Item from Bastion by Phil Tucker
An artifact that pierced Scorio's heart in a past life — possibly the thing that disrupted his reincarnation and made him The Whispered.
The Spike represents one of the series' deepest mysteries. A spike through Scorio's heart in a previous incarnation may have disrupted his normal reincarnation cycle — creating the anomaly that makes him The Whispered, a prophesied figure whose existence other Great Souls have been tracking across centuries. The questions the Spike raises are more important than its physical nature: who put it there? Why? Was it meant to kill him permanently, or to change him? Is The Whispered prophecy a response to the Spike's interference, or was the Spike placed specifically to create The Whispered? The series treats this artifact as a lynchpin — pull it, and the entire narrative mechanism shifts.
A spike of unknown material, designed or adapted to penetrate a Great Soul's heart — the spiritual core of their power. Its physical simplicity belies its significance: this is a weapon that can wound something that survives death.
Also known as: Heart Spike, The Artifact