‘They have no need of a mana geyser or a breathing technique to absorb massive amounts of energy. Because of this ability, they are known as living mage towers and I think there’s a lot you can learn from Theseus, Bytra.’ Vastor said.
Even though he wasn’t talking to them, Lith and Solus were part of the same mind link and heard everything. They both froze at the idea that Bytra might have her own tower on top of the Absolution.
Even worse, once the Fourth Ruler of the Flames learned how to make a mage tower, she was bound to make more for Vastor and for each one of the Abominations hybrids of the Organization.
‘Fuck me sideways. As long as we are in a friendly relationship with them there is no problem, but I fear the day something happens to Zinya or Vastor decides he’s fed up with the Kingdom.’ Lith thought.
‘I doubt there are many even now that can take his Organization head-on. Once they have mage towers, only Guardians might be able to stop them from doing whatever they want.’
‘I couldn’t agree more.’ Solus replied. ‘The idea of my mother’s killer becoming even more powerful scares to death, but what can we do? Zoreth is our friend and Vastor is even going an extra mile sharing his plans with you.
‘If you attack him now, not only will you feel like crap, but we are likely to die. His armor is made of Davross and even our powers combined dwarf in comparison with the three of them.’
Lith and Solus had no idea of the true power of an Eldritch and assumed that maybe they could take on one of them. Facing Bytra, Zoreth, and Vastor at the same time, however, was just suicide.
‘Lith, this will be a great lesson for you as well.’ The Master said via the mind link, snapping them out of their reverie. ‘This spell is part of my legacy and I entrust it to you in case something happens to me.
‘It’s called Harmonizer and is the secret of my success in merging two different life forces and cores. I planned to use it for Marth’s son and yours, if necessary. It would be a shame for the children of my best friends to become hybrids.
‘Thanks to Harmonizer, I’m confident that the human and plant life forces of Manohar Junior can be fused, giving birth to a new species.’
Those words hurt Lith more than any wound ever could, making his stomach churn.
‘What kind of asshole am I? While I plotted how to kill him, Vastor worried about me.’ He thought.
‘Now watch and learn. The procedure is very delicate and so far, it only works on Abominations because they are damn hard to kill. I doubt that a child might survive, but adult hybrids might.
‘As long as I draw breath, I’ll keep working on it. Where I fail, I know that you’ll carry my torch and make life better for everyone.’ The more Vastor said the more Lith felt like the scum of Mogar.
He pushed guilt and shame aside, focusing solely on the task at hand. Solus had already shared with him the Eyes of Menadion, allowing them to study both the spell and the Master’s breathing technique.
Its effects were similar to Faluel’s Lifestream, transmitting the details of Theseus’ life force to Bytra and Lith as well. Vastor could zoom in and out at will, even highlighting a segment if needed.
Lith felt like a medical school student watching a video of a surgery.
Even though the only Abomination’s life forces he had ever seen were Zoreth’s and his own, Lith could tell that Theseus’ situation wasn’t good. The black empty sphere of the Abomination side clashed non-stop against two more life forces.
One belonged to the Bastet side and resembled a solar system where instead of planets there were smaller stars. The other was that of the Meneos and was comprised of green tendrils that looked like brown vines emerging from a green cloud.
The empty sphere was in the middle, eating at both the other aspects. The vines regrew as soon as they were damaged and tried to wrap themselves around the sphere in order to subdue it.
The Divine Beast aspect, instead, released bursts of bright violet light from the main star that spread along its satellites. Each one of the auxiliary stars absorbed and amplified the energy wave, focusing it like a lens against the Abomination.
Yet even two against one, the black sphere held its ground, slowly but inexorably sucking the life out of the living parts of Theseus’ body.
‘That’s why he can’t shapeshift without losing it.’ Vastor pointed out the struggle. ‘The other life forces are barely holding out at rest. The slightest exertion is enough to tip the balance in favor of the Abomination.
‘To make matters worse, the constant damage that Theseus endures makes him hungry. Not as hungry as an Eldritch but still to the point that it cannot be sated if not for a brief time. No wonder he is so cranky.’
As he spoke, Vastor’s breathing technique started attacking the three life forces at the same time. Lith had been expecting the Professor to weaken the Abomination so that the living aspects could subdue it, but he kept his curiosity in check.
Asking a healer questions during a complex procedure would put both him and the patient at risk.
‘For a long time, I’ve tried to put a muzzle and a chain on the Abomination life force, but it never worked. No matter how much energy you pour against it, the black sphere is a bottomless pit.
‘It can’t be filled nor forcibly contained. What you can do, instead, is alter its nature. If there is no bottom, you can just make one.’ While Vastor spoke, he started to rip small pieces from each life force and transplant them into another.
At first, the vines were either burned from the stars or devoured by the black sphere. The starlight from the Divine Beast, instead, was smothered by the blackness and snuffed by the vines.
As for the pieces of the black sphere, once transplanted they faded away the moment they received more energy than they could take.
Yet after coexisting for over two years, the three life forces had grown accustomed to each other and developed a mutual resistance. A small part of the life forces thrived even in the new hostile environment, creating small trees and dots of light in the black sphere.
Darkness and vines spread throughout the solar system while black veins and fireflies appeared in the green cloud.
‘Keep your hunger in check, son.’ Vastor said to Theseus who hadn’t experienced such a violent appetite ever since he had ceased being an Eldritch. ‘Things are going to get worse before they get much better.’
The Master kept transplanting small pieces of the life forces, adding them to those who had already managed to survive and adapt. Most of the time, the new tissue would inherit the resistance and help the foreign life force to grow in size and strength.
When a transplant failed, Vastor would just sigh and start anew.
Lith admired the Master’s ingenuity and how despite having the same name, Glemos’ device and the spell had two completely different purposes.
