The rattling of the cages was nothing unusual the last week. At first the sharp noises of the clicking metal had been no small source of annoyance, yet over time they were being filtered out, until they were barely registered when necessity did not demand it. In the end, they had simply become as good as ordinary furniture within the room, perhaps a possible cause of curiosity, or even distress to a stranger, but rather ordinary to the occupant.
There were four cages, all rather small. One was discarded at the edge of the room beneath a folded crimson cloak, empty and unimportant. The second cage was placed by its side. The two grey rats living inside it were rather large, black round eyes reflecting the golden light of the early afternoon. Paper and rags were set on the floor, meant to provide a modicum of comfort for the healthy animals within. The creatures on the remaining two were not as fortunate.
Once the space by the large window had been dedicated to beautiful escapes, but now the flowers that had in the past claimed it were restricted to a small table by Celysiel's bed. Two of the bouquets, twilight jasmines and wildflowers had been granted eternal life, at the very cost of their beauty. Bereft of their once enthralling colours, they had blackened, sustained by the very shadows which bound them. The last of the flowers was more fortunate, for another manner of magic kept it to life. This dear gift would remain without being sullied.
No, the wide ledge was now crowded by mounts of tomes, stacks of papers and journals, as well as vials of black ink and other dark liquids. An observer could detect rough sketches of humanoid and reptile creatures, hasty notes, or even more detailed works. Chaos was never desired, not by an elf so obsessed with keeping her belongings in order, but it was all that could be found in that specific area of the chamber. Perhaps that was not unrelated to the fact that the last of the two cages also lingered there, the denizens of which were not quite common.
There the apprentice waited, as if counting the hours until departure. Each of the two cages hosted a single rat, as well as a shard hinting at the Void's foul magic. Though the one in the first cage was occasionally succumbing to spasms, it was nowhere near as active as the second, which kept abusing itself by sparing scratches onto its flesh. Celysiel lifted a slender stick, inserting it between the metal bars in order to give the second rat a light prod, hoping that a momentary distraction would serve well. She did however know better.
It was not long until the stick was set down, traded for a violet crystal awaiting on top of a stray parchment. It was not particularly big, nor impressive. The uneducated and unfamiliar with magic could dismiss it as nothing more than a small gem of no great value, but most citizens of Quel'thalas would recognize a memory crystal when seeing it. The elf rolled it in her fingers, regarding it with tired eyes. It took no more than the slightest spark of arcane for its activation.
Spreading, Celysiel's digits released the crystal, which was now glowing; it lifted itself into the centre of the room, just above the owner's forehead. A cone of azure light sprang from within, washing over the lone figure like a spotlight. She lifted a hand over her eyes, always needing a moment to adjust. How unfortunate that every recording would have to begin in this manner.
"Entry Four of the study regarding the Void's infection within blood." she announced, expelling a sigh. Her eyes, once released from the shade of her palm, she turned around, not minding the crystal. Each entry, each note was meant for no other than herself after all. The ledge beckoned, as the open journals next to the cages were offered her attention. Celysiel mumbled something incoherent, an ear twitching.
"Any attempt to separate the corruption from the original sample has unsurprisingly failed." The monologue began, shrouded by her profound exhaustion of several sleepless nights. "Common methods possessed by mere mortal hands thus far seem ineffective. There is always a mere chance my skill is insufficient, yet were the answer as simple as that, I like to think the issue would not persist in the first place." A sigh escaped her lips. She turned a page of the journal on which she was currently focused, inspecting the written work of the last two nights. "New methods will need to be studied in regards to separation. Whether they can be available, I have no way of knowing."
She closed the book, setting it aside on top of the rest, before collecting the spread papers below. The sketches greeted her, along with the histories buried underneath regarding the Sundering; beneath their cover the parchments were shoved, stacked with the rest for the sake of space.
"Moving forward, the test subjects have been reacting better, adjusting to the injection. It seems that the binding a shard to their blood may have aided their survival, though whether it has also served as a stimulus for further corruption to be born is thus far uncertain. Only time will tell. For now I dare not sever that bond, nor do I think it would be beneficial to the experiment, given the prototype." The term was spoken reluctantly, for it was obviously regarded as distasteful.
There she hesitated. With her back turned to the memory crystal and the light it produced, she closed her eyes and sighed again, wishing for nothing more than the gentle embrace of sleep. A sharp pain penetrated her stomach, but was promptly ignored.
Edging to the right corner of the ledge, Celysiel approached the two cages. In the second one, the rat had started scratching itself again, but this time no action was taken against it. The apprentice lifted the lid of the first, gently closing her hand around the creature. In areas where the grey fur was thinning, the black veins were easy to spot. Sympathetic eyes stared at the critter; that very feeling was what led her to hold close a being regarded as disgusting by so many and tenderly stroke its back.
"Test Subject One seems to be in less pain ever since it was bound to the shard. There was a significant decrease in the seizures experienced the last two days, which has led me to believe that it will survive and thus allow the experiment to continue unhindered. There has been no further note of physical change since the first days, though if any mutations are to eventually appear, there is no guarantee that they will bear any likeness to that of the prototype."
Even as the account for the rat ended, she did not let go. It was held near, oddly unresponsive; all four of the critters were under the apprentice's spell after all. Their tiny minds were not fully their own, so they could be kept docile.
"Test Subject Two continues to display remarkable recovery, though remains rather unnerved. It still scratches itself, but no harm has been noted. It may be worth exploring the minds of both test subjects once I return from Pandaria in order to see in which ways they have been affected. For now, I trust that the magic upon them will hold, so no trouble will be created."
As the apprentice moved towards the bed, rat still in her embrace, the beam of the memory crystal followed her. There was neither Krator upon her pillow, nor the doll that she had not bothered to lift from beneath the bed for over a week now. The pale strands of its hair peeked from the edge, for it did not venture any deeper.
"I will leave the memory crystal active," she announced. "so any data gathered regarding possible changes on the test subjects can be reviewed upon my return. One of the healthy specimen will also accompany me in this venture, in case the last sample can be harvested, provided the necessary targets present themselves once more. Whether the Light crystal will be accompanying me as well, I cannot say." Celysiel pursed her lips, eyes locked at the rat as if confessing to it, rather than carrying on with the personal entry. "I am expecting a change of heart."
Black eyes, enslaved and barren, did not deign to look up at her. With a last sigh, she stood up, pacing back to the cage. The test subject was lowered within, the lid sealed above it, returning the creature into its prison. It did not seem to care as it rested by the dark shard that was its only company. The Void's writhing song whispered at the tips of her fingers, as inky motes barely manifested. The grip around the minds of the four rats lessened significantly, granting them a chance of clarity, of their own self if they even had awareness of it. Still, no great change could be noted into the three cages. Only the one hosting the healthy critters had a small spike to show in activity, as the two denizens started walking back and forth, not quite fond of their limited living space.
"Further observations will be recorded, or rather noted in more reliable means as they come." she eventually mumbled, wafting a hand before returning to her preparations, under the restless glare of a crystal that would not cease to register all visuals and sounds of the room for the next several days. A temporary solution. An insufficient solution. It would have to do.
"This entry is now concluded."
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