Raylan stepped forward again, keeping his staff in hand, but he felt safe enough with the barrier and the mana drain that it wasn't pointed any particular direction.

"Hey," he said, not shouting, but firm. The kind of voice he'd use on a young student who was acting up, but hadn't crossed the line yet. "Come back to us, kid. You can fight it. You survived this to become strong, not to let it take over. Tell it to go, and it'll go. We can still help you. We can still protect you."

His mind was a vague blur of praying, calling out to every deity that would listen to make this work, bring the kid back down. Part of him feared they were past the point of no return.