[b]"Master Merrik."[/b] Came a voice from the hatch in the corner of his room. Irin stepped up from the ladder and respectfully greeted him from where he stood. Merrik turned and smiled, beckoning him to join him. [b]"Come, come, make yourself at home. What can I do for you Sir Wyrda?"[/b]

[b]"I have a few things I need to speak to you about. First, I'd like to thank you from the bottom of my heart. Until today I never realized just how incomplete I was, and now..."[/b] The brown haired man gazed at his hands, as if seeing himself whole for the first time. Merrik smiled, relating to the feeling. [b]"I feel incredible. However, there seems to be a bit of a problem. When my dragon—Uram, that is—headed out hunting, I felt like a mere shell of a man. Almost as though someone I loved had just passed away. When she returned, Uram said that the feeling was normal, yet—"[/b] The man looked Merrik directly in the eyes, severity drifting over his tone,[b] "That from what she knew, it wasn't supposed to be that severe. This worries me greatly, because although I feel blessed with her, I also feel cursed. I don't think I could spend the rest of my life with a curse like this without some kind of help coping with it."[/b]

A deep, familiar furrow formed on Merrik's brow; he had hoped that none of the new tamers would have fallen to this ailment, but he saw now that he was wrong. [b]"I see. And the pain of the separation, would you have called it unbearable? Would you have called it a void within your very soul?"[/b] The look in Irin's eyes told him it was so. [b]"Hmm," [/b]he said, turning from the man and making his way to one of the overencumbered bookshelves that lined his loft's walls. He took a moment before retrieving a particularly thick and dusty book with a dark green bind. For a moment he flipped through the pages, stopping occasionally to skim its contents before finally finding his target. After reading through a few pages, he tapped a section triumphantly and beckoned Irin to his side to gander at his find. 

[b]Here, this may be what ails you,"[/b] he said, motioning to a string of words at the top of the page: [i]Bonding Desolation[/i]. [b]"I have had no experiences with the sickness myself , but Uram was correct in her assumptions that such severity in your separation pains are not normal. I myself experimented with the effects of distance on my own bond, which could be considered a 'normal' bond. There will always be a sick feeling of emptiness but for your entire soul to mourn her departure as it does, it is not normal, and I understand your concern. But do not stress, for there have been thousands of tamers before our time and nearly all were strict journal keepers. Fortunately the collections of their writings have generally stayed safe in these halls, so we do have resources to aid us in our adventure."[/b]

He paused and skimmed down a part of the page and stopped again, drawing Irin's attention as he read aloud.[b] "This is from the journals of a tamer named Icicese, bonded to a solar dragon, who first documented the effects of bonding desolation: [i]'I have come to see that my bond with Aerania is quite different from those of the other tamers in the Order. I am controlled by our connection, feeling lost, alone, desolate, and hardly finding the will to live if she so much as departs on an evening flight or strays too far from my side. The other tamers have confirmed that not one of their bonds is as such; though they feel the lack of their dragons' presences, they do not feel the loss as I do. It is a burden, in so many ways, yet I find comfort in knowing that our bond in unique, that my soul needs hers to such a level that it cannot bear her absence. Truly, we have a special connection. But... nevertheless, I cannot allow this to be used against me; I cannot wallow in crippling despair whenever Aerania leaves for a hunt. We must work to find the cause of this terrible ailment that has fallen upon me."[/i].

It then goes on to say that they sought out knowledge from the Monks at the great monasteries of Illos, eventually learning that the magical ties of a bond may be altered by the heart of the tamer, and in some cases the dragon. As you well know, each bond in unique, and there are certain cases, like yours and Icicese', in which the very magic itself is shifted in response to your own aura, your emotions, your soul."[/b] He bookmarked the page and closed the book, handing it to Irin. [b]"From my knowledge, this illness that taints your bond is nothing more than an embodiment of the powerful sense of empathy and sympathy within your soul. Your very essence is more inclined to love, and to care for your soulmate than most. This is a wonderful thing, knowing that your love for Uram is so powerful, and that your very soul worries for her so much that it plagues you and pains you in her absence, but nonetheless, it will be difficult for you to function until we get it under control. All things need balance, there is such a thing as too much love. Luckily, there are rituals within this text that will help your soul to relax its hold on hers. There will be no foul outcomes, so do not worry, the bond is more powerful than anything else in this world. The rituals within will include deep meditation, entering into her mind, bringing her into yours, so that they may meet an understanding. There are potions that must be concocted of which both of you must partake before you enter into this meditation. You will seem asleep to the rest of the world, but you will be alive and awake in each other's souls and minds. It is within your soul, and Uram's, that you must heal this. It will take time, regular journeys into this trance, but with time, Uram's essence will reassure your own of its permanent place within you, and you will begin to feel more comfortable in her absence."[/b]

He looked into Irin's eyes, a comforting look. He saw the man in a different light now, knowing that there was something within him that offered him such great love and empathy for another living being. He knew that each tamer in history with this ailment went on to do miraculous things with their magicks specifically, as the especially close connection with their dragon could be used to strengthen magic and strengthen the flow between tamer and dragon. [b]"These meditation sessions may be painful, they may be upsetting, they may be so beautiful and powerful you will awaken with tears of joy and sorrow. I cannot prepare you for this; to share the space between your minds and face the emotions within is a powerful process indeed. Perhaps, we'll focus on mind training for a week or two before you attempt this. What say you?"[/b]