An Emergency

Ilyanna walks into her room in the Mage's Quarters, visibly shaken.

"Did you hear that, Michael?"

"I did. Tranquility? That is not a fate I would wish on anyone, blood mage or no," you tell her.

"To live without emotion? Dreams? No, I don't think I would either."

She sighed, laying back onto her bed.

"I need to see you. Can I come back?"

"Of Course. Simply close the curtains and meditate, and you'll be here in moments."

"Thank you."

It is in no time at all that Ilyanna was once again in the Library, lying next to you. You could feel her stress the second she entered, so you sat idly caressing her body. Not in any sexual way, but just to let her know you are there.

"Maker, how is it that in less than an hour after I become a Mage I get drawn into this crap. Can I not just have one day? Just one? What did I do to deserve this?"

"Well, you did me," You offer playfully.

"Shut up," she says, smacking you in the face with a pillow, "You know what I mean!"

You laugh gently.

"My dear, Life does not wait for anyone. Not you, not Irving, Not Duncan or Jowan, or even me. It just keeps going forward," You say, "In other words: shit happens."

Ilyanna chuckles at your expression, shaking her head just a bit. She rubs her face with her hand and sits up.

"Yeah, I suppose it does.," she says, "So what do you think I should do?"

"About Jowan?"

"Yeah."

"Well, what is your best-case scenario? When all is said and done, how do you want this to end up?" You ask, "Once we know that, we can start a plan to get us there. We have plenty of time after all."

"True."

Ilyanna leans back against the bedposts and you can practically hear the gears begin to turn in her mind.

"Is there a way back from Tranquility?"

"Well," you start, rocking your head from side to side, "Technically yes. All one has to do is summon a spirit into the Tranquil person and their connection to the Fade will be restored. However, this carries risks. First of all, the trauma will render the subject incapable of keeping their emotions in check. They will be on full tilt at all times. And as Spirits are defined at least in part by people's perception of them, you also run the risk of creating what you call an Abomination."

"I see."

"Though, I feel there is something you need to consider."

"What?"

"I have seen many Blood mages in my time. I recognize the marks it can leave on a person, and your friend Jowan? He definitely is one."

"What?!"

"Performing Blood Magic requires you to actually be bleeding. While Magic can be used to heal the damage caused, scars can often be found all over the body of a practicing Blood Mage. There were a few such scars on your friend's hands and arms, scars that likely lead to his being discovered. And that's not even mentioning the damage it does to your soul."

Ilyanna is stunned, but it only lasts a moment as she shoves those feelings to the side to keep thinking.

"Ok, noted. Any chance he used it on Lily?"

"Not that I saw."

"Good to know," she says.

She falls silent, and you can hear her mind begin to work. She needs time to think, you can see that. Part of you wants to change it all. To take your Omnipotence and just make it all work out. But at the same time, you feel that if you do that, the world you make may not be the one you fell in love with.