be done soon. Then you can go to Malediction but afterwards you will spend more time away from magic helping someone out with herbs.”

He just had to nod as he took the ink and a brush in hand. He was still new to the idea of glyphing yet the runes never did change. That was the first lesson he learned even if they took him a lot of time and focus. Yet only one way to improve and that was to just do it and learn from his mistakes. He was not sure where to draw the runes but he went with the back of his left hand.

First he made a circle in the center, then a X before drawing a line both on the top of the X and on the bottom of it. All runes were different depending on the user but each wizard knew what they meant as long as they understood the magic. It was not a magic to take alone but always to take after you knew magic as it helped with whatever your goals were as long as you knew the rules and limits.

Secret :

He did not know what should have done but Boss was right. He knew the basic understandings of it and the terms. This side, the other side, portal, push. He read up on them long ago along with so many other types of magic both world and personnel. He may have only be a young child yet he could match so many people in a game of intelligence. He understood slowly why Boss did what he did and it would seem he laid it all out for him over time. Building blocks to grow on.

He had the idea of using his djed and forcing it to flow from his body but the runes were meant to help him focus that power into a point. At least the runes were to help him focus more but in time he knew what he could do with them and the ideas were limitless as his djed flowed from his outer soul to his hand before trailing into a point on the table. That ball of paper laid along it that he found he hated almost yet as he kept his mind focus he understood the meaning of voiding or at least he had hoped he did in the end.

A tiny spark again flared pulling the paper closer to the point that was along the table yet the portal did not last long enough and once more Vick felt drained and jumped a bit. Boss did not say a word as he kept watching like always. He always let Vick understand his flaws and the mistakes he made be they good or bad.

He knew voiding but he smiled as he forgot a page he read about it. The portals were given life by Djed and the wizard. If no djed was around to give fire to the spark then the spark would fade away and that was the same as what he was doing. Every time he saw the spark of the portal he jumped and by doing that he was not keeping focus along the djed flow and cutting it off. However he felt the djed drain on him was greater then his other magic which just needed so little yet he was never sure that was a normal amount or not until he did this.

His eyes looked down at his hand and he just shook his head slowly. The runes that he placed were already burnt out and faded into broken inks and paints leaving behind what looked like a bad tan mark. Yet he just took the paint once more painting the same circle, X and lines above the X once more.

He moved his left hand out once more towards the table as he let his djed flood his arm once more. “The room filled with people is really not filled with anything.” He said over and over again as he just kept his mind on the task at hand. Nothing took place at first and nothing did for what felt like ages but soon another tiny portal flared open once more this time a bit larger maybe the size of two needle points but as quickly as they came they faded just as fast and the runes on his hands once more were just gone.

Once more he pulled the ink to him yet he painted it along his right hand and not his left. The same symbols were placed, The circle, X and lines before putting the brush down. His hand out reached towards the table as he kept his eyes on the goal in mind. That paper was going to be sent to the void if he had his way but once more he lost track of time as he cleared his head out of thought and kept saying the message over and over again. Another tiny portal flared to life yet slightly larger before fading once more.

“Master what am I doing wrong?” Vick asked at last as he looked towards Boss who had yet to say anything or even really move.

“Nothing at all Vick, you are doing everything right but you need to take a break sooner or later. While the demand of Djed is not as high as other types of magic you are not use to the demand and you could overgive. This is not going to be a days work but could take a week or even months to fully understand the voiding magic. It takes more then just the flow of djed into a space. Plus you just learned it so why do you think you could have a grasp over it already?”

Boss said as he moved his right hand out towards a glass tube on the table, in a matter of seconds a portal flashed open which was as bigger then the tube which flew into the portal before closing once more.

“I have done this magic for years Vick, I can summon a portal as larger as a adult. Yet you need to relax and keep working on the basic ideas of it. Yet do not cross that line where you won’t come back so go take a break. I have a body you can use for malediction, they were a void user as well. Rather gifted one so it might help you to work on the body to aide your own voiding powers. Once you are done then I will take you back here but I think you are now ready to work on your world magic.”

Vick just smiled at that and nodded as he left. He would go to the lab area but first he would take a long needed bath then check up on his body before working more. Maybe a bath would help him he thought as his mind flashed to that paper. It did live for now but he would throw it in the void sooner or later.

[Vick]

Malediction. A topic Vick knew so well as he looked over the bones of the corpse. Yet as he did he did not have any flares of fear or random thoughts as he looked over notes left by someone that talked of the body. His eyes scanning the paper reading it slowly in his head.

• Name: Sam Geiae
• Known traits: Competent Voider
• Died: Neck slit in sleep.

It was a very basic set of notes but Vick wished he had more to go on other then he knew voiding magic and died in his sleep and that was if everything was right. Yet the name meant nothing to him as he put the notes down picking up his set of craving tools. Sooner or later he would buy better set but for now they were his and his alone as he walked around the lab getting together his items. Paint, brushes, sets of blank paper, his tools, a whetstone and setting up candles around his work area.

His mind was focused on the work at hand. He had a whole body to work with on the bone structure which seemed to be of a basic human but that gave him a lot of ideas. Each work would be based on some type of voiding aide more often then not as he took the right hand of the body laying the bone hand on the table.

The pick was the first took he always used and he felt more at ease with that. The bones of a human hand were never like with skin. So many joints made up the hand it was such a odd thing it did not just fall apart when you did have skin over it but the bones Vick needed were right below the fingers which gave him six small bones to work with but large enough for his circles and words. Words would be the best bet right now as he took the whetstone sharpening along his picks tip which if it was sharper then it would have a better time with the bones.

He moved to the left center bone on the hand slowly running the tip of the pick in a circle on the outer edges of the joint. It was always slow work but he learned long ago that you had to be slow then fast with malediction and as a nuit you had all the time in the world if you were not being attacked or under attack by something. No need to eat or sleep which he only needed roughly a bell or so to take a bath and check his body for signs of damage but a body could last over a year or more he was told as long as he kept it safe.

His circles were neater then they use to be when he came to the island and he knew a lot more of malediction in the end compared to then. Yet what was the cost? He was not sure yet did not pay it any mind as he made the inner circle letting it draw forth the djed inside the hand outwards. Everything had djed even the dead. He could use malediction to pull it out and give it a goal and his goal for the hand was to make more sets of circles each with a tiny goal to form a larger goal when used which was to aide with voiding.

Only one word laid inside the first circle he made on the hand. He would only place one word in each circle due to the size of the bones and the fact they would stay together from the joints already made by the bones so he would not have to fuse other bones together to form it. The first word was just a simple ‘Help’.

Could he had made a story on the other side of the hand? Yes but would he? No as it was not needed in his view point as he made the second circle, this time it was the lower left joint. The circles were made slowly as golems came and left the room along with other nuits as he kept his eyes along the bone. The golems always came every few hours cleaning or relighting candles even if the main light of the rooms were done by D-wire but sometimes the labs you had to use the flames of candle for projects or get more light.

Inside the circle had another word just like the circle joint. The word was ‘Open’ which could mean a lot of things on its own yet Vick was not done. He knew that the words would blend together once the magic was done as the joints on the hand were together. He could take different body parts from different people and fuse them in one larger malediction art work but that would mean less pure work or stronger effects yet with more chance of something going wrong. Wrong being something he did not have in mind.

He moved to the main center joint which was the larger part of the hand. He had to use this joint due to the size of the word in question he had in mind. Yet before he touched the center joint he moved his right hand grabbing the whetstone once more using it along the pick. He always did his best to keep the tip of the pick as sharp as it could be as it made a large difference in digging inside the bodes as he filled his lungs with air before blowing along the hand sending the bone dust in the air yet away from him.

Once he found the sharpness to his liking he placed the stone down and started work on the circle once more. He lost count of how many candles were replaced by golems and how many times he saw Boss standing near him yet never saying anything. Yet he did not give it any thought as he worked on the inner circle of the two malediction circles for the center joint. He was halfway done with his project which in the end was to help him focus on making a portal for voiding. The word in question in the center of the hand was ‘portal’.

The next joint he picked was under the center joint. His eyes were filled with passion as he etched away the bone into a circle design. His mind set on making the malediction product worthy of a wizard of Sahova and to aide anyone using voiding magic. That paper would be sent into the void soon. He kept his focus and mind clear of outside thoughts and influences as he moved from the outer circle to the inner circles.

The word within the circle was a simple ‘to’ mainly for the fact it was one of the smaller joints on the hand. He just had two more words to go as he moved his lungs again blowing softly on the bones clearing the dust away from his project. He was glad he was a nuit. He had no fear of sleeping or getting even a tiny bit in the mood to eat. His hands were never tired as he wrote or worked on carving like a humans would.

He just kept his eyes on the bones and made up his mind. The last two words were going to have to be on the wrist bones which were some left on the hand. They were larger then the smaller joints and the words he had in mind were just to large for the joints anyway. The order of words were not going to be a problem.

He moved to the left wrist bone which was called the Ulna. The wrist was made out of two main bones but that was beside any main point in Vicks head as he started on the outer circle once more. Most of Malediction was working on circles and understanding a few key ideas. It just took a lot of practice and trail and error to understand it and move forward with it but he was far from a Master in the craft. So very far. However he never did let that gap get in his way as he kept taking a step each day moving ahead closing that gap even just by a bit.

The word was a bit larger then the other words but not by much. All the words he picked in his head were short to the point which he had to have them as. ‘Other’ laid in the bone as a craving made by the pick. While it was a good idea to learn craving he always did prefer the pick of the tool set even if he used the other tools as well just not as much.

He picked up his whetstone once more and slowly used it on the pick as he blew on the bones once more clearing it of the dust. He made it a goal to keep his work area clean or at least did his best to keep it clean as he made sure the pick was as sharp as it could be. Dull tools never did help in life after all.

The right wrist bone or the radius if he recalled was the last bone he would use on the hand. He was almost done and he felt happy at that fact even if he knew he had already spent days inside the lab working nonstop on his research and project. His hand moving ever so carefully once more holding firmly along the pick. Always slow work yet always gave him such of a thrill deep in his soul as the dust from the bone gathered around his pick and the table.

The word inside the inner circle was shorter then the last but had the same important meaning to Vick as it would any Voider. ‘Side’. He just smiled at himself as he placed the pick down with his other craving tools as he dusted off the bone. When put together the words said ‘Help open portal to other side.’ in which Vick knew the bones knew voiding magic or at least the remains of the djed if the person was indeed a competent user after all.

Secret :

Vick placed the hand down once more on the table before moving to a bin that held different mundane items that anyone could use. He stood on a chair giving his a boost to his height as he shuffled though the box before finding a long copper necklace chain. It was something like what he was looking for as he jumped down to the floor making his way back to his little table.

He placed the chain along the fingers inside the hand afterwards cutting the palm of his hand open with the pick he had just used which was still rather sharp. His white ichor came to the surface as he smeared it along the circles of the hand but the ichor did not stay as the circles held a soft deep Violet glow. As they had the color glow Vick moved his hand in the candles flame sealing his hand once more yet as he turned back to the necklace he found the fingers that were laying flat had closed around the necklace.

A smile came to his face as he picked it up by the chain and found that the hand did not let go of it. He was glad he used the chain and not his own body like he did with a rabbit foot one day. His djed came back to his as the world of auras became visible once more to him. The hand was indeed working and if he took the guess he would take the guess it was not cursed like his other projects but he would find out sooner or later as he put the chain around his neck.

He made a note on his work area as he cleaned it up putting the tools away. The note said that he would use the rest of the body yet keep it safe from other projects. With that he just left for he felt more alive then ever and he had hopes to send that ball of paper to the void at last.

[Vick]

Late Spring 311 av

Vick found himself standing in the room Boss had showed him before. Yet this time he wore the necklace of the voider which made crafted into a malediction product. He had just made it and was even unsure if it would aide him in anyway but it was his goal that it would and he had faith in his projects.

He lost track of time that he spent on his malediction work but he knew his own djed had recovered from the rest of using magic. He knew that his djed was just his soul he was using up but each time he cast out a bit of his self he always did get it back in time of resting even if he never did sleep.

That balled up paper still laid along the table that mocked him so much inside his twisted little head. Boss was standing on the other side of the room keeping his unblinking eyes on Vick like always. Vick paid him no mind or anything any mind other then that paper as he took the ink from the table dipping it in a brush before drawing the same runes on his left hand. He was not wasting anymore time with second guessing as he drew a circle, X and two lines one on top and bottom of the X in the back of his left hand.

His mind clearing of thoughts once more. His meditation felt like it was getting better and better with the almost constant use of it as his lips moved slowly. “The room filled with people is really not filled with anything.” The message that he had spent so many bells on were scared inside his brain as he felt the empty dread coming back to him as memories flashed before his mind. As they did he recalled the feeling it took to open up a portal to the other side as he kept his hand out reached. He was not sure how long had passed as the fact of the matter was he no longer cared for the meaning of time. The meaning of time meant nothing to him as he turned his empty rage on that ball of paper.

A tiny pin size portal flared open as the runes along his skin glowed a Violet shade of colors. The hand along the necklace tighten at the same time the portal came to life yet with the same results as last time it just closed shut almost soon after Vick saw it with his eyes. He just kept clicking his tongue along the roof of his mouth as the portal faded away.

He had to wonder why the runes along his hand had glowed any color but took no notice of the hand necklace. He took the ink once more painting along the same symbols along the back of his hand before reaching out once more. Chimes passed before turning into what felt like Bells before another portal came to life yet it was still the same size as before. His hand held the soft glow with the necklace reacting once more yet Vick took note of it before the portal faded into nothingness.

The clicking of his tongue along the roof of his mouth filled the room once more as he pulled the ink again redoing the runes. Yet before he moved his hand outwards he let his djed flare to life along his senses as the world of auras came back to him. Then he moved his hand outwards towards the table, keeping from it a few feet. He saw the djed flow into his hand to the point he willed it which was normal but it just stayed along the point in the air behind ball of paper. After awhile of his focus he saw the effects of the djed and how the necklace reacted towards the portal opening yet he did not jump or even stop his focus as he used his auristics to keep track of the flow of djed to aide him. The portal in question slowly grew larger but was only at most the size of a finger nail which faded as Vick lost his focus on everything.

The demands of Djed were still low in his mind yet he was starting to understand it was more then just feeling empty and throwing djed out into the air. It took more focus and more will then simple events like that as he took the ink once more to the back of his left hand yet before he placed it down he did the same to his right. He was getting a bit better at making the runes and was a bit neater or at least he thought he was with it.

He reached out both hands in front of him towards the paper and willed his djed once more to his hands pushing outwards in front of the ball. As he did he willed the djed to become a empty area around the djed and as he did he slowly felt the tinge in his mind before a tiny portal opened at last yet as it did Vick kept his focus on the djed. He pushed more djed both into and around the portal giving it both more fuel to burn inside and around as it slowly enlarged a bit above the table.

It was not black as it was before but of a Violet shade like the necklace as he willed it to pull. The hole was like a Violet storm swirling around like a small whirlpool of water. As he kept feeding it slowly with his own djed it grew into the size of his hand yet only had a weak pull it to as the ball of paper slowly moved closer and closer towards the void. Vick felt proud of himself as he saw the ball of paper enter the void like a rock hitting a pool of water and sinking and as the last bits of the paper went into the void he let go of his djed. The portal only stayed for a few more seconds before fading into nothing as a wave of exhaustion came on him.

However he felt happy, he threw that paper into the void at last as he heard clapping coming from the room. His eyes looked towards Boss as he was the one clapping. “Good job Vick, it only took you a month but you are learning voiding. It seems the necklace is helping you some so if I were you I would keep using it for now but soon you won’t even need the help it offers. Yet don’t forget to work on your other areas of magic but know that this magic can help you in malediction and more. Such as throwing things that go wrong or working with glyphs to trigger a trap sending something into the void or throwing them towards the ground with the voids power as a push then pull. But you must understand that the dangers of the void are more then books can tell you such as you can’t form a portal from the other side to this side. So lets not go inside the void shall we?”

Boss said as he smiled towards Vick. Vick felt happy and proud of himself for once as he let a smile overtake his own face. He had sent that paper into the void like he said he would and he did it sooner then he thought he could. Was it the malediction item or was it more himself? He would keep using the item until he had a better grasp over Voiding but he had the idea of selling it for a good price to help fund for his own projects like owning a office.

“Vick, this is a spare office I use at times but I am going to let you use it for Voiding. All the objects have no value to me so feel free to work on Voiding to send them to the Void. Yet don’t send everything in one day as no matter how much you do in a day you can only learn to a point afterall. You must still balance other things in your life and remember tomorrow you will see someone to learn non-magical things like poison making.”

“So Vick, what is it you want to do now?”

Vick was not sure how to answer that question for he was not sure what he wanted to do. He did not answer right away or even showed that he was thinking as he kept still like Boss did most days when Vick saw him.

“I want to change the world.”

A odd reply but Vick never did say he would change it for the better or for worse. Maybe it did not matter as the words just left his mouth that even took him for a small shock and surprise. Yet he said it and he could not take it back.

“I see...Then why don’t you? You have the tools now to start changing it so I guess you should go change it.”

Boss said as he still held a smile along his face. A goal of his was to change the world in a manner of speaking and he could and would use Vick to help that goal come to life. While some would say it was a evil goal he thought different and one day he knew Vick would think different as well as long as he kept on his path he was walking now.

“I think I will do that Master...”

Vick said as he bowed his head towards Boss before leaving the room. He would make his way to his own room to clean and relax some before he had to work more on other tasks at hand. He was not sure why Boss wanted him to understand about plants or poisons but he did not question him. He knew what he learned always played a part into something larger. The book he read what felt like a lifetime ago would always come in hand at a later point and it did seem he would learn poisons sooner or later.

However for now he just smiled to himself as he closed his bedroom door. He made work on Malediction and he did not run away. Maybe he was not as broken as he thought he was in his daydreams. Maybe not even that cracked in the end of things. Just maybe everything would work out.

How little did he know....

[Panna Cotta]

VICK Philosophy 1 Meditation 4 Research 1 Auristics 2 Writing 1 Botany 2 Glyphing 3 Voiding 3 Malediction 4 Lore of being hypnotized to temporary sanity Lore of hurting because of soliloquy Lore of learning from a book Lore of Sahovan fauna Lore of what emptiness means Lore of Maledicting a human hand Lore of human hand anatomy Lore of opening a Void portal Lore of intense focus Lore of manipulating a Void portal Others: Whenever Vick is feeling down, he would always go to Boss for "help". Necklace Your very own rent-to-own office! Notes: It is very wise to start using more than one discipline to perform one task, but there are still a few disconnected ideas like studying philtering and botany which you didn't use in the end (the fickle mind of a child?) Also liked how you presented his crazy mind and dependency on Boss