2647 Shattered Mind (Part 1)



"It would make Elina live long and be able to defend herself even while you are away." Mogar replied.

"So it's just like my current body. A projection of my desires, not a hint to something that's going on." Lith sighed in disappointment.

"What did you expect? That the sixth time was the charm?" Mogar-Elina said with a scoff. "Awakening a bloodline is something that happens by luck only in a bard's tale.

"Assuming that's something your mother wants, she has to work hard for it or ask Leegaain. Either way, it's her choice. Not yours." She tapped on his nose with her finger.

"Fine, let's get to business." Lith said with a snort.

"I'm all ears."

"I want to know how to harmonize my life forces and reach the damn violet core, how Ajatar can achieve Dragonhood, and lastly how I can reach Void Magic's full potential." Lith phrased his request that way for a reason.

From his last conversation with Solus, he assumed that when he conjured a single element, he could tap into the power of the other six by manipulating the energies that originated as a byproduct of the original spell.

If his assumption was correct, then a Void Mage might be capable of turning a common spell into Spirit Magic by adding a spark of their life force. There was no reason to assume that Void Magic was limited to five tiers and his question was meant to verify his hypothesis.

"I like this. A mix of egotism and generosity in equal measure." Mogar-Elina clapped her hands, conjuring three spheres of light.

One shifted from black to red and then to pink in a loop. The second was sapphire blue while the third one looked like a thunderstorm trapped in a pool ball.

"How is this generous? Only one question is for someone else. The other two are for me." Lith asked while stepping forward the first sphere.

"Don't play coy with me." She replied. "Void Magic is something you shared. Whatever you learn from here, if any, is going to be shared as well. Even if you don't teach everyone about your strongest spells, you would still teach Solus, Tista, and many others.

"Just by knowing the first five tiers of Void Magic and by looking at you guys, it's only a matter of time before everyone knows."

"The first five?" Lith echoed.

"The ones I'm sure of." Mogar-Elina shrugged. "I don't see the future. Your words, not mine."

Lith grumbled and took a final step, dodging a combination of Chaos, Origin Flames, and War only thanks to the Full Guard enveloping him.

"What the actual fuck?" He said once he had recovered from the shock of the revelation.

The thing in front of Lith seemed out of a drunken dream.

It consisted of a bunch of glass shards linked to each other by something that looked like ligaments and cartilage. The elastic bands of tissue would pull the fragments together, forming either Lith's human or Eldritch appearance.

Then, the humanoid form would explode like a shattered mirror just to be reassembled. The cycle wasn't just between human and Eldritch, however. Sometimes, the shards would be piled together and wrapped by tissues, taking the shape of the Voidfeather Dragon.

None of the three apparitions lasted for long, torn apart by an inner conflict that kept the fragments sharp and made them cut through the three bodies.

"Those aren't ligaments. Those are Dragon scales turned into meat paste." Lith said after observing the phenomenon for a while. "Is this what my Divine Beast side had to endure for all these years?"

Just the thought made Lith shudder and understand why the Voidfeather seemed to hate him so much.

"If that's a question, I have to take away one of the spheres." Mogar replied.

"Faluel was right. You do treat me and Solus differently from others." It was rude to say it out loud but Lith knew that keeping it to himself was a fool's errand.

"Why shouldn't I?" Mogar shrugged. "I barely notice the existence of most people whereas I follow closely those who undergo my tribulations. It would be stupid and ungrateful to treat my acquaintances the same way as strangers.

"I like our talks. Even those that take place without you guys even noticing."

"A bit creepy, but okay." Lith moved his gaze back to the shards.

One side was Chaos black while the other one was pink like his human skin. The two life forces seemed to have merged but they still failed to act as a whole. The mass of fragments didn't form a puzzle.

The countless pieces failed to assume a definite form because their edges didn't match. No matter how many times the Voidfeather pulled them together, they screeched and bent until they sprung back to their original form in a burst of gore.

"Off the top of my head, I'd say that I'm still a broken man. That whatever is keeping me from reaching the bright violet depends on the fact that my psyche is as shattered as my life forces."

"If you say so." Mogar had been sitting for a while, sipping tea and eating biscuits and ice cream from a plate. "By the way, thanks. Much appreciated."

"Fuck me sideways. Even you recognize me for my cooking above my magic. The moment Solus sees this I'll forever be Wonka Magus or something. They'll never let me hear the end of this."

"Oh, woe is me." Mogar-Elina rubbed her index finger and thumb together, actually playing Mogar's smallest violins.

Plural.

"There's no need to be sarcastic." Lith scoffed.

"There's no need to be a buzzkill." She clicked her tongue.

"Man, with that attitude is no wonder no one ever visits." He whispered as low as he could.

"I heard that!" Mogar's snarl and the ground turning into a black charred land covered in white bones made Lith raise his hands in apology.

"Let's move to answer number- Crap!" A whip-fast claw and blast of bright violet flames were followed by a living stream of sapphire blue energy trying to snuff Lith out like a candle.

If not for him knowing about Spirit Fusion and having already seen Ajatar using it against Glemos, there wouldn't have been enough of Lith left to fill a shoebox.

A sudden burst of Void Flames from his skin acted as a barrier, hurting the Sapphire Dragon even in his energy form and giving Lith the time to Blink to safety.

The moment he stepped away, the energy mass returned to its starting spot and turned into a majestic Dragon who grinned at Lith like an adult after teaching a child a valuable life lesson.

To make matters worse, the wounds that the Void Flames had inflicted upon Ajatar's echo healed and his vigor returned to its peak.

"That's cheating!" Lith tried and failed to use Invigoration which didn't work in the Mindscape. "Also, what does that mean? Spirit Fusion is supposed to be emerald green, not sapphire blue.

"Is that a bloodline ability or another kind of energy akin to my Dread Flames?"

"Good question. Ajatar?" Mogar asked the echo who popped his knuckles and stretched his neck in reply. "He says to come and get him, if you dare."