It was a fully sketched diagram of the device that contained the orb, but beneath it, there were a few paragraphs of text that had scribbled translations between each line. Each translated sentence was a piece of a guide to what it called a Relay Container, including its location and how to operate it.
To each side of the parchment, there were letters that either weren't, or couldn't, be translated since they were written in an entirely different language. Each letter was glowing with a sickly green hue, much like the one coming from the orb, but it was hardly noticeable under the already present glow.
"These runes here, I've seen them before," Devyr said, tracing a finger along the side of the parchment nearest to her. "W-What? You have?" Meliss asked, visibly confused not only by the fact that Devyr spoke, but that she could recognize them.
Tell her not to translate them aloud. Words have power, especially in the old languages, Mom warned, to which Kalia relayed the information promptly. "I-I have, yes, but my betters have warned me not to speak them aloud," Devyr said, taking a step back.
"B-But you must know what they mean, right? Please, I need you to translate them however loosely you can without activating their power. If we can't use the knowledge in this scroll, we're all going to suffer for it," Meliss asked with a sense of urgency, trying to take a step forward, but Mom put a hand on her shoulder to stop her.
"Knowledge is learned through books, but wisdom is learned in blood, Meliss. I know you're trying to help, but if we don't contain it quickly, we'll be putting the entire island at risk," she said grimly, but still conveying a motherly tone to let her know that she truly understood that she was just trying to help.
Meliss's features shifted from hopeful to dejected in a heartbeat when she finally understood. "I guess I'll have to do it, after all," she muttered, lowering her head and turning to move toward the small panel at the front of the device.
"What are you doing?" Mom asked. "Blood of my blood, and curse of my curse," Meliss said over her shoulder with a weak smile. "You can't mean…" Mom trailed off with widened eyes, but Meliss nodded once and began to explain. "I'd stand back, if I were you," she said weakly, turning to face the device while we did as she requested.
"My father was researching this device just before he died, and did his best to conceal its presence when he discovered it. He left what's known as a blood bind on it, meaning only members of his bloodline can use the machine properly, but I'm only half-dwarf," she said, reaching her hands out to touch the small dials on the panel.
A green tendril shot out from the panel and whipped against her arm, causing her to flinch and wince in pain. "Meliss, no!" Ed said, abandoning Balgrim and moving toward her in a heartbeat. "Edryd, don't fucking move!" Mom said in a mana-infused voice, pointing her finger directly at him. He froze solid, watching Meliss hopelessly struggle through the pain.
His emotional state won't help us at all right now, she sent us briefly.
"If you'd completed your spell, the rings on the outside would have disintegrated because of the unrecognized mana signature invading their purpose. That would have caused a complete meltdown of this system, ultimately leading to its self-destruction, and unmanageable containment of the mana within," she continued, turning one of the dials counterclockwise as she gritted her teeth for another whip of the tendrils.
She grunted in pain, but continued to adjust the dials as much as she could. "It's ironic, really. To think that something Balgrim coveted for so long could only be controlled by the offspring of his worst enemy," she said, overseeing the orb as she observed the tendrils' movements beginning to die down.
That's when the final gear clicked into place. I could feel it, like a misplaced puzzle piece found buried beneath the ashes of a past that didn't belong to me. It was a strange feeling, naturally, but everything about her, her father's death, and why she had to flee the Isles finally made complete sense. Ysevel, Mom, and Kalia all felt the same thing I had, and a collective mix of anger and concern began to grow.
That stumpy little fuck-nugget, Mom sent us along with the rest of her emotions. I couldn't find myself disagreeing with the name she gave him. He really was a slimy weasel shit after all.
But no matter how we felt, we knew we couldn't break Meliss's concentration. From where I stood, I could only see her making the most minute adjustments, though it was a testament to her willpower and Pyle's training that she managed to do so while in so much pain.
"There, that should keep it under control for the time being," Meliss said, but as she turned around to us, I could see her eyes were bloodshot and cloudy, like some of her life force had been taken as payment to adjust the machine. She managed to take a step forward before suddenly collapsing to the floor in a heap, losing consciousness entirely as blood began to pour from her nose.
"Shiiiit, pour your mana into her! She's going to die if you don't!" Athar shouted, rushing over to us to help, along with Irun. Each of us knew Athar, rather his alternate, had the most experience with Leech mana, so we instinctively took his word for it and began to cast every possible healing spell we knew, but nothing seemed to work.
"Is there anything we can do? Her pulse is fading as we speak!" Irun asked urgently, pouring a heap of Vexing mana into her. "I can think of one thing, but I don't know if I can handle it alone. I'd need your help to channel that mana into her," Mom said, tilting her head to the orb and giving Athar a serious look. "Fuck no, that will kill us both, and I've already died once," Athar said, continuing to pour mana into her.
As his words sank into my mind, I knew there was really only one option left. Her lifesigns are fading faster than we can pour mana into her safely, Ysevel sent me with a subtle shake of her head. I know, and I can't imagine what it will do to Ed if she dies in front of him, I replied, feeling the air go still around me.
"I can save her, or you can keep pouring mana into what is now little more than a corpse, though it will leave you all as easy prey," a familiar voice I'd buried in my memory sounded from the corner Ed was standing in. "What the fuck did you just s-..." I trailed off as I turned to look in his direction.
My eyes widened, since nothing could have prepared me for what I saw.
A single tendril of pure, green mana was gingerly touching Edryd's temple. His eyes were widened in fear and shock, his mouth quietly wording something I couldn't hear or read on his lips. But out from behind him was the bearded dwarf displaying a wicked smile, and eyes like black-green mana lanterns.
"It's been a long time, Thoma," Balgrim mouthed, though it wasn't the voice I'd known him to have. Somewhere deep in the recesses of my mind, that same voice resurfaced, placing me back in that pantry, shirtless, and feeling like I'd been kicked in the chest by a mule.
The orb, seemingly reacting to his presence, began to shift and swirl viciously as I glared at him, though all I got in return was that same, wicked smile from the night my core was sealed.
"Mideia," I seethed, feeling my fist clench tightly, while I rose to my feet.