Chapter 325: Promise
I clasped my hands together against my chest, feeling the rapid beat of my heart. Levin was going to help me. We could save Korra!
"Don’t get all starry-eyed yet," Levin grunted. "Heal me first, then I’ll see if there’s anything to be done. I’m not running a suicide mission, not if it compromises my image as a hero."
He was right. It was too soon to celebrate. There was no guarantee I would be able to heal his soul, or that we could rescue Korra from a High Inquisitor. But, even so, I couldn’t keep my tail from twitching as I took a few shallow breaths and calmed myself enough to activate the Oracle of Eternity.
My eyes glistened with starlight as the world opened up before me, the stars of fate appearing as glistening dots woven through reality itself. Turning my gaze to Levin’s soul, I was assaulted by the cruel, twisted scars entwined around his soul, crippling and suppressing his mana.
It was fascinating, not in a good way, but like a devastating forest fire or tornado, gripping my attention until all else faded away. Entranced, I stood and slipped around the table and reached out to him, laying a hand on his chest, hardly even noticing as he stiffened in surprise.
The damage done to his soul was far greater than anything I’d seen before. Levin’s soul had completely rejected the infernal mana, and was relatively unhampered on the inside. It was totally different from Fable’s scenario, where he had begun to fuse with the energy, warping and twisting, becoming something new. Humans couldn’t evolve with infernal mana, not like animals or monsters. Instead, they just hurt.
The closest thing I’d ever done was healing the infernal mana from my own and the Last Light Company’s souls. But this was on an entirely different level. The infernal mana had only just begun to settle in, while here, it was rooted deep and unshakable. Elek the archon, one of the few allies of the Sun God who cared enough to stand up for me, said healing infernal corruption was all but impossible.
But I had created the spell for it, a third-circle piece based on the fragmented experience I’d accumulated. All I needed was to adapt it to Levin’s soul and pray it worked. If it didn’t, Korra would be forever out of reach.
Levin shifted uncomfortably as I remained motionless for several minutes, studying him intently. His soul was powerful and nuanced, infinitely more complex than the soldiers of the Last Light Company. His abilities complicated the issue, bundled up tightly within the constraints of infernal corruption. They overlapped the natural cycle of mana and winding complexities, making learning his soul twice as hard.