2058 Cracked Core (Part 2)

'At least after a tribulation, I could receive healing and life force from others whereas her hybrid nature as an artifact makes even my breathing technique useless once she's back into her stone form.' At his wits' end, Lith called Salaark and asked for her help.

"Calm down, Featherling. Panic won't help either of you." The Guardian's voice sounded like that of a disgruntled sergeant.

"Please, scolding can wait. Come here or at least tell me how I can help Solus." Lith replied.

"My presence is unnecessary. You've done everything right. You only need one last step." Salaark's tone softened once, despite the distance separating them, Blood Imprint allowed her to feel how tired he was from the fight and how worried he was for his partner.

"Which is?"

"Do you remember when you were on the beach and called upon your tower?" She asked.

"Yes."

"It's the same thing now. Just because you usually leave Solus in charge of the tower it doesn't mean that you can't control it without her. You are the master of the tower and it obeys your will." Salaark said.

"Are you telling me that I just have to force the tower to manifest?" Before wasting even one iota of Solus' energy, Lith wanted to make sure that the plan was foolproof.

"No. If you do that, the tower core will collapse. First, you must have the tower draw upon the mana geyser. Right now, it's akin to a comatose patient who's unable to feed by themselves.

"Go nice and easy. Don't feed the tower more than it can handle or you will make things even worse." Salaark said.

Lith nodded and focused on the stone ring, treating it like an artifact instead of his best friend for the first time in his life. He took control of the tower, bypassing Solus' remnant consciousness, and had it slowly absorb the surrounding world energy.

At first, it was the same amount his auxiliary cores drew in with every breath he took. The ring effortlessly devoured the energy and craved for more but Lith waited until he was certain there were no side effects before increasing the flow.

Salaark guided him during the entire procedure, teaching Lith how to recognize when the tower core had recovered enough to not need his supervision any longer.

"Menadion's artifact is a masterpiece. If not for the burden of sustaining Solus's life and the damage the tribulation inflicted upon her, the tower would have recovered the moment you reached the geyser." She said.

"I don't care! Just tell me if she's safe." Lith had tried to contact Solus with the mind link from time to time, but to no avail.

"Of course she's safe! The tower is programmed to sacrifice itself down to the last pebble in order to protect her life." Salaark replied. "Why do you think the ring cracked? The tower is shouldering her wounds for her.

"Also, stop trying to contact her with the mind link. It just puts more strain on her. Solus needs to rest. Don't use any of the tower's powers until she has regained consciousness and her mana core has stabilized."

"I will." He nodded. "Please, tell Kami that I'm alright. After Belius' fall, she must be worried sick and I can't call her until we're done here. I can't afford any distraction."

Only when the cracks in the ring closed and its vigor was restored did Lith allow the tower to take form. The process required longer than usual and even though the building looked no different from usual, he could feel how weak it actually was.

There was no light inside and every piece of furniture looked old and dusty. All the floors of the tower had been depowered, making them simple rooms. Until Solus recovered, the mage tower would be no different from a stone building.

Lith immediately went to Solus' room, hoping to find her asleep but the bed was empty. He was about to call upon her when he remembered Salaark's warning.

'The situation must be really bad. I feel no different from when I was just sitting on the geyser. The tower isn't boosting my abilities like usual.' Afraid to disturb Solus's slumber, Lith conjured a Hush zone before calling Kamila on her Desert amulet.

He had no idea if his absence might compromise her recovery and didn't want to take unnecessary risks. He sat down on his bed, feeling dizzy from the fatigue of Solus' treatment to the point that even such a simple spell strained his mana reserves.

"Thank the gods you both made it." Kamila said amid tears. "I've been worried sick."

She had been staring at their runes ever since the bad news had reached Valeron but she didn't dare to call them, afraid to disturb them while they might still be engaged in battle.

"Didn't Grandma contact you?" He asked.

"Yeah, but I was afraid that whatever is wrong with Solus, the damage would reflect on you as well due to the bond you two shared. Are you certain that you are alright?"

Lith was about to reassure Kamila when he pondered her words and decided to check himself up.

"Fuck me sideways, you are right." He could see with Demon Grasp that the tower was actually a black hole for both mana and world energy. "I don't feel dizzy from the Hush but because the tower is feeding on me.

"Menadion must have prioritized Solus' safety even over that of its master."

"Would any mother have done any different?" Kamila replied.

"No, definitely not."

"Eat and rest a lot." She said. "If even half of what I heard about Belius' battle is true, you will both need it. Speaking of mothers, call Elina. She won't rest until she hears from you."

"I will, but first I must make sure that you're safe as well." Lith said while taking food and tonics out of his dimensional amulets to not stress the tower.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"What happened to Vesta and Prode? I've been cut off from the army since the end of the battle for Belius. Also, how did the Royals take the bad news?"

"It's a long story." Kamila sighed.

***

City of Valeron, Royal Palace, at the same time.

A dreadful silence filled the throne room where a holographic display showed in real time the status of the battlefield for the three sieged cities. The Council's elders kept their communication amulets open on a nearby table, receiving constant updates about the number of their casualties.

The crystal bead of the Small World had returned to King Meron who could only clench it while he witnessed the hail storm and the hurricane ripping to shreds Belius' protective arrays.

"What's the status of the evacuation?" He asked.

"Over 50% of the personnel has managed to escape." General Vorgh replied. "We don't think that the arrays will hold for long. We need the Awakened to open their 'Spirit Steps' and save as many people as they can."

"Lady Gernoff?" The King turned toward the Council's envoy.

"We can do that. After all, those inside the city didn't fight and have mana to spare. Are you sure you want our people to just leave?" Jiza asked.