Viremyrrh Crystals

"You have to crave them when you watch them glitter. Craving them is the same as forgetting who you are."

Viremyrrh Crystals, which are only found in the vast underways of the submerged world Velrith'Thunn, shimmer with a soft lavender light that pulsates subtly in time with a heartbeat that nobody is entirely certain whose it is.

They are well-known for their inherent cleansing qualities on all continents. Viremyrrh can be pounded into a powder and distributed to purify the air, treat minor illnesses, and even prolong the life of delicate alchemical substances. They are used carefully in hospitals and temples of the gods. Tiny pieces put in healing amulets are sold by merchants. If the impoverished are fortunate enough to have dust, they hang it in their sick children's cribs.

However, truth lies far underneath the polished lies of the world.

The Secret:

In underground marketplaces, whispers float--a broken Viremyrrh Crystal does not cleanse when exposed to moonlight. It opens.

What does it open?

They never say. Or before they can, they disappear.

According to others, the crystals recall the world's first screams. That was when Zhaïraë’alya first tore through the firmaments during her own awakening; pieces of the original boundary between body and soul were chipped off.

Viremyrrh has the ability to remove a soul through the skin when used properly and ruthlessly.

Not murder. Extract. Alive. Screaming. Captured.

It was originally utilized by the Mournbone Order to gather the inner selves of people they considered heretics and store them in silver-glass bottles for use as "guides" or, more frequently, fuel.

It was forbidden by Eldora.

Belladonna stole them constantly.

The majority only see a lovely rock. Few people are aware that it can listen back. Fewer people are aware that a god encased in a crystal is learning your name somewhere deep.

"The Room of Lavender"

One of the many stories of the Viremyrrh Crystals.

She was referred to as gentle.

Nurse Mournelle, Tessa. Gentler hands, gentler voice. Worked the graveyard shift in The Lavender Room, so called because of the radiance of the Viremyrrh crystals she insisted on having at every bedside, a wing that never had survivors.

"Relieves the pain," she muttered. "Makes breathing easier."

And it did. Until it didn't.

A healer broke one of the crystals while cleaning and witnessed the patient's soul twisting upward in mute anguish, ripped from her mouth like silk unwinding. The body didn't cool down. Alive. But Devoid.

Then Tessa came up behind him.

She said, "You weren't supposed to see that."

She made no admissions. However, all of the patients passed away in the same manner: composed, with large eyes and shocked lips. No toxins. No harm. Simply gone.

She was pursued by the Order.

However, her room was deserted by that point. Bottles littered all twelve beds, each one glimmering faintly with trapped soul-light. Additionally, inscribed in dried lavender dust on the wall:

"They are now safe. They won't experience any emotions."

She was never located. However, people occasionally speak about a loving hand or voice in silent institutions.

...and the deathly aroma of lavender.

117 patients were killed by Tessa Mournelle.

Over the course of three years, all while working the midnight shifts. Until the soul signatures found inside the Viremyrrh crystals--each softly throbbing with the last breath of the dead--were found, none were suspected.

According to some, the actual number is higher. That crystals remain hidden, sealed in glass jars or tucked away in forgotten cupboards, still blazing dimly.

However, the number 117 was inscribed by someone who knew on the now-defunct plaque that was formerly outside The Lavender Room.

Lavender. The smell of death to some.