After breakfast, Lens followed the Noxferus and his niece down into his complex. But unlike before, the halls seemed to lack any furniture, tools, or materials. Lens pondered on this, and tried to remember if it was always like this. Her head was a bit groggy, but she seemed to recall at least being something there, like a table, painting, or other furniture.
Lens herself was in a much better mood, despite the events of last night. A part of her still mourned for Lightwing, as the two had been on many adventures. But another was glad, as Honey seemed very intelligent and respectful. Granted she seemed a bit cold, but for Lens she was used to that, or at least tended to be the impersonal one herself.
And a large part of her was very happy that the Noxferus was not in a deep relationship, say for wanting to nurture their friendship. Very few ponies could get me to do that. Before coming to Woodwatch, I think only my Grandfather was the only pony that I opened my heart to.
After traveling a considerable distance, they stopped by a door.
Scalpel turned to his companion, and gave her an anxious look, “Now if you would, please brace yourself, this may be a bit of a shock.” with a twist of magic on one of the lower facilities doors her opened it up to reveal a darkened room, lit only by a couple of oil lamps here and there. In the far corner, two Worker Drones looked up from disassembling one of the few mechanisms still within this portion of the facility and bowed. Scalpel waved them off with one hoof and they returned to their work immediately, as if like clockwork automatons.
Travelling further in, and grabbing one of the oil lamps, he ventured in, beckoning Lens to follow. Before them was assembled a dissection table with a white cloth over the top of it, a bloodstained outline showing that there was a figure beneath. Next to it however lay a conical like machine, with a open centrepiece which revealed a immense number of cables and wires linked to a small, cylindrical device with a rectangularly arranged bottom, with various dials and meters attached, as well as various more esoteric parts.
Pausing before it, Scalpel lit up his magic once more and began to twist and turn numerous levers and buttons on the surrounding machine, causing a startling cacophony of noise to erupt from the eldritch device. The dials and meters on the cylinder began to change, slowly at first, before becoming as an almost natural rhythm. With a few twists of certain dials on the cylinder, Scalpel suddenly stopped.
A high hum of electricity echoed throughout the chamber, before moderating into a low, bearable buzz of static.
“Hello Steel.” Scalpel said experimentally, “How are you this morning?”
The last memory Steel had was the pain in his chest, and the blood he was now coughing up. He knew his ribs were broken and he needed immediate medical treatment. But the Earth pony stood up during the battle and hid his trouble. If the Noxferus doesn’t get to me soon, I don’t think I’ll make it he thought.
The Drones led him into a darkened room, and something… medical looking was waiting. “So I guess this is it,” said Steel, no pony in particular. “If you could, just tell your boss please don’t hurt Lens.” An injection soon followed, and then darkness.
What he didn’t expect was to hear a voice. Steel was awake, or at least he thought. He didn’t feel anything, not even the aches he generally had. He was almost as old as Prancer, though the metalsmith was in much better shape.
From the device came Steel’s voice, sounding far more mechanical and roughly. “What, where, um… hey where am I? And who are you?” Steel wondered how he was speaking, since he didn’t even feel a jaw move or his vocal chords vibrate.
Scalpel remained patient with the disorientated stallion as he mumbled in confusion, interested to see his reaction and how well he returned to normal after the operation. After all he mused, this was experimental technology.
Grabbing a chart and notes over from the where the Medical Drones had placed it after the operation, he scanned its contents, replying in a measured manner to the stallions questions whilst he multitasked with the details laid before them.
“You Steel, are in a section of my laboratory, I am the Noxferus and you have met me before, I believe you may have some limited postoperative temporary amnesia currently effecting you. Your memories should return steadily. In the meantime I have brought someone you know to talk to you, you do remember Dr Lens correct?” Scalpel looked up from his charts and devices, waiting for a response, occasionally flickering to the side to take in Lens’ reaction.
Lens looked horrified, if her face was in any indication. Her mouth was open and her eyes seemed to look at the machine. She seemed to slump down a bit, as if in a shock. She didn’t say anything right away.
Steel responded back to Scalpel. “That’s you? Sorry, I didn’t recognize your voice there a second Doc Noxferus. I sort of expected something more dramatic. I remember Lens… she’s alright, right?” There was now a tone of concern in what was previously a nonchalant voice.
Scalpel gave the device a thin smile, even though he knew Steel wouldn’t be able to see it, “Lens is perfectly fine Steel, we managed to exonerate her and you from connections with the Inquisition and I am maintaining contacts with your organisation, you however are in a bit of a different situation…”
As Scalpel has spoken he gave a look at the various statistics and details regarding Steel’s bodies autopsy. Even though the clear death had been the extraction of the skull from its body along with a fair portion of the spine, the damage from Steels broken ribs had been particularly serious. Significant portions had been pushed into his vitals, and a shard had been making its way towards his heart as the operation had been underway. Scalpel knew that their was a fair degree of chance that he might have managed to save the Stallion with his capabilities, but he’d been distracted and angry at that time, and he was dealing with Lens.
“What I am about to tell you may come as a bit of a shock, Lens here is already in shock due to seeing you as you are now. Anyway, I will attempt to fill you in on the details as gently as possible. Your current condition when you were brought here was- to put it simply- bad. Significant portions of your ribs had been forced into your internals and a portion was making its way towards your heart, if it had continued you would have died. In order to salvage what we could without you dying on us, we were force to use experimental technology to extract your brain as a last ditch effort, along with its skull casing and a portion of your spine. You have been placed in a nutrient and oxygen rich medium which will keep you alive and healthy for the meanwhile until more options became available for your possible return to a bodily capacity. You are currently speaking to us through one of my machines... I … apologise for the loss of your body, but there was little we could do. I am making technical progressions, so this may only be a temporary situation for you, but again, I apologise. It was the only way we could save your life.”
There was a moment of silence. Then Steel spoke: “You put my brain in a jar? Wow, Prancy is going to be so jealous. His team has been trying to do that for years now, with little success,” replied Steel.
Lens finally spoke, tears running down her eyes. “This is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen,” she said smiling. It turned out, Lens was more amazed than horrified.
“Thanks Doc for saving my life,” continued Steel. “Funny, I thought you were just going to destroy me without questioning me. Heh heh.” There was mirth behind that chuckle. For whatever reason Steel wasn’t too concerned about his current predicament.
Scalpel gave both of them a look of incredulity, his mouth moving side to side as if he couldn’t get the words out, finally he blurted out something at least intelligible, “Where in hell have you lot of like minded individuals been all my life? I swear I go through hundreds of towns and always get the same horrified response, next thing I know you lot turn up and its like I’m at a convention of clones!” He barely heard the last of Steels dialogue through his sheer confusion, but at the last he did muse slightly on it before returning to the strangeness of the situation.
Well… I certainly considered it
“Maybe when I was younger, I probably be screaming,” Steel said. “But after all these years, I just got used to the insanity. And Lens grew up around experiments. Not sure it’s the healthiest of way to raise a child, but I think she turned up alright.” He said this with some pride, as he was like an honorary Uncle to Lens.
“I have so many questions…”, Lens said starry eyed. She was trying to figure out how the contraption worked, and speculated on every piece of it.
“I think that makes seven,” Steel said.
“Well,” Scalpel grumbled slightly, “its nice to know at some point you’d have found the situation mildly horrifying. Otherwise I’d have been particularly put out about a stallion who was happy to have his brain, as you explained it, ‘put in a jar’.” He turned to look at Honey and she wandered up on her metallic back legs and gave him a nuzzle of comfort, a small smile playing at her lips. He took solace in that.
“And well, my niece here seems to be doing well enough with her uncle here. Top range magic for her age, understanding of vast scientific fields etcetera, etcetera, So I assume its not too damaging to linger amongst the adventurous intellectual elite.” Almost as if realising something his mouth took on an ‘Oh’ shape and he wandered up to the device again.
“Now that you seem to have adjusted to the basic situation I believe we can move one step further, both auditory and sound technology seem to be functional… lets test out vision.” with a few twists, flicks of switches and a press of a button, the top of the Cylinder opened at circular points along the side and a number of levitating crystalline shards attached to small orbs began to hover out around the entire device, looking distinctly like mechanical eyes.
“You may experience momentary discomfort Steel,” Scalpel murmured as he activated the visual array, “It may be somewhat blinding to begin with, but you should settle into it soon enough, I doubt it’ll be any more annoying than awaking in the morning to sunlight through the window…”
With one final twist Scalpel counted slowly out loud as the systems integrated with the intelligence inside.
“Three… two… one!”
A woosh of magical energy crackled into the life and then silenced itself as the technology connected with Steel mind. The ‘eyes’ began to show a level of control, and Scalpel waited breathlessly as Steel grew used to the new component to his state.
“Gahhhakkkk!” The noise sounded stranger because from a mechanical device, like a cross between gagging and a crunch of metal. “Errr, sorry about that Doc. I just… wow did it get dizzy. One moment I’m in this darkness, then I’m seeing a rainbow of colors, everything a big blur, sort of like having one too many drinks.
“Alright, I think I can see… you, Lens, and your niece. The colors are a bit off and some of the proportions to to flux. Some colors I can’t tell if they’re supposed to be black or the light isn’t strong enough to show their hue. A bit fuzzy on the edges, like a blizzard almost at times.”
Lens in the meanwhile paid apt attention to the discussion. “Interesting. Noxferus, it’s an interesting device - a visual gathering instrument. I’ve read of researchers trying to do the same, like a camera without film. But it’s only hypothetical at this point.”
Scalpel nodded, only half listening to Lens as he frowned over the device, “It seems my calculations may have been a bit off with the visual parameters, if you will let me Steel, I’ll see if I can sharpen the detail on them by changing current conditions, that might make things a bit clearer.”
In a half answer to Lens he continued “Yes its an unusual form of technology, I’ve been utilising it with my Risen, Spheres and Drones, although it seems they work on a different frequency from living creatures. These levels should have been suitable… interesting…”
He wandered up and stared down at one of the many mechanical eyes, “Do I have your permission?”
“Sure, why not. At this point, I should be lucky you’re not applying some instrument of pain to me,” said Steel.
Scalpel chuckled at that a little darkly, “If I had that in mind Steel you’d still be in your body, no i’m just going to move some dials…” making miniature twists here and there, he paid rapt attention to his host, “How is that?”
“Much better. The snows is gone, and I think I can make out all the colors. Depth perception is working. Uh… is there anything else?”
Making one tiny last adjustment Scalpel stepped back and scratched his head one hoof. “Not really, you have complete control over the levitating ‘eyes’ and you can move them in nearly all directions about two meters from the containment device. Currently we’re in the prototype stage so I’m afraid you won’t be able to move about like say, my spheres -you’d have to be dead for that- but the device itself is not heavy and someone can probably carry you… I may be able to fix up a mobility device at some point, but right now I’m a bit preoccupied in moving my facility elsewhere…”
“Cripes, yeah the Inquisition,” muttered Steel. “Just our bad luck, just when everything seemed to going well for once. But what’s the plan? “
Lens nodded. “Yes, we have to do something soon. We don’t know when an investigation would begin, but they’re sure to come. Not to mention finding Southwatcher and Sweeper’s missionaries.”
“The basic plan would be that you, Lens and your remaining compatriots would make your way back to safer territories, I’ve already filled in Lens with the rest of the details, but I’ll be leaving for an undisclosed location of my own choosing. I will continue to contact the Scholarship through intermediaries, and when my presence is necessary Lens will be the official envoy on my own terms. She can doubtless fill you in on the rest.”
Scalpel gave a look behind him, looking for the two Worker Drones as he did so, but they were no longer there and the room had been emptied of that specific example of machinery. “It seems my servants have finished removing the last of my technology, I will be leaving soon.”
“Alright makes sense. But I do wonder, um, what about me?” asked Steel.
Lens nodded. “Yes, I’m not sure if I can take Steel with me and get out fast. Or at least without raising many questions. Worse, this technology could be dangerous in the wrong hooves - it would be too risky.”
Scalpel frowned in thought, “Well I originally planned on you taking him with you, but if that does not fit I can I guess take him with me, although I’d have to put him to sleep for a couple of days whilst I set things up in my new facility. The next meeting I believe I could hoof him over to your capable hands, he’d provide a good example why future security measures are necessary. Alternately I could have him delivered by a couple of my Risen to your facility, they’ve grown apt at disguise - at least the advanced ones have- so that may be possible.”
“I suppose shipping me back via air mail isn’t possible,” said Steel. “In any case, I don’t mind sleeping for a while.”
“Well, I could, but there is a probability you’d have a rude awakening from some grumpy postman throwing you about like a cabbage, or damaging the technology, so only if you’re happy with that…”
“Good point. At least if your … Risen is it?, they probably would better making sure I get back home safety. Besides, if something goes wrong, you’re probably the only pony that knows how any of this works.”
“Yes, even with my intellect and even my Grandfathers minds, we won’t know the details. We could make guesses, but nothing more,” Lens said sadly. She didn’t want to leave Steel behind, not after he had protected her so often. But there not much choice.
“You would be correct in that assumption, plus my technology has anti-tampering measurements so… its best not to fiddle with it unless I’m guiding you through it. On the bright side I doubt this will take more than a few weeks to get you back home, and hopefully I’ll have set up some improvements in the meanwhile for greater mobility and interaction.” Scalpel gave the two of them a bright smile, “I’ll keep you up to date on events Steel, but if I do put you to sleep it will be a momentary period of time before you’re home. Unless you want to interact on the way there… but then again, my Risen have never been great at communicating with people, they tend to get a bit introspective and quiet.”
“Just keep off until you’re ready, Doc. The least I know about where we're going, the better it be for me both. In fact, you probably want to keep off when you send me home until I’m a far enough distance,” Steel said.
“I probably shouldn’t go to Manehatten so soon,” Lens said. “The Inquisition could have agents waiting for me before I can get to the Institute. But I know of a safehouse in Golden Pines to stay for a bit - Professor Sweet’s Music. I’ll stay there for a week.Does that sound good?”
Scalpel nodded in acknowledgement, “That sounds perfect, you’ll have to give me the directions however, otherwise my Risen getting there could be in some bother, that is if its hidden or not.” Scalpel suddenly rummaged in one pocket, looking for something, finding it, he pulled it out and held it before himself and threw it across to Lens. It was a small gilded metal box with a small crystal centerpiece on one side, with lines of runes connecting up with it on every side, “Here, take this.”
Lens looked at the item, raising a single eyebrow. “What is this?”
“A device for long range communication, harmonise your magic with the crystal and we’ll be able to communicate with each other through astral projections. Allows us for private contact without the chance of the Inquisition interceding with my communications with the Scholarship,” he gave her a playful wink, “... among other things.”
Lens began to blush again, but she smiled. “Amazing, thank you.”
Steel chuckled, seeing Lens was hitting it off with the Noxferus. Then he stopped. “Anyone know what happened to Southwatcher? Scarlet said something about another pony telling where the meeting was, and Southy was the only other pony that knew.”
“Don’t know, I haven’t been to the Inn yet. And I don’t know if Southwatcher is alive or not,” Lens said. “But I’ll find out before leaving. We must have some time before any other pony starts causing trouble.” She looked at Scalpel. “And there’s one more thing, the reason why we needed the book. Noxferus, whatever you do, do not make contact with the alicorn named Ark or Arkon or his followers.” She gave a brief description of what they knew about Canterlot and what Sweeper said of his powers.
Scalpel raised an eyebrow, “The Book Thief? Yes I know of him, and no I shall not be communicating with that vagabond, too risky and you know well my feelings on alicorns Lens.” He walked forward again and began to detach Steel from the conical machine he had been attached to, continuing to talk to the both of them as he did so, “I have connections within most of the major houses, so news travelled fast about his… acquisitions, shall we say? I won’t be dealing with him. As for you other companion, as far as I know she is alive, my eyes notified me that she had been drugged by the Inquisitors and left in the Inn, doubtless they wanted to interrogate her later. As to her current state I do not know, she will hopefully be fine however.”
With a hiss of cold nitrogen the last of the cables and cords were disconnected from the containment device and Scalpel levitated Steel carefully through the air after him, stopping before Lens with a mirthsome look “Shall you deligne us with your presence as we depart Lens?”
Lens knew time was of the essence, and if Southwatcher was drugged she may have to drag her out. And there was the Missionaries. But she wanted to be with the Noxferus as long as she could. “I would be delighted. And there’s one more thing - it’s about Sweeper. There doesn’t seem to be very many things to get her attention. But if you could avoid two things. One is not to make a huge mess, as in not polluting the environment, set up an ugly looking building, or destroying beautiful objects.”
Scalpel raised an eyebrow at, for the second time in so many minutes. “... I do have some aesthetic qualities you know, besides, If your think I am going to turn my new abode into a desolate wasteland of death and ash you’d be mistaken. My ideal is turning Equestria into a paradise, not a death pit… Asides from that I don’t plan on having any communications with Sweeper, my investigations wouldn’t exactly go down well with her I believe.”
“Yes, but Sweeper has the unfortunate habit of showing up in random places. Scroll swears she has an uncanny knack for breaking the odds of being in the strangest places. A mere precaution. And the second thing, don’t hurt her followers, at least those who were blessed by her. She may treat her servants like adoring pets, but she’s very sentimental. A group of Earthborn soldiers learned that the hard way. I’ll deal with the missionaries here in my own way.”
Scalpel nodded half listening as he saw to Honey, wrapping a red coat around her, and seeing she was properly buttoned up, as she sighed and gave him an exasperated look. “I swear I will try not an attract her attention, my abode should be well hidden regardless… very well hidden. As for her followers, I have no interest in hurting them, it raises too much attention for me to be comfortable, and most of my Risen are simply made out of a bandits and the like for that exact reason. I’ll leave her cultists to your discretion.”
Placing the containment device in his saddlebags, he saw to it that Steel was relatively comfortable before stopping before Lens, a look of interest on his face “Is there anything else I should know?”
Lens looked at him, eyes quivering. “Well… nothing too important. You have my card and we have a way to communicate. But… I just wanted to say…” she was blushing again. “I… I… have great… oh I love you.” She said, looking down and frowning in embarrassment, wishing she was a turtle so she could pop back into her shell.
Scalpel was a bit startled by the sudden pronouncement, but afterward he felt a great relief sweep through him, and a spark of passion erupt into a blazing fire. reaching forward he tilted her head up into she was looking directly into his eyes, a great peaceful smile spread across his face filled with compassion and adoration. “Mi amor” he whispered, and drew her into a passionate kiss, all the fire and love exploding in one mad moment, all caution thrown to the wind.
Lens returned the passion, hugging him with all the love she had. Time could have kept on going, but for her that moment could last forever. The logic side stepped out of the way, since thinking about the technical details would just get in the way. She was giddy with delight and was happier than ever before.
When Scalpel finally was finished, Lens didn’t say anything for while. She just stared at his eyes, bright and shinny. “That… that was my first kiss,” she said.
Lens looked she’d turned completely violet upon the kiss, and he was overwhelmed by the feelings he felt for the mare as she had returned his passion equally. He grinned as they broke contact, a little bashful as he looked at her, his eyes shining with happiness. “Well…” he replied a little huskily, “I hope I did not disappoint.” Behind both of them, the small figure of Honey was making low retching noises, but the couple seemed to barely paid it any mind.
Reaching a sudden realisation, his grin grew even brighter, “I believe its time we paid someone a visit as well before we go our separate ways… at least for the time being, she’ll be very excited to see you again.”
Lens nodded, though she was half-listening. “You didn’t disappoint,” she said.
He gave her a wink, “Come along then Lens, lets go meet everyone.” shepherding her through the door as she wandered as if in a daze he whispered in her ear, “The next time I see you there will be more than just one”. as the troupe trundled out the door, they left what remained of Scalpels work behind in darkness, as the house became a silent monument to success, to love and to wonder.
“Goodbye old friend” whispered Scalpel as he passed, running one hoof across a old and trusted wall, “I hope to walk your halls again, until then… be well.”
They passed through the great halls of his mansion, silent and quiet where once there had been industry. They passed through the corridors now where once hundreds had run back and forth in preparation, working, sending messages, repairing and building. Leading the way, with Lens close by his side, Scalpel lifted a lantern and eyed the great doors before him.
“Here we are.”
Pushing through the door they were suddenly met with a blaze of light, the great doors led to a massive underground warehouse and in it were the hundreds of Scalpels Risen which had manned the place as their master had forged, thought, discovered and created. Each for them stood in rank and file immovable asides from two figures up front who bowed towards Scalpel as he entered.
Suddenly there was a batlike squeak from the rafters and as swift as a dark lightning bolt of purplish blue and white came the blazing form of Nocturne. “Lens!” she cried out happily, practically wrapping herself around the mare, “Nice to zee you again, Herr Doktor had me worried, but you’re alright!”. The mare affectionately nuzzled Lens, completely oblivious to personal space as she did so, overcome with glee at the sight of her friend.
Lens returned the embrace and nuzzle, a smile on her face. “Nocturne, good to see you again. I’m so glad to have meet you. The Noxferus is lucky to have you as an assistant - one couldn’t ask for a better one.
“I guess this is good bye for now, though. I’m unable to accompany you, and there still much to take care of here.”
Nocturne chuckled heartily, “Ja, you iz damn right he’s lucky, dat stallion vould constantly be misplacing his spanners and knifes oderwise” she gave Scalpel a playful punch on the shoulder and to her surprise he returned it with a grin and a laugh of his own. Vas sorcery is this! Herr Doktor is grim, not cheerful… unless She looked between the two of them, mock suspicion on her face and then broke out into a big toothy smile oooooooooooh… I see.
Noticing that Lens looked slightly down at the prospect of separation, Nocturne gave her another hug, “I don’t vant to go either, but alas! Inquizitors, vhat you gunna do.” Breaking away she flapped herself into the air, preparing to go back the mass of Risen in preparation, “Ve will see each oder soon again I think, Maybe a couple uf veeks? und then ve will have lots to talk about!”
Lens smiled returned. “Yes, and I’ll be sure to bring some ale along,” she said. “Take care and be safe, Nocturne.” She turned to Scalpel, “Take care of yourself, and Nocturne, your niece, and Steel. Though, Steel can be quite the chatterbox at times, but most older ponies do. If he does that, just interrupt him, he won’t mind.”
Scalpel nodded a mischievous grin crossing his features “I’ll take care of all of them, and if Steel does go on a ramble, well… I can always send him to sleep.” he let out a barking laugh at that, a small muffled sound from his saddlebags indicating mock indignation, He levitated the older pony out and held him before the two of them, “Want to say goodbye before you go for a nap, Steel?”
“Thanks,” replied the brain. “Lens, take care of yourself and Southy. And… I know telling Lightwing’s mother is going to be hard but…”
Lens nodded. “I’ll do the best I can. Take care of yourself, Master Metalsmith.”
“When I can get moving by myself I will, hahaha. In any case, tell your grandpa I’ll be back to debate with him when I can. I’m sure he’ll miss my arguments. Alright Doc, send me to the dreamlands.”
“Alrighty Steel” replied Scalpel good humoredly and cast the spell he had in mind, in conjunction with a few movement of some dials the voice of Steel became steadily sleepier, until it when silent completely as he dozed in a deep, deep slumber. Waving the others away he waited with Lens as they got into position of the circle, with the other machine ponies, and the carts behind them which transported Scalpels materials.
He gave Lens a smile, speaking to her in a low loving voice, “I would find myself a terrible gentleman if I did not enlighten you of my name before I left…” he leaned forward and in a low whisper spoke it, withdrawing he continued in a low voice “please, keep it a secret. I doubt I can hide from the Inquisition and my enemies forever, but every little bit helps. Just refer to me as the Noxferus with the other scholars… this is secret is ours, and our’s alone.”
Leaning forward he kissed her forehead, wrapping her into a long hug as he did so. When he withdrew he looked a little sad, but the joy and the love still emanated from his as strong as ever. A flicker of magic illuminated the darkness behind him, a magical line leading off in a specific route through the labyrinthine tunnels, “that should lead you back into Woodswatch, take care of your friend… and take care of yourself, you wonderful, fantastic, beautiful mare.”
“I will keep our secret forever, this I swear,” Lens said, voice trembling. “Thank you.” She held back the tears, too emotional to say much. “Be safe.”
“I shall” he replied, almost heartbroken to leave her like this, but strengthened by the notion that he would see her again, and speak with her soon. Walking into the circle, he aligned himself at the front in a circle inside a pentagram with numerous strange signs, taking some of the power, he scattered a few more signs onto the floor and began a deep and sonorous chant.
The room was lit with magic as the entire circle responded to the power of the masterful mage and scientist, humming with power, wild magical energies wrapped around Scalpel like strange golden bandages, and the rest of the group was hidden by the pure light with was erupting from the complex magical sigil.
With a low, powerful voice which echoed with pure energy, Scalpel spoke the words.
“पुरानी दुनिया की आत्माओं, ड्रैगन बिंदु की खानों के लिए मुझे देने”
With a final roar of power, the magical circle lit up, and Scalpel and the rest were hidden by the raw energy that had been cast. Before then however, Scalpel had been given enough time to mouth some words through the storm of pure magical energy at Lens, and give her a reassuring
smile.
the message was very simple...
“I love you.”
Then suddenly Lens was alone. It took her might not to step into the light and follow. And after that she let the tears flow.
