2374 Under the Spotlight (Part 2)

Awakened only cared for Rulers of the Flames because they shared their wisdom just like a Magus but their work also widened the gap between fake and true mages. Spirit Magic was always required to tap into the full potential of their opus and only Awakened could use the seventh element of magic.

"These are the DoLorean blueprints while these are the books about Void Magic. They cover tiers from zero to three." Lith handed Orion one parchment and several tomes.

"What about tiers four and five?" Feela asked.

"When I get there, you'll be the first to know." Lith shrugged.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the DoLorean is exclusive to the Kingdom." Orion said. "Void Magic, instead, we can share."

He pushed the books toward the center of the table and an array did the rest.

They were brought to the middle of the Forge where a pillar of light engulfed them. The magical formation conjured one virtual copy of the tomes for every chair around the table while another array splashed empty books with ink.

The liquid moved from one page to another, copying the original down to the smallest detail.

"Let's give them all a read first and then discuss it amongst ourselves." Orion proposed and the others nodded.

"We use the same First Magic so Mages and Awakened can benefit from comparing their respective notes." Raagu nodded.

The copies were ready way before the assembly of mages was done arguing about their respective theories on how to improve Lith's Void Magic. The Awakened gave a significant contribution but they also were shocked by their fake counterparts.

The Royal Mages demonstrated an understanding of magic almost as deep as their own and a few of them even offered brilliant suggestions. Raagu took a mental note of their names.

'Marth, Distar, Ernas, Rudd, and Vastor. I have to keep an eye on these five.' She thought.

Only once the Awakened took their leave, did Orion put the blueprints of the DoLorean on the table and shared the news about Friya's and Solus' contributions with his fellow Royal Mages.

Everyone gasped, remaining frozen for a few seconds before the room burst into an uproar. Everyone congratulated Orion and Friya, especially her old Professors from the White Griffon.

"I knew that you were special since day one!" Professor Rudd, the teacher of dimensional magic, was almost moved to tears. "Finally a dimensional mage is going to get the recognition our profession deserves.

"These seven streaks are a blessing for us all yet if you want to make this old man happy, you must become a Magus before I croak."

'From day one my ass!' Friya thought. 'You treated me like crap until I ran circles around the rest of the class just because I didn't belong to a magical bloodline.'

"Thanks, Professor Rudd." She actually said. "I'm certain that were you to Awaken, you'd have the same streaks."

It seemed like a compliment but it was meant to make Rudd eat his liver. It worked.

"Thank you for your kind words." The old Professor wore the joyful expression of someone who had just learned to have lost everything in a fire.

"Are you really the Golden Knight?" Marth asked in surprise.

"Yes, why?" Solus was offended by the allegation.

"No offense, it's just that I saw you fight in the videos. You were so strong and majestic that I had pictured you a bit taller and fiercer." Marth needed sheer willpower to not mention how petite and lovely she looked.

"I'm not short, it's Lith who is a beanpole!" Solus replied.

"Actually…" Orion pointed at his colleagues, highlighting with a raised hand how she was even shorter than Vastor.

"Fine!" Solus conjured several hard-light constructs to prove her mastery of magic.

"Remarkable!" Archmage Kwart said. "From what academy did you graduate?"

"Are you a beast or a human?" Headmaster Lema asked.

"Are you single?" Several people asked, each one of them one too many for Solus' comfort.

"I studied under Gr- I mean, Overlord Salaark. I'm a human and I'm happily single. Can we talk about magic now?" She answered in a rush to make them back down but it only made matters much worse.

A human disciple of the Overlord would have explained how both she and Verhen had learned Light Mastery.  It meant that Solus had strong connections with the Overlord and through Verhen, also with the Kingdom.

Such a powerful and influential single woman was a unique catch, especially after having witnessed her prowess on the war records. Before Orion could manage to make the session resume, Solus had enough contact runes in her hand to build a house of cards.

The Archmages would have approached Friya as well, but even though she had broken her engagement they didn't want to pressure Orion after his recent loss.

'Good gods, is this how it feels when people want a piece of you not for who you are but for what you can do?' Solus asked via the mind link while covered in a cold sweat.

'Yeah, get used to it.' Lith inwardly nodded. 'I'm sorry I can't give you half the credit for Void Magic. It would mean raising questions we don't want to answer and explaining the reason we are so close.'

'Are you kidding me?' Solus replied. 'If this is what I get for revealing the crumbs of my work, it's no surprise that Mom lived like a hermit in her tower.'

After a while, once she finally managed to calm down, Solus added:

'Thank you, Lith. No matter how scary it is, walking through the Royal Palace with my own legs and being recognized for my talent is still a wonderful experience.'

'Please, this is the least I could do.' He replied.

After a brief questions and answers session about the most complex runes of the DoLorean's power core, the assembly was adjourned to give everyone the time to revise the material in detail.

Lith was surprised when Archmage Kwart approached him and offered him a hand.

"I want you to know that I had no idea that Deirus was consorting with Night and that I'm truly sorry for what happened to Phloria Ernas." Kwart said while shaking hands.

"Let's say I believe you. What do you want from me?" Lith didn't buy either the change of heart or the condolences.

Kwart hadn't attended Phloria's funeral which spoke volumes about his feelings.

"Nothing." The Head of the Mage Association sighed. "I want to thank you because what you shared with us today will give the Association a bit of respite until we find a way to redeem ourselves."

"I don't follow you." Lith tilted his head.

"Your contribution counts as that of an individual, not as a member of the army. A Magus and even a Supreme Magus are titles that belong to the Association and give it luster." Kwart replied.

"Until this moment, the only reason the army has yet to swallow the Association is that the Royals are wary of what would happen if too much power were to end up in too few hands.

"It would give the army an authority too close to the Crown's for comfort and make it hard to control in case another Morn pops out."