In the swirling darkness of the interface between Burnout's meat body and his cyber, Lethe found the silver cord-the trail Burnout's soul left as it struggled to find an exit from the magic that held it trapped. The cord draped downward into Burnout's inner darkness.
Without hesitating, Lethe plunged into the blackness, following the cord as fast as he could.
It didn't take him long to find Burnout's essence.
To Lethe, it looked like a small human boy, with skin of liquid silver that shimmered as the boy trudged slowly downward.
"Burnout?"
The boy did not run, did not slow his descent.
"Burnout?" Lethe said, again.
The boy turned slowly and looked at Lethe with dull, tired eyes. Eyes that spoke of a weariness no child should have to suffer. "There is no Burnout here. He is dead. I am all that is left. Now leave me alone."
Lethe moved closer. "If you are not Burnout, then who are you?"
The boy turned away, but called over his shoulder, "My friends call me Billy. Billy Madson."
Lethe continued to follow him. "Where are you going, Billy?"
"Go away. I'm going to rest. I'm so tired."
Lethe thought about it for a moment. There had to be something that would draw Burnout's soul back to his metal body, something this young boy would find enticing.
Then it came to him.
"Billy, you want to see a magic place?"
The small figure stopped. Turned. For a moment, Lethe could see the excitement behind the exhaustion in the boy's eyes. Then a look of suspicion crossed the young face. "What magic place?"
Lethe came up close. "There is a place in the meta-planes, a spike of mana. There's so much magic there that it fills your whole spirit."
Billy's eyes narrowed. "I've heard of that place. A lot of people died there. What's the magic in dying? I mean, if you're dead, how're you going to enjoy it?"
Lethe laughed. "Billy, I can show you a side to that place that very few people ever get to see."
"Oh, yeah?"
"Look." Lethe formed an image of Thayla in his mind. He drew from his memory of her song, of the sheer perfection of her beautiful magic. He showed Billy the power of the white light that radiated from her.
The small boy drew breath as the vision took him.
After a minute, the vision faded.
The boy looked up at Lethe. "You've been to this place?"
Lethe nodded.
"And this is a real place, not just something you made up?"
Again, Lethe nodded.
"It's wonderful."
Lethe laughed. "Yes, it is. Would you like to see it?"
A small fire seemed to light behind the weary eyes. "You could take me there?"
"We can only go together. You have to come back with me, back the way you came."
The small boy looked upward, his eyes trailing the silver cord that stretched out of sight into the darkness overhead. Then he looked downward, in the direction he'd been heading, and such longing filled the boy's eyes that it made Lethe's heart hurt.
"But I'm so tired," said Billy, in a tiny, child's whisper.
"I know you are, Billy. But this place is worth it. I promise."
They stood there like that for a moment, then Billy looked up and faced Lethe. "All right, if you promise." Together they struggled back up along the silver strand.