Allies

As soon as they stepped outside the interrogation room, Rathgar clapped Silas on the back. "Well done, lad. You handled that interrogation like a seasoned pro. I'm impressed."

Silas shrugged, still feeling unsure. "I feel like I messed up. Now Professor Morgath knows my secrets and has his eye on me. I can't step out of line, or there'll be 'severe consequences'."

"You did the best you could. Morgath agreed to help you. Morgath doesn't help anyone unless there's money behind them. Him promising to protect you is a big deal," Rathgar explained.

"Yeah, I'll try to be more positive about it," Silas sighed. "Still feels like I lost."

"Don't worry about that for now," Rathgar said, his expression turning serious. "Worry about the future. Let me give you some advice."

Silas looked up at Rathgar, engaged. "What's that?"

"Be careful who you trust, but trust someone. You need to build up your circle. There are secret alliances everywhere in this school, and most of them involve the wealthy and connected. The only way to win is to be just as connected as they are, except with common folk like you."

"I'm way ahead of you. I've been forging alliances since I got here, a day ago." Silas smiled, feeling more confident. It was good to know he was on the right path.

"Good, lad. If you ever need anything, don't be afraid to ask me for help," Rathgar said.

"Don't worry, I'll be calling on you soon," Silas patted the pouch full of mana cores at his side.

"I look forward to it, lad. I'll see you soon." The professor turned and strode away into the night, leaving Silas alone with the guards who were following them at a distance. Silas picked up his pace.

Approaching his dorm room, Silas noticed light seeping out from under the door. Despite his ordeal, he felt guilty for keeping his roommates up. He braced himself, turning the handle and stepping inside.

Jace and Rowan were still awake. They had worried looks on their faces. They leapt to their feet when Silas entered, bombarding him with questions.

"Silas! Where have you been, man? We were so worried!" Jace exclaimed.

Rowan, his brow furrowed, added, "We heard rumors about an incident at the lake. Are you ok?"

Silas held up his hands, trying to calm their frantic questions. "Sorry for keeping you guys up, but I'm ok."

He sank onto his bed, thinking about the evening's events. Jace and Rowan exchanged looks before sitting down next to Silas's bed.

"What happened?" Rowan asked.

Silas ran a hand through his still damp hair and sighed. "Damien Devereux, Alastair Devereux's brother, and his cronies ambushed me. Then they tied me up and threw me into the lake."

Jace's face adopted a look of horror. Rowan clenched his jaw, pissed. "Those bastards," Jace muttered.

"How did you survive? That's a big fall," Rowan asked.

"Professor Ironforge saved me. He pulled me out of the water and gave me a health potion. We had to fight off some tigerfish, but we made it out alive." Silas explained.

"Sounds like a night. What else happened?" Jace asked.

"It would be easier if I showed you. Look me in the eyes for like 10 seconds." Silas said to Jace.

"I'll do it, but why?" Jace asked, his eyebrow raised.

"I have a new skill called a soul link. It lets me transfer memories to people," Silas said.

Jace did as he was told and after several seconds of silently staring at each other, Silas got a notification from the system.

[Prolonged eye contact established. Soul link initiating]

Silas felt a strange sensation as the soul link initiated. Silas's thoughts and memories began to flow into Jace's mind. They painted a vivid picture of the night's events.

Jace witnessed the ambush by Damien Devereux and his companions through Silas's eyes. He experienced the sensation of being bound and thrown a hundred feet into the dark, cold waters of the lake.

He felt his bones break on impact, the fear that came with not being able to move under the water. Not being able to swim to the surface for air. And the relief of being pulled out of the water by Rathgar.

Jace also saw the fight Silas and Rathgar had with the giant tigerfish. The intense interrogation with Professor Morgath, Silas's secrets discovered, and the barely cordial relationship between him and the inspector.

Silas's thoughts drifted to the path that had led him to this moment. He recalled the discovery of his condition, the pain of being bad at magic, the one thing everyone in Eldoria cared about.

Jace also experienced the pain that came with the leviathan mana core integration, and the mysterious system that now guided him on his journey.

Jace felt the bittersweet presence of Silas's mother within his mind. A fragment of her soul embedded in the machine that was allowing him to finally learn magic.

Jace felt the pain of Silas's mother's abduction by the authorities, and the desperation that drove Silas to push forward despite the odds.

Through the soul link, Jace gained a better understanding of Silas's challenges, his secrets, and his future potential.

As the soul link faded, Silas and Jace sat in silence. Rowan looked at the two of them, not fully understanding the depths of what had just happened.

"Whoa," Jace said. "No wonder you wanted the blood pact. Your secrets run deep. If the wrong people found out, you'd be in serious sh**."

"Thank you for your profound wisdom, Jace. But for real, thank you for entering the soul link with me," Silas said, sincerely. "Now it's your turn Rowan."

"Hey! Hold on a second. I need to process what just happened. So you guys touched souls and shared memories with Jace?" Rowan asked, looking a little worried.

"Yes. If you want to know my situation, this is the easiest way for me to do it, Rowan. I'd understand if you didn't want to, but I promise it won't be that bad," Silas said.

After a few more moments of hesitation, Rowan let his shoulders drop. He sighed, and said, "Ok, let's get this over with." He stared into Silas's eyes and Silas stared back.

After a few seconds the link initiated and Silas shared the same memories and emotions with Rowan, that he did with Jace.

"Wow. That's a wild ride, and I'm not just talking about the soul link. Your life felt like some sort of play, Silas. There were so many ups and down." Rowan reacted.

"I guess it has been that way," Silas reflected. "I never really thought of it like that. It's just been my life, one day at a time."

"I also get why you needed the blood pact. If this got out, there would definitely be consequences," Rowan said, grimly.

"Thanks for your support you guys. We barely know each other and you're willing to go this far down the rabbit hole with me? That means a lot," Silas said, getting choked up.

"No problem," Jace said. "I live for the possibility of a heist or a jailbreak."

"No problem, Silas. As I said, I may not help with the jailbreak but you have my emotional support. Just don't tell anyone. I have a reputation of unfriendliness to maintain," Rowan said.

"So, you're allowed to drain mana from magical beasts now?" Rowan asked, a hint of envy in his voice.

Silas nodded. "Yeah, but I don't know how I feel about it yet. Draining mana from magical beasts could get me killed."

Jace placed a comforting hand on Silas's shoulder. "We'll figure it out together, man. You're not alone in this."

Rowan nodded in agreement. "Get some rest, Silas. We'll talk more in the morning."

Silas was startled by a soft knock at the door. He exchanged a glance with Jace and Rowan, as if asking them if they were expecting someone, but they seemed as surprised as he was.

Silas rose to answer it. As he opened the door, he was surprised to find Lyra Voidwalker standing there. Her auburn hair was tousled and her eyes were full of concern.

"Lyra? What are you doing here?" Silas asked.

"I heard what happened," she said. "Can we talk? Privately?"

"You can talk in front of them," Silas gestured to Rowan and Jace. "They know everything now."

"Oh," Lyra said, a little disappointed she wasn't the only one who knew anymore.

"That reminds me. There's something we need to do to get you caught up. Can you look me in the eyes?" Silas asked her gently.

"Uh, sure," Lyra said hesitantly. She couldn't tell what he was up to.

They stared each other in the eyes until the soul link activated. Silas thought of the same memories he had with Jace and Rowan, showing Lyra what had happened tonight and earlier in his life.

Lyra blushed. The soul link was exhilarating for her. She felt closer to Silas than she'd ever felt to anyone. She knew it was artificial, but it still felt nice.

"How did you do that?" Lyra asked.

"It's part of my essomancy affinity. I can link my soul with others and exchange memories and feelings," Silas explained.

The impact of what Silas had gone through in his life hit Lyra like a ton of bricks. She had the urge to hug him. "I'm sorry, Silas. I knew they took your mother away from you but I didn't realize how hard your life has been."

"It's ok. I know things are bad, but things have never been better in my entire life. Ever since I got here a day ago, I feel like my luck has changed," Silas said, a smile spreading across his face.

"Never mind that though. How did you find out about tonight?" Silas asked, curious.

Lyra bit her lip. "I have my sources. But that's not important right now. What matters is that you're okay."

She reached out and gently touched Silas's arm, her fingers tracing the bruises left by the blood rope. Silas flinched at the contact, still physically on high alert from the incident. Lyra quickly withdrew her hand.

"I'm sorry." Lyra said, worried she'd hurt him.

"It's ok. I'm fine, really. My body just hasn't calmed down yet," Silas said.

"There's something else you should know. I've been doing some digging, and I think I've found a way to help you."

"What do you mean?" Silas asked.

"I'll explain later. Meet me in the alchemy lab tomorrow night. Bring those two," she looked over at Jace and Rowan, who were staring at the two of them, "if they want to help."

With that, she turned and slipped out of the room. He looked back at Jace and Rowan.

"Silas has a girlfriend," Jace said, teasingly.

"I hate to agree with Jace, but she did seem into you." Rowan said, his expression unreadable and his arms folded. "Now it's time for us to get to bed."

Rowan was already in his pajamas. He summoned Steggie, turned off the light near his bed, and went to sleep. Jace and Silas did the same shortly after.