Svarik and the company I :)

[Mirach]

"What if I'm not able to dissolve all the barrieres now?" Svarik asked. "Can you just soak the land once, even it the water won't stay? Even that would be enough for now..."

[VisAnastasis]

" I won't force you to do this if it's too much right now. There's something else I could do, that wouldn't require you to tire yourself, only to relax and trust me. " after bit of thinking, man told him in the end. " I can use water from my own soul to nurture your own. I can make it rain here. It will have effects only temporary, of course, but it will bring relief to you and wash out the stench of pain, specially after those new hurts you have caused to yourself in your roughness. I must warn you, though - longer I make it rain, it will be more tiring for me, as it draws clarity and pureness from my soul without replenishing it. To make rain long enough to make difference for you, will tire me considerably, and I won't be able to help you with the barriers today, before I have some food and sleep. If I make it rain here now, having to rest will be inevitable to me. I believe you should think well before you decide what you think is best course of action. "

[Mirach]

"I don't want to hide behind you from the pain or do the exhausting work instead of me" Svarik said quietly. "I just fear the possibility of spending all strength and not getting to the water... I feel the need for it now much more strongly, and dreat ending without it. If you just could, in case we don't get to it today, make it rain for a short moment, that would be enough..."

[VisAnastasis]

" I think you may have spent yourself a lot mentally. Maybe if we struggle now, we will just spent the little bit of strength you got, and you are so terribly thirsty.  If if has taken indeed such big toll, then perhaps it would be better if you don't force it today... " Sage suggested. " I have a suggestion, and I would be thankful if you would consider it. I think more than struggling right away, you are right - you do need that water. Maybe now we can just try to feel it out a bit, so I can teach you to meditate and give you tips how to focus on yourself and your soul. Just give you time to feel the situation around, without pressure of doing anything. " he said soberly. " Then I can give you the rain you desire, and leave you to rest here and take it all in, think through it on your own. What is night, compared to health of one's soul? Effects of rain I make would probably last for couple of hours, anyway. I think we should do it like that, and that you should stay here during the night, to rest and reflect on everything and just focus on the water within you and trying to figure out what it means to you. I will explain everything to your friends, and I can go to rest and eat and return here in the morning, and then we can do the digging them, when you are properly rested and when your mental stamina replenishes a little. "

[Mirach]

"That sounds good," Svarik said slowly. "But my friends will want to stay here if I do. Is that alright, when you leave?"

[VisAnastasis]

" I think it's quite likely they'd not want to return to surface, I agree. I personally would had been happy had they been able to be with you... But only enlightened ones like me, and my demon friend, could enter someone's else's soul bubble, without disturbing it. If your friends would come here inside the core and be with you, each of them would bring reflection of their souls, that would mesh up with yours without control or reason. They would bring their own nightmares and fears into your world, and you don't need that right now. You need some good self reflection. " Sage explained. " It's better if they stay outside of core while you stay inside. I will be back in the morning, with first rays of sunlight, I promise. I would really advise you to just let yourself be silent, and breathe, without worrying for them... But if silence is too overwhelming... I could maybe ask my demon friend to come to keep you company while I sleep. He is in harmony with himself, and he's the only person I know that wouldn't disturb your soul projection... he is a good company, once you get to know him. "

[Mirach]

"I would like to meet him, but I think here I would rather be alone, if you tell me what I should know to not do any more damage..." Svarik said.

[VisAnastasis]

" General advise is to just find what feels good and keep doing and exploring it, and to find out what feels bad and reflect upon yourself to find out about why is it so and what are reasons behind it. Point is to spend some quality time with yourself and get to know yourself a little better. As long as you are not violent to yourself, it will be good.  " man gave him a little smile. " Come here now, little Nightingale... Let's find you a good high point to sit at comfortably, and I will help you clean out those injured hands, and once we get comfortable I will teach you some meditation tips, okay? "

[Mirach]

"Alright," Svarik nodded obediently. "I think I won't be violent to myself if this land gets a bit of rain..."

[VisAnastasis]

" Okay. *A bit of rain* won't be enough to soothe this. I was more thinking about heavy rain that makes a decent amount of mud in aftermath, that can soften the hardened surface soil. The whole place needs enough mana to even it out a little bit and clean it around the edges. You do not play for yourself, I deem, half as much you play for others. " man noticed kindly, and stood up then. " Let's walk a bit. We need to find some high ground, and stony surface, where you won't get muddy once we give this place some well deserved rain. I won't be scrimpy with it, I can vow to that. You need a lot, so I shall give you as much as I can. "

[Mirach]

"There are stones this way," Svarik pointed, knowing instinctively the layout of the land.

[VisAnastasis]

Sage nodded, acknowledging his guide, and letting Svarik lead, just following him by lightly hovering behind him, knowing he can track down safe spot best in his soul. Once they reached stable ground, he sat down cross legged, and instructed Svarik to do the same. Then, he tactfully asked him to show him his injured hands so he could see them better.

[Mirach]

Svarik did so hesitantly, feeling a bit embarrassed about it.

[VisAnastasis]

Sage took king's hands in his, and turned them around, to examine them properly.
" We will use salt water, so hopefully it won't sting as much.. It is as good as any opportunity to get you to get used to scent of my aura... It will be just fine... You'll do great.. Just deeply breathe in, and breathe out... Breathe in, and breathe out.... " he was reassuring him, and, with one of his hands, out of thin air, as if drawing on some deep source within himself, he created a floating bubble of clear fresh water. It had a form of a sphere, and was glowing in blue hue that had a taste of magic within it. Slowly, Sage guided the bubble to envelop king's hands, and then he focused, cleaning out the wounds from debris and dust carefully and patiently by bending the water of the bubble. There was a magic and presence within the water similar to White's, in a way, as its pure gentleness was nice to be surrounded with, and more lord worked on, more soothed and clean king's hands felt, and the pain was getting dulled.

[Mirach]

It stung a bit, but the pain wasn't that bad, so Svarik endured it without a wince, watching the Sage as he worked.

[VisAnastasis]

Once he took care to clean everything properly, creature lingered for a moment thoughtfully, before he reached for the edge of his flowy black cloak. He winched himself slightly, as it seemed to hurt him a little,  as he tore of two clean pieces of black cloth from it, and then proceeded to bandage Svarik's hands with it. Those primitive bandages were soft and silk-like to the touch, like a cold balm, carrying some scent of Sage's inner peace within them.
 
" There. It should help them heal faster. Everything here heals faster, so hopefully, they'll be all well again by tomorrow morning. " he said then in the end, drying a bit of sweat from his brow. " I think I should warn you to be careful now - injuries you make upon the land are on your soul, but if you injure your body here, the injury of it will remain the same in outer world. You will have to be careful, and, um, make sure you don't lose the black cloth. " he smiled a bit. " You need it now, but I am going to need it back tomorrow. "

[Mirach]

"It's a part of you like Erdel's cloak, I see... I can take some cloth from my shirt, it's alright..." Svarik suggested. 

[VisAnastasis]

" Well, I see you can see through my secret... Mainly, through the fact any clothes I wear get imbued with my essence until they are part of me. I can not take another forms or travel through layers conventionally, but it would hurt me to have them damaged. It's a tad annoying glitch that comes with demonic heart, I think, since I didn't have it before I received it. " Sage smiled a little. " I appreciate your offer, but I did not do this just to look edgy, even though I am pretty cool. " he winked. " Any bits of demonic essence, you see, I think you noticed by now, have special features of demon that it belongs to. Rather than normal cloth, it will help you heal faster and better, without scarring those pretty hands of yours. You need those hands, if you want to keep playing those flutes you adore again." he leaned forth unexpectedly, and he pinched Svarik's cheek, as if he had found king's suggestion adorable and couldn't keep himself from doing it. " I will prefer to return you to ser Falcon in perfect condition, if I can, so it is alright if it costs me a bit discomfort. "

[Mirach]

"It's really not that bad, but I understand... if I would borrow something from Falcon, I would want to return it in perfect condition as well," Svarik smiled a little.

[VisAnastasis]

" Indeed. Do you know we live in a world where a simple peanut can just straight up kill some people? " he grinned innocently. " I am not going to let you lose, just to find out you have some strange severe allergy reaction on dust or something. " he said innocently. " You did not see half of Falcon's bad sides that I did. He can smell trouble, and boy, if he senses I got you into some, I don't know how he'll do it, but he's just somehow going to materialize here and hover up to me gently, only to slap me in a face. " he chuckled. " He's one of the few people that slapped me and got away with it, I must admit. It was just a warning slap, but still, I honestly wouldn't want to get on his bad side. "

[Mirach]

"The idea of him appearinh here seems quite possible to me,' Svarik chuckled. "I will return the cloth to you tomorrow."

[VisAnastasis]

" I will be most pleased with it. " Man acknowledged kindly. " Now, we could perhaps try out some meditation exerices, if you would like that. I should teach you to do better, just so Falcon does not come slap me for neglecting you, you see. "

[Mirach]

Svarik nodded to that, trying to pay attention as well as he could in the dry land.

[VisAnastasis]

" Normally, I would teach you some hand gestures to help you focus, but you made me perfectly incapable of teaching you that in the moment. " Man smiled." So let's instead ajdust this to your temperament a bit..Sit comforably... close your eyes... make no effort to controling your breathe, just breathe naturally..and now, focus your attention on the breather and how your body moves with each inhalation... there is no rush.. it's Easy... just breathe in... and breathing out.... "

[Mirach]

"I know this..." Svarik murmured, remembering how Conrad taught him a similar exercise, and he started breathing that way, calming himself.