Lutèce, Lunar Age
~ 300 years after the Schism

-Kassandra-

Apprentice Healer Kassandra Élysées of l'École de Guérison stood behind Mage Second Renaud Lévêque as they prepared to examine the body lying on the table in front of them. In her left hand, she held a crystal staff of bright carnelian agate. Its prism-shaped tip glowed, matching the color of the bright prism of light surrounding the body. This was the eleventh mage they had recovered who had succumbed to the strange sickness that had ravaged the Élu city of Lutèce. Though they were glad of the chance to further study the illness, the Healers of Lutèce were no closer to understanding it than when it had first struck several weeks before. As quickly as it had appeared, it had vanished, taking their Master Healer with it, and leaving few chances to study it.

Kassandra suppressed a yawn. Using her Gift to this extent was draining. She blinked her green eyes and shook her black hair away from her face.

"Can you dismiss the prism?" Renaud asked.

Kassandra did so, and the bright orange prism encasing the body flickered out of existence. Then she tucked her now-dull carnelian staff into the green sash tied about her waist. Green was the color of the Healers' School; Renaud's black robes, like Kassandra's, were embroidered with green designs and trimmed along the collar, sleeves, and hem.

Renaud took a cautious step towards the body. Kassandra opened the medical codex from her right hand and took out the pen she was using as a placeholder. She scanned the page, then peeked around Renaud's elbow, trying to make her own quick observations of the magically preserved body.

This subject had been a Shapeshifter, a mage from l'École de Transformation, judging from the orange sash laying in tatters next to him. The black, putrid marks which spiraled around the corpse's torso were still sickening to see, burned into the flesh as if with a white-hot weapon. Every victim the Healers had recovered shared these markings. In all the subjects, the marks emanated from a single wound somewhere on the body, usually a cut or puncture, and they extended towards the center of the chest. In this case, the left half of the body had also begun to transform, leaving the mage in a grotesque, twisted form of a half-human creature.

"Read the notes from the previous examination," Renaud told her.

Kassandra nodded. Chikondi's tidy handwriting was easy to read, so Kassandra began, keeping her voice steady.

"Deceased showed erratic behavior in his final moments. The anima manifested into the physical plane and was acting outside of the mage's control. The subject's Gift became unpredictable and caused injuries to the mage. A single wound, on the right forearm, appears to be the source of the infection." Kassandra's green eyes glanced at the exposed arm. The puncture wound had festered and blistered. "Death occurred when the black marks burned their way to the mage's chest."

Kassandra finished and looked up. She had conducted her own research on the symptoms of the disease, but this was the first time Renaud had allowed her to examine a body. When Renaud did not say anything, she decided to keep reading.

"Deceased's staff fully disintegrated. Samples of the leftover limestone sent for testing, and there was reason to believe the anima was forcibly separated from the subject."

Absently, Kassandra's fingers squeezed her own carnelian agate staff, and her thoughts brushed against Ala, her own anima. Ala was pensive as their shared mind considered the questions Kassandra desperately wanted to ask. Where did this plague come from if it even was a plague? If so, then it was the first ever recorded to affect the Élu like this.

We do not know what it is, Ala admitted. Kassandra heard the spirit's voice inside her mind, as all Élu did. But there is no doubt it poses a great threat to the wielders. Possibly to all Gifted.

Kassandra concurred and filed away Ala's last comment for later. In front of her, Renaud lifted his snake-headed iolite crystal staff. It shed a soft purple light over the body, illuminating the areas most affected by the strange disease. Renaud suppressed a shudder and ran one hand through his uncombed hair. He was, like all Healers, meticulously clean, but he had not taken a break in weeks. Since Grand Master Günay's death, another victim of this sickness, Renaud had been managing the entire Healers' School alone as well as leading the medical investigation on each recovered body.

"Discoloration on the subject appears yellow," Renaud said as he moved around the corpse, tracing the black, spiraling marks with his staff. Kassandra scribbled the additions underneath Chikondi's neat writing.

"Is there any pattern with the discoloration?" she wondered.

Renaud's lips twitched in asmile. "Looking for more patterns?"

Kassandra's shoulder jerked in a short shrug. "There's always a pattern."

"Sometimes patterns are a projection, not a reality," Renaud told her. "Make sure not to impose one. To answer your question, there is no discernable pattern for the various colors. You are welcome to try and find one if you are so determined."

Kassandra did not respond. Instead, she began to count the number of marks along the corpse. Seven tendrils of black extending from the wound on the mage's arm. Her mind focused on that, then Renaud spoke again.

"Severe disfigurement," he stated, tilting the head of the corpse. "And his bone structure completely transformed. Most likely from his anima being expelled." Renaud sighed. "What a horrid feeling that must be," he said, pressing a hand to his chest.

Kassandra resisted the urge todo the same and felt Ala's reassuring touch as she made a note of the disfigurement. She paused in her writing and turned her green eyes to Renaud. He must have realized he had stopped talking, because he abruptly continued, walking around to the other side of the table again. The purple glow of his staff continued to filter over the body, illuminating specific areas as he walked. In some places, the skin became translucent, allowing Renaud to see inside the corpse.

"His entire body seemed to be breaking down. There is extensive internal bleeding. But what seemed to kill him was none of these."

Kassandra looked up, not sure if she heard correctly. "The deformities, the internal bleeding, the separation of his anima, and none of that killed him?"

Renaud shook his head. "He suffocated. Simple as that. It almost appears as if he were dropped into an airless vacuum, not unlike the space between the Bridge Gates from our world to the human realm."

That was indeed strange, and Kassandra made note of it. She finished her writing then looked up at the Mage Second. "Expert Lévêque, do we still not know what causes the spread? If the cause of death is asphyxiation, would that mean the disease is airborne?"

Renaud did seem to consider her question. "I don't think it's airborne. It isn't a respiratory disease, it's a blood disease. We can trace the beginnings of the sickness to a wound, and I think it enters the body through the bloodstream. The disease forces the separation of the Élu and anima, then breaks down the Élu's immunity to our own magic. But the cause of death is definitely lack of oxygen. It makes no sense; I can't see how they're related."

Kassandra's mind raced. She was only a Mage Apprentice, but she felt her lack of knowledge more keenly. Finally, she said, "There's something I don't understand, Expert Lévêque."

"What is it?" he prompted.

"I thought Élu were immune to blood diseases?"

Renaud smiled again. "You are sharp. You will be an excellent Healer, Apprentice Élysées. You're right, most Élu are. A lingering, if increasingly rare, effect of our common ancestry with the Déchu," Renaud answered. "And while we don't know for certain, it may only be a benefit for purer bloodlines such as yours. The majority of Élu in Lutèce nowadays are not descended directly from any Gifted bloodline."

Kassandra pondered this, and she felt the weight of the embroidered crest on her sash like stone. The crest marked Kassandra not only as a member of the nobility, but of one of the oldest houses in Lutetian society.

"No one from the nobility has been affected," she mused. "I wonder if that's why."

Kassandra's thoughts were racing again. Except for l'École de Guérison, exactly two Élu from each school of magic in the Parisii Order of Mages had shown progressed stages of the disease before death. Although it had moved through the Parisii Order at random, in the end Kassandra had noted this pattern.

"I'm not sure there's anything more we can learn at this point. I can finish from here."

Kassandra protested, "But I want to help. There's more, I'm sure of it."

Renaud placed a hand on her shoulder. "Go home, Apprentice Élysées. Leave the codex with Chikondi and go home. There's nothing else."

With a light nudge, Renaud directed her out of the room. Kassandra, dragging her feet, obeyed.

-Renaud-

Renaud closed the door behind Kassandra with a soft click. She had been one of Grand Master Günay's best students, but Renaud was not one to play favorites so much. She was one of the most promising and talented young Healers he had ever seen, he had to admit. Renaud felt uneasy letting her study this disease so closely, though he could not have explained exactly why. Kassandra's great-grandfather, Kason Élysées, had been the greatest Healer in Lutetian history, but for all the greatness surrounding him, there was also mystery that Renaud found unsettling. Günay had known Master Kason but never spoke of him directly.

'I'm being paranoid, aren't I?'

'Maybe just a little,' answered Usa, Renaud's anima. There was a slight lisp in Usa's voice.

Renaud sighed and turned back to the body. At a whispered command, Renaud's iolite staff shimmered, then began to writhe. It transformed into a shimmering purple snake, coiled lazily around Renaud's arm. As he approached the body, he lowered his hand and the snake slithered onto the corpse. Then the snake coiled around the dead Élu's neck and shoulders.

'Still nothing,' Usa sighed. Renaud felt the spirit's distress as if it were his own. Perhaps it was. Élu and animi often shared strong feelings; the empathy between the bonded pair was deeply integrated. 'We sense nothing new. It is still too strange. We do not understand it.'

The Healer extended his arm and the snake slithered to his shoulder. Renaud looked around, desperate to think of something else, something he had not thought of. His eyes landed on a sharp limestone knife, and he sensed Usa's protest as he reached for it. Although his fingers closed around the handle, his body froze, Usa's own willpower keeping him from moving.

'We will not let you,' Usa hissed in his mind.

'How else will I know anything?'

'You are our wielder; without you we die.'

'Without understanding this, we all could die.' Renaud reasoned.

Slowly, reluctantly, Usa relinquished its hold. Renaud let out a breath as he took hold of the knife and pressed his thumb to the sharp edge.

"Expert Lévêque!" someone shouted. Renaud whirled around, the iolite snake hissing, startled back into its staff form which then clattered to the floor. He also dropped the limestone knife, wincing as it sliced through his skin. Chikondi rushed forward, grabbing his hand.

"Guérison: Cicatriser," she said, clamping her hands over Renaud's. Renaud tried to pull away, but Chikondi's grip was too strong. Bright, warm light radiated from her palms. The smooth brown and orange tiger's eye staff Chikondi carried tucked into her sash reacted to the spell, glowing with an intense light. Chikondi glared up at Renaud. "What do you think you are doing? Stupid man."

Renaud's mouth twitched in a smile. The sharp pain from the cut subsided. "I will do whatever is necessary to protect the people of Lutèce, Chikondi. I would give my life for it."

"You will be of no use if you are dead," she retorted. "We will figure this out." She released his hand and inspected the cut. No scar, no blood, no sign of any injury remained. Better, no sign of infection.

"No new cases have been reported since our Shapeshifter here. We had several per day until a few weeks ago, and he is the last."

Chikondi crossed her arms. "Then let us hope it is done and gone."

"I can't rely on that hope," Renaud sighed.

"How do you think Grand Master Günay succumbed? Do you think a brilliant Healer like him would not have had the same thought? No. He was just unlucky enough not to have someone watching his back."

Renaud wrinkled his nose. That was a pointed reprimand, but he deserved it. As Mage Second, he was Günay's immediate adjutant. He should have been there and stopped the Grand Master just as Chikondi was here now.

"Why are you here, Chikondi?"

"Apprentice Élysées found me to give me the codex," she told him. "And she thought you might be about to try something dangerous, so I came straight away." Renaud's smile turned to a grimace. Yes, Kassandra Élysées was much too clever.

Chikondi continued to fuss over the nonexistent cut until Renaud pulled his hand away, assuring her there was no chance of infection. She narrowed her eyes in a mocking glare but acquiesced. As a Mage Expert, she wore black robes embroidered with intricate green patterns similar to Renaud's, but without the added green trim. The blackness of the cloth against Chikondi's deep chestnut complexion was striking. Renaud's beige skin appeared much too pale against the black and green robe. Renaud smiled at Chikondi, but it probably looked more like a weary grimace. He knew he would become Mage Master soon, taking over Günay's role as leader of l'École de Guérison. He hoped Chikondi would consider becoming his Second.

"Fine." He gave in to her glare. "I won't do anything stupid."

Chikondi pointed a short, slender finger at him, causing his brown eyes to cross as he glanced at it." See that you do not!" Her crystal tiger's eye staff sparkled menacingly.

"What, you aren't going to twist my ear?" Renaud teased.

Chikondi laughed. "You are too old for this," she responded. "Set in your ways, like me."

Renaud shared her humor for amoment, then reached down to pick up his crystal staff. "Keep Parisii Healers everywhere. Two per district if we can spare them. Recruit any able civilian Healer living in the outer districts as well, though I'm sure most of them have already been at work, but make sure we continue providing them all the support we can. Just because the cases have stopped doesn't mean it's gone for good."

Lutèce was a large city encased in its own pocket dimension. The city was made up of twenty districts, and a river cut through the center. At the heart of Lutèce, sitting neatly in the widest part of the river, were two islands. The Île de la Cité was the largest of these, and with the smaller Île de Shimano were where many of the Parisii Order of Mages lived and worked. The Hôtel-Ange, where Renaud and the other Parisii Healers stayed, was located on the main island along with the Archange de Lutèce Academy and the administrative Palais de Justice. Each of the seven schools of magic had roles to play in the governance of Lutèce; each school was headed by a Mage Master who served the highest of the Parisii Order, the Archmage, on a council.

Chikondi had taken his silence as dismissal and began to leave. "I will see to it at once."

"Chikondi," Renaud called after her, causing her to stop and look back. "Thank you."

"I am glad you understand. Lutèce cannot lose another Healer." Her eyes looked over Renaud's shoulder and widened. She grabbed Renaud's sleeve in both her hands and took a step back.

Renaud spun around, feeling the heat from the corpse radiating. The body had turned completely yellow, a pale color that glowed with heat, like dying embers. The black marks burned the skin anew, and the light was becoming brighter.

"Get down!" Renaud shouted, grabbing Chikondi and shielding her with his body. The explosion shook the room and the heat felt like it would melt the skin off their bones. Renaud held his breath, eyes shut tight against their impending death. Chikondi shifted and breathed, and Renaud was keenly aware of their racing hearts. Four heartbeats passed, then eight, and Renaud felt Chikondi's Gift easing the pounding in his ears.

Renaud blinked open his eyes and took a shaky breath. Chikondi was already pushing him aside to get a better look. Surrounding the space where the body had been, there was now a dense orange prism. Chikondi and Renaud looked behind them. Kassandra Élysées stood just inside the doorway, her carnelian agate staff shimmering with bright light. She was breathing heavily and sweat beaded on her face.

"Apprentice Élysées,"Renaud said. He tried to sound stern but all he could manage was relief.

"I'm sorry," she stammered. "I was just-"

"You were eavesdropping," Chikondi said, walking towards the prism. "Thank you. If you had not been here, then I do not think we would have survived that."

"What was it?" Kassandra asked through shallow breaths.

All three moved cautiously, and at once their eyes widened and their mouths dropped. Inside the prism, slightly distorted but otherwise visible, was a beautiful sight. Dust and small particles, glowing in shades of orange and yellow, floated, rotating slowly.

"It's beautiful," Kassandra breathed.

"It's dangerous," Renaud said flatly. He looked at Kassandra, who was still straining to keep her prism solid. It flickered for a moment, threatening to break. "How do we dispel it safely?"

Kassandra opened her mouth to speak but no sound came out. She pressed her lips and nodded; her eyes set with determination.

Chikondi shook her head. "You are about to collapse, child. Is it safe if you release your spell?"

Kassandra shrugged. Renaud marveled at how she was able to contain the energy of the chaotic magic inside that prism even for this long. Too bad there were not more ward-users like Kassandra in the Healers' ranks.

'You regret our Gift to you?'  Usa teased.

'Not at all, Usa. But shields like that are quite useful.'

Renaud looked at Kassandra. "Can you hold it long enough for us to get help?"

Kassandra shuddered, but nodded once. Beside Renaud, Chikondi put her hands on her hips. "Well, I cannot very well let a young Apprentice do all the work." She walked to Kassandra. "Guérison: Transmission des forces," she said. Her tiger's eye staff glowed as a soft light began to pour from her hands. "May I?"

Chikondi placed one hand each on Kassandra's shoulders, and the relief on her face as Chikondi's magic restored her strength was clear. Chikondi caught Renaud's eye.

"Go find a Communicator, I can stay here with Apprentice Élysées," she told him.

"Yes, right away," Renaud agreed. "I'll be quick. Be safe."

Renaud left them, moving swiftly through the Hôtel-Ange, cursing his inability to call for help on his own. Even in the intensity of the moment, however, he had a feeling this was indeed the last of the sickness.

'Let us hope,' Usa agreed.