2338 Torn Apart (Part 2)

Rage for being once again helpless and useless. Rage for being sent away like a child while his son fought to the death for those stupid fields and house Raaz had whined about for months to get them back.

Pushing Frey and Filia away was the hardest thing Vastor had done in his whole life. Every time they clung to him again, his determination faltered. Yet with every tear they shed, it grew strong again.

'I'm a relic of the past. I have to ensure them a future worth living.' He thought while entrusting them to Zinya.

"Do you really have to go?" Elina felt like dying inside yet she stood strong.

It wasn't the first time that Lith risked his life but it was the first time she was painfully aware that he might not come back to her. Even when the Royals had sent him to recapture cities in the past, retreat was always an option.

On top of that, there were few creatures on Mogar that could kill Lith and he was smart enough to avoid them or fight them only on his own terms. This time, instead, he was about to face a white-cored Awakened and a cursed monstrosity on their field.

To play a game by their own rules.

Elina was aware that Lith's death would mean losing Trion and Solus as well. The soul of her lost son would fade away while her adoptive daughter would fall into the hands of the enemy and be turned into a weapon.

"I have to, Mom. I owe it to you guys, to Phloria, to Kami, and to our daughter. You've seen how cruel Thrud is. She's never going to leave me alone after I killed Jormun. If I don't get rid of her now, she'll become unstoppable." Lith replied.

Elina hugged him first, then Solus, and then Trion, blessing them and begging them to do everything they could to come back to her.

"I know we never spoke much, but I know who you are." Raaz said while looking Vastor in the eyes who promptly Hushed them. "I mean who you really are. I recognized Bytra and Zoreth."

"So what?" The Master clenched his hands, worrying about how much Lith might have shared with his family about Vastor's crimes.

"I just want to thank you for everything you did for Lith so far and beg you to protect him." Raaz said, making the Master gape at him. "I'm his father. I'm supposed to protect and help him but it has been the other way around my whole life.

"Please, take care of my son like I would. Be the father I would have been if I wasn't born a helpless simpleton."

Raaz fell on his knees, begging Vastor with all his heart.

"Stand up, Raaz." The Master patted his back and forced him to straighten up. "There's no shame in being weak, only in giving up. I've done terrible things because I refused to give up on chasing Manohar and my dreams, but it's thanks to those acts that I now have this strength."

"I would do anything if it meant that now I could follow my son on the battlefield." Raaz said. "I'd rather Lith hate me and curse at my memory than be helpless while he walks toward his death."

"Don't rush to judgment. Only time will tell which one of us made the right decision." Vastor replied. "I'll do what you asked. Now be strong, our families need you."

Aran and Leria were crying their eyes out, afraid to not see their brother/uncle ever again.

"Don't worry, kids. I'll be back." Lith said.

"You said the same about Aunt Phloria. Please, don't go." Aran sobbed.

"There can be no victory without a fight, only defeat." Lith patted his head. "You've lived seven years of peace and I'm going to make sure that the rest of your life will be peaceful as well."

"Grandma can protect us all. Come with us to the Desert!" Leria tugged at his pants as hard as she could.

"If I do that, then Grandma will have to fight and I with her. You can't run away from your problems, Leria, only face them. Otherwise no matter how far you run, they'll stalk you like your own shadow."

Rena and Tista helped him to get free from the children before hugging him.

"Please, don't play hero and run away the moment you think the fight is lost." His older sister held him tight, pressing his head against her shoulder and lulling Lith like Rena did back when he was a baby.

Tista said nothing. She just cried in silence while she moved her eyes from her brother to the rest of their family.

One after another, they all walked through the Warp Gate leading to Salaark's palace. Then, once she was the only one left, Tista shut down the dimensional tunnel and disconnected the mana cable fueling it.

"Why did you do that?" Lith asked.

"Because I'm not leaving you alone and I didn't want to argue with our parents." She replied. "I don't care if I'm just a bright blue cored Awakened. I'm still a Demon and more importantly, I'm your sister.

"I'm not letting my siblings fight this war alone." Tista hugged Lith, Trion, and then Solus.

"I'd say we are done." At a wave of Vastor's hand, a Chaos Gate appeared.

It led to the space above the forest that surrounded the White Griffon.

"How is this possible?" Tista asked in amazement.

"It's thanks to us, kid." Kigan and Zoreth came out of Lith's shadow as the Balor-Phoenix dispelled his Shadow Steps bloodline ability.

"And to us." Nandi, Bytra, Nelia, Eycos, Cyare, Hushar, and Theseus were on the other side, acting as dimensional beacons. "The whole family is back together for this. We have all volunteered to be here."

"The White Griffon is a second home to us and we are not going to let it fall without a fight." Nelia the Frost Griffon said.

The academy actually only meant a lot to Vastor, but the Eldritches couldn't say it out loud in presence of witnesses.

"I couldn't tell it to Zin and the others because it's supposed to be a secret, but even after the Golden Griffon took down the Royal Array, the lessons continued." Vastor said. "Students, Professors, and even non-magical staff are still there.

"I don't know you, but I can't abandon my adoptive family."

"How do you know that?" Lith asked in surprise.

"Marth told me. According to him, the Headmasters were ordered to keep their position and keep working as if nothing had happened." The Master replied.

"Enough yapping! Start preparing your spells!" Faluel pointed at the horizon, where a golden dot had appeared and was approaching quickly.

The Golden Griffon could suck the abundant world energy from the Awakened Forest as if it was its own and use Mogar's essence to fuel the lost academy's power core.

Tista shapeshifted into her Red Demon form and wore the Mouth of Menadion that she had infused with her best spells. Faluel put on the Hands of Menadion and used the world energy to conjure a Warping Array that allowed the members of the Council to join them.