1995 Dangerous Knowledge (Part 1)

"Sure. I can use a short break." Kamila wondered what that was about, but she could tell from the determination in Gilly's eyes that it was probably something about her father.

The first notes of Mogar's equivalent of the minuet resounded through the ballroom but the dancefloor remained empty. It was tradition for the guests to wait for one or both spouses to open the dance before joining them.

Lith felt Gilly tensing up when he put his hand on her hip and realized she had no experience in formal dances. She moved clumsily, stepping on his feet every few moves.

To make matters worse, she seemed to be too focused staring at his face to follow his lead. The only silver lining was that between the mass gap and the Voidwalker armor, he barely experienced any discomfort.

"Is there really nothing you can do for my father?" She mumbled after a while.

"I beg your pardon?" Lith asked.

"I'm grateful for you saving my father's soul and asking the Royals to give us a house in Lutia so that we can stay close to him once you return, but is that really the best you can do?" Gilly said while looking him straight in the eyes.

At first, she had been too embarrassed from the physical contact with a complete stranger to speak, then from her own clumsiness, and lastly from the absurdity of her request.

Yet once Gilly had started to speak about her father, courage had built up like an avalanche. It had started small, like her voice, but the more she talked the more she discovered that she wasn't afraid of the monster in front of her.

"Yes, it is." Lith nodded. "If you know better, I'm open to suggestions."

"Can't you give him a proper body? A way for him to not be bound to you and return to his family for good?" Gilly asked.

"No, I'm sorry. What you ask from me is impossible." Lith gave her a polite nod in apology while making her spin.

"Is it impossible because your skills are lacking or because having a Captain of the Queen's Corps at your beck and call is too good a commodity to let it go?" She said with a snarl.

"Neither." Lith replied. "I could easily turn Locrias into an undead, but that would give him a hunger that would put you and your mother in danger. Also, putting a soul into a body that doesn't belong to them wipes their memory.

"They forget their past, their skills, and their feelings. Locrias would turn into a completely new person whose character would develop based on how you nurture him.

"The creature I'd give you would be more like a son than a father. A son that can rip you apart at his first tantrum."

Gilly froze for a second and the other couples bumped into them until she moved again, following Lith's lead to the best of her abilities.

"What about Forbidden Magic?" She gritted her teeth, the request sounding absurd even to her, but she had to try.

Gilly was no mage and what she knew about magic came from bedtime stories and bards' tales. According to her sources, there was nothing that Forbidden Magic couldn't achieve as long as the price was paid.

"Are you out of your mind?" Lith empathized with her, but his patience was running thin.

"You already used it in front of many people. It's one of the reasons you are a wanted criminal. One more time makes no difference." She replied.

"For you, maybe. Not for me." He said with a snarl.

"Whatever price there is to pay, I'll do it. I don't want you or anyone else to suffer." Gilly said. "I promise you that my mother and I will keep it a secret. Just give my father a body. Anything will do. Please. I just want my Dad back."

She started to tear up, her voice cracking as she saw Locrias and her mother dancing just a few steps from them. He was so close and yet so far. Whenever they met, her hope rekindled just to die once they were separated again.

"I might be able to do that, but are you willing to cause that kind of pain upon your father?" Lith asked, knowing all too well how it felt being empty inside.

After the death of his brother, he would have done anything to have Carl back.

"What do you mean?" She asked with a sniffle.

"To bind his soul to a physical object, it would take a massive amount of energy. Life force can't be created out of thin air or my own wouldn't be still damaged after years. To give his body life, I need to take that of someone else." Lith replied.

"Then take mine. I don't care to live until I'm a withered old lady if I have to do it without Dad." She replied.

"Really? What do your parents think about it? How would they feel knowing that their daughter has sacrificed her life span and that they will outlive her?" Lith said.

"I don't know. I haven't discussed the issue with them."

"Another thing you haven't considered is that your life might not be enough. Cursed objects are created after countless tries and sacrifices. Even If I succeed, you might not live enough to see it." He continued.

"Even if you do, there is no guarantee that I don't create a new living being or that your father's mind doesn't get twisted in the process. I saw it with the Black Star. It trapped the souls of the dead using them as fuel, but it wasn't one of them, just a prison."

"But it doesn't always go that way, right? You might succeed. You are an Archmage." She said with more faith than certainty.

"I'm no god." Lith replied. "Even if somehow I granted your wish without killing you, Locrias' life would be a nightmare. He wouldn't be able to sleep and eat anymore. His body would be a thing incapable to feel your touch.

"Right now he has no such problems and the slumber he falls into when I don't need him gives him peace of mind. As a cursed object, instead, he would have to struggle with loneliness at night. In time, it would drive him mad."

"Worst of all, however, he would be bound to an object and incapable of dying. Maybe his presence would reassure you, but what would happen once you grow old and die? Will you pass him onto your descendants like a pet or a family heirloom?"

"Of course not." She said in outrage.

"Then I'd have to give your father new life just to force you to kill him. I've destroyed more than one cursed object and heard their death throes. The process wouldn't be quick or painless. Do you have the strength to do it?

"Do you really want you and your father to undergo that kind of suffering?" Lith asked.

"Can't you just make him into a normal human?" Gilly knew how stupid her question was the moment she heard it coming out of her own lips. "Of course not. As you said, you are no god and you can't create life."