Embers (Scales 'N' Spells 4)

“That is the difference.” Sora gestured between the two. “Your magical core isn’t alive, Lina. It has no power flowing through it. I would say your magical connection has been somehow severed, as if badly cauterized.”

As she stared at the mirrors, tears flowed down her cheeks unchecked. “Oh god. Oh my god. It’s so obvious and it’s really bad, isn’t it? Can you fix me? Like, is that even possible?”

“Hmm.” Sora turned to look at the mirrors, and the gears and cogs spun madly in his eyes as his full intellect turned to the problem.

Yuki also thought for a moment before offering, “I believe we can reverse this.”

Gunter’s eyebrows shot straight into his hairline. “You can?”

“Do you know what this reminds me of?” Yuki indicated Lina’s mirror image with a wave of the hand. “Magical burnout. I’ve not seen it often in my clan, but we had a few cases where someone had done something stupid. It looked something like this. Lina, what does your chest cavity feel like? The sensations.”

Lina wiped tears from her eyes with the sleeves of her sweater, still looking at Sora and Yuki as if they held all the hope in the universe in their hands. “Cold. Like I swallowed a popsicle whole and it’s stuck there. And kinda prickly, a pins-and-needles sensation, as if something in there is numb. It’s never felt great, I just got used to it.”

“Burnout,” Sora agreed with a nod. “Her entire body has a malformed magical connection, and while it’s there, it’s withered. It can only be genetic, as I can’t imagine how your entire clan suffers from the same condition otherwise. But not all genetic faults are without a solution. Lina, with your permission, I’ll share these findings with my family. We’re all doctors who love a challenge; I’m sure we’ll be able to come up with a good treatment plan.”

Lina nodded vigorously. “Do it.”

“Good.”

Yuki, however, wasn’t done. “In the meantime, I’d like to try something. I want to treat you like a magical burnout victim. It may or may not do much good, but it will at least ease that cold, painful sensation.”

Lina again nodded strongly. “Yes, please. Anything. I’ll try anything.”

“Okay.” Yuki turned toward the table and assembled several ingredients, speaking easily as she did so. “I’ll mix together rainbow mist, dragon’s breath, captured sunlight, and a touch of honey. The honey’s mostly to make it easy to swallow. These elements combined will restore some of your magical power, give you a boost. If we offset the magical drain you’re suffering, it will reinvigorate your core.”

Sora hummed in approval. “That’s a grand idea, Kaa-san. I have fresh clover honey from the greenhouse in the fridge, if you want to use it.”

“Perfect. Fetch it for me.”

Yuki mixed it up with quick competency, as if she’d made such a concoction a million times before. Then she handed it over, advising, “Down in one, if you can. Don’t sip it.”

Lina took the glass from her and eagerly chugged it in one go. Then paused, eyes alight. “Wow, that has a kick. But it feels great going down. Like a warm tea or something.”

“That’s almost precisely what it is, for a mage.” Sora took back the glass and eyed her red diagnostic lines. “Yes, that’s already better.”

Gunter’s eyes went to the mirror so he could see for himself. The result was almost immediate. Where there had only been ash-grey lines before, there was a hint of lightness, the lines more clearly visible against the organs and tissue. It wasn’t a drastic change, but it was a visible one.

Lina put a hand to her own chest, looking down with wonder. “That cold feeling isn’t there anymore. Oh my god, Doc, you’re amazing. Can I have more of that?”

“Twice a day,” she answered with a grin. “No more than that; we’re trying to revive your magical core, not overload it.”

Sora agreed with a nod. “For now, we’ll continue this treatment until I can properly confer with colleagues. Either way, I think we’ll find a solution to this problem.”

The tears in her eyes this time were from pure joy. “You really think you can fix me?”

“I believe so. It helps that you’re young—your core isn’t twisted with misuse. But for now, see me right after breakfast and after dinner. I’ll mix this up for you fresh, as it’s best that way.”

Lina beamed at him. “Absolutely, I’ll be here.”

“Good.”

Dimitri gave a knock at the door as he entered. “Hey, everyone, what’s the verdict?”

Sora waved him in as he answered. “It seems to be a combination of magical burnout and a severed connection. I think it’s reversible, but I’d like to call on my family to get a second opinion. This is a rather unique situation. Are you here to check on us?”

“In part. Both our kings want an update. And Mage Lisette said to bring this to Lina—get her to explain what it is—because she has no clue.” Dimitri pulled something from his messenger bag and put it on the table with a clink.