Silex loomed over the metal table, a somewhat confident smirk playing upon his lips as he stared down at his latest subject. It was an avin, a hybrid of human and bird. She was truly a rare find; not only was this particular race of Beast especially hard to track down and capture - a feat made even more impressive by Silex's humanity - but her plumage was bright purple, the color of royalty among avin society. Silex had already dug sharp metal hooks through the flesh of his captive's wings and into the table, preventing her from escaping without tearing the very appendages she would need to escape the humble, isolated cottage. And even if she did take that risk, she would surely bleed to death while flying aimlessly in an attempt to find her own world and return to her life.
The avin girl was young, merely a teenager by human standards. She had only just learned to fly when Silex had found and incapacitated her, and her pained screeches were weak, not yet having reached the ear-shattering pitch that her kin employed as a weapon. She was also awake and fully aware of what Silex was doing; her sharp, avian eyes tracked his every move instinctively, while the rest of her body language screamed fear. Silex had no intentions of purposefully amplifying that fear as his subordinates might have, but he certainly wasn't going to alleviate it, either. Why bother? The avin wasn't planning to attack him any time soon, and besides, it was becoming increasingly clear that his intentions were...less than noble.
The black-haired man of knowledge held out one of his pale hands, and his violet-feathered specimen cringed sharply, another cry threatening to burst from her short beak and possibly shatter the windows. Silex would have none of that, so quickly, he grabbed hold of the girl's beak with his other hand and firmly held it shut. Tears started to stain the avin's beady black eyes.
"Shhh," Silex hushed her, "calm yourself." The hand he held over her feathered chest began to glow as energy pooled in his fingers. He watched her closely, ready to mentally note every happening as he cast the spell so that he might record his observations. "You should be most honored. I've chosen you as the latest subject in my experiment. Haven't you always wondered what happens when a being's soul leaves its body?" The avin didn't move, she didn't dare to. "Well, regardless," Silex continued, his tone calm, almost conversational, "that is the question I am determined to answer. However, I should warn you..." The glowing in his hand intensified, and the avin felt the channels connecting her soul to her body being severed one by one. "This will destroy you."
The girl's inhuman scream could be heard for miles.