2191 Fates Collide (Part 1)

'I don't care about winning since I can't destroy this fucker.' Solus thought. 'I must only focus on lasting long enough to finish the scan and get out of here.'

'Are you really a Horseman?' Vladion's jaw telepathically hit the floor as he finally made sense of Hystar's words by noticing that Lith had the same energy signature as Solus.

'No. I will explain it later. Now focus only on recovering your strength and looking for an opportunity to help my partner.' Lith replied.

The Eyes of Menadion were completing the scan of the power core while also providing them with accurate information about the fight. They could see the sudden power surge flooding Hystar as he shapeshifted into his battle form.

The golden robe wrapped around his body, turning into a thick armor. His skin turned into stone while a polearm appeared from his right hand and a shield from his left. In the blink of an eye, the Headmaster had transformed into a living golem that closely resembled a stone Royal Fortress armor.

The construct lacked the Davross and its mystical properties but it was connected to the entire power core of the academy and fueled by the mana geyser, making the difference negligible.

'Dammit. I have no idea if touching his armor still counts as direct contact to hijack control of the mana geyser.' Solus thought. 'To make matters worse, I can conjure the arrays stored in the Mouth, but I'd rather keep them as a surprise to escape the moment-'

"What the heck is going on?" A thundering voice derailed her train of thought and froze everyone into place.

It wasn't just for the power and killing intent infused in it, but also because the words reverberated through the academy walls that amplified both the mana and hostility they held by several folds.

Jormun the Emerald Dragon burst through the door followed by several of the Forgotten, all armed to the teeth and with several spells at the ready. Being members of Valeron the second's personal bodyguard, they were the cream of the crop and so was their equipment.

Lith inwardly cursed and turned toward the new enemies, trying to replicate what the Void had done against the Royals and infusing War with Chaos.

"Little brother? What are you doing here?" Jormun recognized Lith from his energy signature and ignored the clash of stone against metal in the background.

"Take a guess." Lith said while Kalla moved behind Vladion, trying to appear as inconspicuous as possible.

If she was forced to fight as well, the scan would stop and there would be no reason to stay there any longer.

"You have come to try and destroy the Golden Griffon, but you have failed." Jormun said.

"Yes." Lith lied through his teeth to buy as much time as he could.

"Hystar, if that woman stops attacking, I order you to stop as well. I want to talk with my little brother without all this noise." The Emerald Dragon's words made the Headmaster flinch in disgust. "This fight is pointless and I want to avoid pointless bloodshed."

Even more so when Solus stepped back and his body froze against his will.

The battle moved from the physical to the mental plane, with Solus trying to steal control of the geyser and Hystar trying to take it back. The good news was that the break allowed her group to focus all Eyes on the power core.

The bad news was that without the stress from the fight, the cloaking devices of the academy were regaining their strength, slowing down the analysis.

"Thank you." Unaware of the ongoing secret battle, Jormun gave Solus a small bow. "First of all, congratulations. I heard about your daughter so I know why you are here."

"Congratulations to you too. I heard about your son and I can understand why you are trying to stop me." Lith nodded. "Yet it doesn't mean that I'm going to just roll over and die just because you ask me to."

"You are wrong. I don't want us to fight." Jormun shook his head. "Look at us, we are just two fathers trying to do what's best for their child. Our father came here just a few days ago to make me an offer so in respect to him, I'm going to make you an offer as well."

It took Lith a second of confusion to understand that the Emerald Dragon was referring to Leegaain, not Raaz.

"Surrender now, join my wife's side, and I promise you that no harm will come to you."

"Are you serious?" Lith's surprise was honest and so was the disbelief in his voice. "Why should I do that?"

"Because it would give your family a safe place to stay once Thrud wins. It would give you the revenge you want on Orpal. As soon we are done with him, I'll let you be the one to kill him." Suddenly Lith felt very interested.

"On top of that, if you stay here and willingly submit to the Unwavering Loyalty array, it will take you just one visit to the resurrection chamber to fix your life force."

The Abomination's eyes went wide in shock and Jormun considered the ensuing silence as his cue to continue.

"Everyone knows about your condition and during my stay here I found a cure. Arthan was insane but he was also a genius. If you accept my help, this war will end for you. You'll have the full life span of a Divine Beast and the guarantee to see your daughter grow up.

"To be with her instead of letting her become an orphan because someone killed you or just because you fought one battle too many for your life force. What do you say?"

Lith took his time pondering the offer, but not just out of a scheme. He had no love for the Griffon Kingdom and no care for who ruled over it. Jormun's offer solved all of his problems in one go.

Peace, longevity, safety. He would have it all.

Then, as he imagined how his life would have been in the Golden Griffon, he remembered all the horrors that he had witnessed during his visits. He envisioned himself, Kamila, and his baby girl as victims of the slave array "for their own good".

He could almost imagine the fear they would experience being constantly at the mercy of Thrud, with Jormun as their only lifeline. Unless she ordered them to be happy, of course.

It would have been a full and long life, but also a life of servitude.

"My answer is no. I'd rather die a free man than live as a slave. If there's one thing that I want my daughter to learn from me is to never bow her head to anyone." Lith replied.

"So be it. I respect you too much to underestimate you. Whatever you have learned during your visit, I can't allow it to get out of these walls, even if it means killing you." Jormun shapeshifted into his hybrid form.

It resembled a humanoid Dragon covered in brilliant emerald scales, around 2 meters (6'7") tall. The mass was the same as his real body but with a bigger size, he would have had problems fighting inside an enclosed space.