1967 Last Stand (Part 1)

"We will remember it." Sylpha knelt to Tyris, lowering her gaze in submission.

"I have one question." Meron said while assuming the same position, incapable of looking the Guardian in the eyes. "It seems to me that you like Verhen and even respect him."

"You are correct on both issues." Tyris nodded for him to continue.

"Then why didn't you do anything when Morn issued that damn Royal Decree? Why did you stand idly when Meln Narchat set up the trap in the Heavenly Wolf Restaurant? Why did you remain silent until this very moment?" The King asked.

"For the same reason I'm not moving a finger against Thrud, I didn't stop the civil war seven years ago, and I never protected you against Balkor's attacks. Because I love you too much to rob you of your opportunity to become a better person."

"What do you mean?" The Queen raised her gaze in confusion.

"Do you really think that living a pampered life without ever experiencing hardships or paying for the consequences of your actions can teach you anything?" Tyris replied with a sigh of annoyance.

"Had I stopped Meln, Morn, or you, for that matter, Verhen would have never traveled to the Desert, the Constable would have never proposed to him, and his growth would have remained blocked.

"Had I stopped the civil war, the Royal Court would still be a rotten swamp of putrid water, filled with corrupted nobles. If I killed Balkor when I had the chance, the Academy system would have never changed.

"You have learned from Ilyum Balkor more than just his research about undead and Abominations.

"You have learned of the consequences of crossing a genius and he has shown you the weak points of the arrays you considered perfect. More importantly, he has contributed to making the Griffon Kingdom a better place for commoners and Lith is the living proof of it.

"The Kingdom, just like Lith, has found new strength and light during its darkest hour exactly because it was forced to face such hardships. None of it would have happened if I just swept in and took care of your problems for you.

"Adversities make you grow stronger and reveal your true self. Without struggle, there is no growth, either as a person or a mage. I love you like I love all of my children but if I were to shield you from the world, I would turn you into a bunch of spoiled brats.

"My role isn't to keep you from making mistakes or to make the hard decisions in your place. My role is to be there for you when you fall and help you to get back on your feet.

"If you choose to remain in the mud and give up on fighting, there's nothing I can do." Tyris said.

"Thanks for your wisdom." King Meron said.

He realized how even that chain of terrible events had a silver lining. It had given them the opportunity to uproot Morn's treachery, to force the Awakened Council to finally negotiate with the Kingdom, and Lith to show his true power.

"You are welcome." Tyris nodded. "Yet I have to warn you about a danger I feel is incoming. Beware of the Black Throne."

The Royals exchanged a puzzled look. Neither of them had ever heard that name before. Yet looking at Lith's colossal black body and the army of Demons fighting for him, a terrible thought came to their minds.

"Are you warning us that if we don't deal with Verhen right he will take the throne after the war ends?" Sylpha asked.

"Maybe." Tyris replied with a sly smile. "Even if he does, I wouldn't help you. This is a problem that you have created and that is up to you to solve, just like Balkor. It's your burden to carry, not mine."

The King and Queen looked each other in the eyes, shrugging in confusion. Neither of them had the faintest idea what Tyris' words might mean yet the weight they carried was too great to not make them worry.

They needed no mind link to decide that such an important matter couldn't be delegated nor could it wait one second longer than strictly necessary.

***

Verendi Continent, Penaka Hill, at the same time.

Solus was still riding through the battlefield like an angry goddess of thunder. The ground broke at the passage of her steed, releasing bursts of electricity that she brewed in the depth of Mogar.

Even plants and Emperor Beasts who were capable of moving through solid rock and those who had taken flight to escape the blackness weren't safe from Solus' and Bytra's version of Mjolnir.

The Fury's and the Absolution's power cores fueled their spell and their respective elemental crystals constantly conjured natural bolts of lightning that broke on the hammers like tidal waves against mountains before flooding their enemies.

Raijus had an innate affinity with the air element and conjuring storm clouds was second nature to them. Bytra used her bloodline ability to create the natural bolts of lightning, unleashing part of them on those who came too close for comfort and leaving the rest for Solus' spell to manipulate.

Senara heard a blip every time one of her soldiers died and their respective runes disappeared from the communication earpiece. The plant representative cursed their bad luck and asked her peers for reinforcements.

'Damn the Tiamat and his bloodline abilities!' She thought. 'This is no normal darkness but after experiencing its effects once, I know what to do.'

She sent a telepathic signal to the nearest seven-man unit and weaved the final rune of a darkness sealing array. Demons and Void Flames were unaffected, but the blackness faded enough for the Awakened to spot the Tiamat.

Another Silverwing's Annihilation struck him square on the chest, sending Lith flying. This time he had managed to activate the Spirit Barrier of his armor that coupled with Theseus' Mana Flow had taken the brunt of the impact.

'Fuck me sideways!' Lith coughed out a mouthful of blood. 'One hit and my resistance to magic is gone. If I take another shot of that thing, I'm done.'

The Demons of the Fallen near him rejoiced at his internal injury. The blood rain that he had produced fused with their bodies and they ignited the residual spark of life force the Tiamat's blood contained before it faded.

Their bodies turned into a mass of living fire as the lost flesh and blood of their master allowed them to reach the stage of Demons of the Flames.

Lith didn't share their enthusiasm but the new metamorphosis gave him the time to finish casting his tier five spell, Final Eclipse. A dome of black fire engulfed him and everyone around him for fifty meters.

The Awakened screamed as their bodies started to burn whereas the Tiamat and the Demons were immune to the effect of the spells.

Zoreth was no longer worried about her wife and could focus solely on the Liches, but it was still an uphill battle. The only thing she could do was to turtle up, hiding behind a Decay Bastion while the undead mages unleashed one Annihilation after the other.

She had tried to squash them like bugs, but their deadly touch matched that of the Abomination and there were seven of them.