Shrine of Ithnur | Guardians of Ethereal - Book 1

Chapter 2: Prayer of Restoration

Dry lightning ricocheted across the tree line in a brilliant array of whites, blues, and purples as wildlife scattered to escape the onslaught of rocks and debris.

Noticing something was amidst with the forest, one of the scavengers in the surrounding area dropped their basket upon the ground causing the content to topple out of the weave and onto the field as he broke away from his friends and headed towards the nearest tree. Lifting his hands, the scavenger placed them on the bark near the base of the tree and projected his mind into the woods in the hope of finding the cause of the disturbance.

After several minutes of searching, he opened his eyes with a jolt and stumbled away from the tree causing his friends to look at him with anxious eyes as they wondered what caused him to react so suddenly.

Turning around the scavenger gestured for the others to follow him as he ran towards an area near the edge of the forest where an avalanche of debris speckled the land with stones, leave, and branches.

Located in the center of the chaotic maelstrom lay the disfigured body of the professor whose blood loss created a small reflective pool of golden-red ichor to stain the land a vibrant red as it slowly excreted from his wounds.

One of the women broke away from the group and placed her basket on the ground near the professor before inspecting him for any sign of life. Finding his pulse to be feeble she gestured for the others to rally around her as she relayed her concerns. "His pulse is weak. If he's to survive, we need to work quickly and without distraction. Create a protective barrier around us and leave the healing to me. Let's hope he hasn't lost too much blood for this to work."

The others' hastily placed their belongings on the ground near the professor and positioned themselves at the cardinal and inter-cardinal directions as they stood with the two of them in the center. Turning their backs towards the woman and professor, they extended their arms slowly into the air as they repeatedly chanted, "Averti ab increpantibus nocere." Causing a golden light to pulsate from their palms and form a seamless barrier of earth and wind to build around them in a swirling vortex of natural energy.

Once the barrier was in place, the woman next to the professor moved her light blue hands over the professor's sternum and periumbilical region while melodiously chanting, "salvum facere quod perierat." Causing her thin body to glow a vibrant blue as tendrils of light extended from the tattoos that spread down the length of her arms to fabricate a thin membrane over the professor's disfigured form. As the shroud formed a protective layer over the professor, rocks, leaves, and debris started to float away from the body and land on the ground next to them.

Once the professor's body was enshrouded by the liquid membrane, the woman extended her hands over one of the wounds as she chanted, "sana quod deterioratus," causing her hands to glow a vibrant green as she worked to reshape his injuries into a more natural position.

Pinching her fingers together she moved her hand from the blood to the body in a repetitive motion as she chanted, "Animum expiant," causing the blood to vaporize slightly as she worked to re-seal the wound, remove the impurities of the blood, and displace the liquid back into the extremity before proceeding to the next.

This process continued until his wounds were utterly healed to a point where there were no indications of being injured from the fall.

Satisfied with her handiwork, the woman turned towards the others with beads of sweat crawling down her soft blue skin as she wearily said, "You can release the barrier; but, stay vigilant for the smell of blood is all around us."

With that final note, the people concluded their spell of protection with, "fiat voluntas tua," as they slowly dropped their tired arms to the ground causing the protective barrier to descend in a misty haze and low howls to echo throughout the forest from the scent of blood that escaped into the surrounding forest.