2962 Painful Truth (Part 2)

"They have your same unsolved problem but in their case, their cores have formed a symbiotic bond. It's their version of the wall, just another aspect of the same issue." Lith replied.

"On top of that, even if your two cores naturally fuse, we've never thought about what they would become." Friya pointed out. "Were at least one of them weak, it would be no big deal.

"But they are both blue and bright blue is the cap for normal people. Awakened need to temper their bodies and achieve enlightenment to reach the violet. Fake and true mages, instead, develop a unique constitution specific for them to survive the violet.

"What if your two cores exceed the limits of the bright blue when fusing?"

There were three possible answers. One, the new core would go in overload, reaching the violet for a short while before blowing Nalrond's body to bits.

Two, the core would not withstand its own energy and crack, killing Nalrond but leaving behind a fine corpse.

Three, after cases one or two took place, due to his mastery over magic and will to live Nalrond would become an Abomination.

"Good gods!" He took his head in his hands. "How could I be this stupid? I've wasted everyone's time because of my blind obsession."

"No, you didn't." Quylla said. "Besides, I wasn't lying when I said I have a solution. I just needed you to understand what the issues are before offering the answer to you."

Nalrond furrowed his brows until his brain pieced the conversation together, giving him the only possible solution to all those unsurmountable obstacles.

"Are you saying that I have to Awaken while you guys perform Body Sculpting on me?" The idea was so brilliant that he didn't know whether to call Quylla crazy or praise her genius.

"No. I'm saying you have to Awaken and, if necessary, reach the violet while we perform Body Sculpting on you." She replied.

Awakening did fit the various pieces of the puzzle. It would give the mana cores a common enemy, since they would be both too busy purging impurities from their respective bodies to fight each other.

It would create a strong mana flow that could be influenced by rearranging the life forces with Body Sculpting. After all, a mana core had to be enveloped by a life force to survive.

As the human and Rezar bodies became one, both cores would move toward the new center of the mana circulatory system that was located slightly above the navel level. At that point, being the two cores made of mana and sharing the same energy signature, they would be forced to overlap.

Last, but not least, even if they exceeded the bright blue, the extra energy could be diverted throughout the body to form auxiliary cores.

It was brilliant in its simplicity, solving several problems and answering centuries-old questions at the same time.

Awakening was something that anyone could achieve and didn't require any special equipment. Nalrond needed help like Phloria, Tista, and Quylla before him because his cores were too powerful for his body.

Had he harmonized his life forces and Awakened at a young age, Body Sculpting would have been plenty enough to break him free from the shackles of the Forbidden Magic that plagued his body.

"Are you sure about this?" Nalrond asked.

"No. Again, no one has ever undone a Forbidden Spell so I can't be certain." Quylla shook her head. "But I believe the procedure has a good chance of working and the others agree with me."

The whole table nodded with different degrees of confidence, Friya being the lowest. She believed in the procedure they had devised but she had a hard time being happy about it.

'It's ironic.' She thought. 'Less talented people would have hit a dead end like all those before us and Nalrond would have found closure without risking his life.'

"Define a good chance." Nalrond was taken aback. "I mean Awakening is a dangerous process and I have two cores at the blue. What makes you think I won't just blow up?"

"A few things." Faluel leaned forward on her chair. "Sure, you have two cores but also two bodies, each with enough impurities to contain their respective cores. Your concern would be well founded, if you consider this like Awakening two people but that's not the case.

"During the Awakening process, your bodies will be in a semi-

fluid state as they rearrange themselves. The flesh, bones, and organs of the human and Rezar sides need to fuse so that whatever you are going to become can survive.

"While in such state, your bodies are going to offer much less resistance to the waves of mana caused by the Awakening. Less resistance means enduring less damage if not even releasing the impurities with greater ease than a regular human.

"Also, consider that until the merging is complete, your mana cores will be subjected to the shifts and changes of your physical form. The process will be fast, but we can follow it in real time with the Eyes and act accordingly.

"We can compensate for the uneven mana flow by redirecting it to non-vital areas so that random surges of mana won't kill you.

"If necessary, we can also shift the position of the impurities or use the Hands to lessen the pressure on your body whenever you need time to recover. All the spells and enchantments we are going to need will be pre-recorded in the Mouths so there should be no delay between the need and the cast of a spell."

"All of that plus my Immortal Body array and the other abilities of the tower should cover for unexpected complications." Solus looked at the rest of the table, making sure there was unanimous consent before delivering the final note.

"One more thing. I'd rather not take Mogar's help in consideration since we have no control over it, but for your peace of mind I want to remind you that it's a possibility nonetheless."

"You are right!" Nalrond snapped his fingers in excitement. "I'm not fully human. Mogar might help me just like they helped Lith, Tista, and even that friend of yours, Vastor.

"Can you imagine if after worrying and banging our heads so much Mogar just sweeps in at the beginning of the procedure and does everything on their own?"

"Can you?" Lith said with the coldest and most deadpan voice the Rezar had ever heard.

"No." Nalrond's bubble burst as quickly as his mind had conjured it. "We can't rely on luck and wishful thinking. We need to be prepared for the worst."

***

Another week was necessary before attempting the procedure. It was the bare minimum necessary for Nalrond to learn everyone's respective techniques for the violet, get accustomed to them, and then trying to piece together the parts that fit with him best.

He had already learned how to Awaken by himself during his apprenticeship with Faluel. He had never put his breathing technique into practice because back then his survival chances were zero.

To no one's surprise, Morok was happy to share his enlightment to achieve the violet whereas Faluel apologetically but firmly refused.