2638 Thorny Ways (Part 2)



"Thank you, Master Faluel." Friya flushed a little.

Due to their similar hair and height, it was easy to mistake them for blood relatives.

"That said, I have a theory for myself and the answer to Friya's question."

"Really?" Friya moved closer to the Hydra to not miss a single word.

"Yeah, really. Your method for the violet is probably similar to the Hydra's bloodline technique. Do you want me to explain it to you?" Faluel asked.

"Fuck! I mean, no, thanks." Friya tried and failed to hide her disappointment. "What's your theory?"

"That at least for me, the answer lies once again in following in Thrud's footsteps." The Hydra replied.

"More Forbidden Magic?" Ajatar was already regretting coming to the Fringe. "If that's the price for Dragonhood, I'd rather stay a Drake my whole life."

"No, silly." She chuckled. "Just showing me in Dragon form would have been pointless. That's why I glowed in the vision. I believe that Friya got it right and that Mogar was highlighting my blood."

"Okay, now you've lost me." Quylla said.

"Think about how she turned Xedros into a Golden Dragon." Faluel replied. "Thrud's method consisted in increasing the amount of Divine Beast's blood inside a Lesser while also feeding them with a life force that could withstand the potency of a Guardian's blood.

"Forbidden Magic was the easy and safe way because of the countless sacrifices Thrud made to evolve a single individual. If I'm right, then just like I've Awakened my core, my body, and the auxiliary cores, I also have to Awaken my blood.

"It's no different from what happened to Lith upon reaching the violet. He was just a Lesser Dragon before that. A hybrid like the others. Lith somehow has channeled the released energy and Mohar's help to turn himself into a Divine Beast.

"I'm already at the bright violet so this is going to be harder for me. I need a way to turn my Dragon blood into a dominant trait while also altering my life force so that I don't die during the transformation."

"And how would you do that?" Ajatar was pondering about taking part in the ritual and seeing if the same answer applied to him as well.

"I have no clue." The Hydra shrugged. "That's why it's called a theory."

They had all worked up a huge appetite but luckily the Lesser Dragons had brought dimensional amulets filled with enough roasted cows to feed a battalion.

"What was that thing with Lith's Soul Projection?" Solus asked while they were revising the meeting with the Parliament.

"That's a great question." Aalejah nodded. "I've never seen anything like that before and if the World Tree has ever recorded something similar, they kept it in their private archives where aspirants Chroniclers have no access."

"Then I guess you have no idea what that weird magic was either." Solus was almost certain it had been some kind of Void Magic, but she couldn't explain the arrays or their use.

"Yup. What about you guys?" The elf looked at the members of the group in turn, obtaining only shrugs in reply. "Lith, why don't you conjure them for a little experiment?"

"Conjure how?" He furrowed his brows in annoyance, not liking the feeling of being the science project. "The last time I did that on purpose, they canceled each other. Also, if it works, tell me how we stop them from making a fuss and being visible for kilometers."

"Oh." She replied in disappointment.

"Oh, indeed. No point in waking the literal Dragon if you don't know how to put him back to sleep. Also…" Lith tried to shapeshift, but it felt weird. "There is some kind of resistance in moving between my life forces.

"They are still fused but it seems that gaining consciousness and partial substance makes them more resistant to my will."

"Are you saying you can't shapeshift?" Morok asked.

"No, I can." Lith cycled between his four forms. "It's just more difficult and I can catch a glimpse of their thoughts in the process. I'm afraid that taking another form that isn't human or Tiamat might increase their hold on my body and make me lose control."

After dinner, while the others rested, Lith and Solus took the first guard shift. They could use some alone time so Solus conjured the tower and released the Sentries to keep guard in their stead before having the building disappear underground.

The crystal constructs generated by the Mirror Hall were unanimated objects. They had no Soul Projection and their sensory range was far superior to Soul Vision's, allowing them to spot enemy scouts way before they could notice them.

Regular sight was pointless as well thanks to the camouflage system of the Sentries that reflected their surroundings on the crystal's surface, making them nigh-invisible.

"Thank you. You have no idea how much I needed this." Solus sniffed the delicious smell of pancakes drowned in syrup and of the hot chocolate that Lith had prepared for her.  "Meeting the echoes of my parents in the Mindscape was hard but being forced to bottle everything up until now was much worse."

Being surrounded by the familiar rooms of the tower made her feel at home while Lith standing right in front of her made Solus feel protected.

Her eyes wandered all over the table, not knowing if she wanted to drink, eat, or just fall apart first.

"I'm sorry you had to go through all that alone. Had I known that the echoes in the Mindscape still retained the memories of their originals I would have found a way to send someone else to the Parliament and be by your side." Lith said, wondering if he could somehow meet Carl in the same way.

"Thanks." She puffed on the hot chocolate before taking a small sip. "I wonder if by asking the proper question you could meet Carl in the Mindscape. I mean, you've already talked with him there back in Kolga so Mogar must have saved his 'data' in her consciousness."

"I think we spend too much time together. And I mean even considering our bond." Lith studied her expression to see if she really had come to that same conclusion on her own or if she was just pulling his leg and reading his mind.

"What do you mean?" She blinked several times in confusion, taking a bite from a syrup-dripping pancake.

The sip of chocolate had opened her stomach and the sweet taste of the pancakes was countering her sour mood. Soon her plate and cup were empty but she still had plenty of space for seconds.

Lith used a superficial mind fusion to share with her both the imaginary nagging and his latest thoughts along with her reaction to both.

"By my Mom, we do spend too much time together." She giggled at the revelation, feeling her burden become a little lighter. "I swear on the tower that I haven't read your mind. The words just came to my mind by themselves."

"I'm sorry for the stupid question, but how do you feel?" Lith asked.

It was in violation of Dawn's teachings about boundaries, but Solus opted for a partial fusion as well.