Before Yozmogh could understand what was happening, his body was ripped to shreds and sucked by the scales along with his soul, putting an end to the fight.
‘Luckily, I was right. My Voidfeather form is the perfect counter to my Abomination powers.’ Lith inwardly sighed in relief while also noticing that he could feel a slight and unknown energy coming from the Void Scales where Yozmogh was trapped.
‘The question is, how do I get rid of him for good and what happens if I revert to my human form? I can’t risk leaving that bastard on the loose and having to start all over again. I need a plan.’
Lith turned around slowly, moving on all fours toward the back alley where that mess had started. A Dragon could walk on two legs, but due to his lack of practice, standing felt awkward.
His long neck swayed at every step and he had trouble balancing his upper body with his tail whenever his arms weren’t touching the ground.
In that form, Lith was far from clumsy but he wasn’t lithe either. He had to keep gravity fusion and the Hush zone active to keep his steps from alerting the inhabitants of the nearby buildings.
‘Damn, I wish I had the time to train a bit in this form, but with the baby on the way, the Void Magic lessons, and everything, I-‘ Mentioning Elysia sent a sudden pang through Lith’s heart that made his joints buckle.
“My baby!” If his voice in the Tiamat form sounded like the wind howling through an abyss that had somehow learned how to speak, the Voidfeather Dragon sounded like the rumbling of stones during an avalanche.
“My treasure. My ring! MY LIGHT!” With each word the pain grew and with it the fury in the Dragon’s voice.
Only thanks to Varegrave conjuring an air shield did the shockwaves from the roar not shake the neighborhood like a quake.
‘What the fuck am I doing and whose voice is that?’ Lith was flabbergasted, feeling his consciousness pushed out of his own body and having to once again fight for control. ‘I thought that my life forces had merged upon reaching the violet core.
‘Why is the Void going rampant again?’
‘That’s not me.’ The Void replied. ‘You and I have reached an agreement and I’m not going back on it. He, however, is still royally pissed off at us.’
Lith would have liked to question what nonsense was that but he needed his full focus to stop the Voidfeather Dragon from going on a rampage.
The Divine Beast suddenly seemed to calm down, sniffing the air and walking in circles like a bloodhound.
“Stolen! Taken! Mine!” There was a fragrance coming from the east side of the underground complex that somehow Lith perceived as golden through the Dragon’s nose.
The seven eyes on his muzzle became white like those of the Abomination and the suburban area around him turned into a dense, greyish fog that clouded his vision. Yet he could now see far enough through the buildings and their occupants to spot a light in the distance.
It was faint due to the fog, but it shone like a beacon with a familiar radiance that filled the Voidfeather Dragon with longing and nostalgia. At the same time, another light shone in the far, far distance in Valeron’s direction.
Or rather, two lights shone, the smaller one enveloped and protected by the bigger one in a nurturing embrace.
The Divine Beast turned his head from one to another so fast that Varegrave needed to conjure another air shield to block the windstorm the movement caused.
“My baby! My Light! Why?” He roared in frustration.
If there was one thing Dragons and Phoenixes were on the same page was how to take care of their eggs. Leaving a hatchling unguarded was an unforgivable crime. His whole being craved for returning to the nest, the pain of the separation almost physical.
Almost.
Dragons were greedy creatures and couldn’t stand missing a single bronze coin from their hoard, let alone someone as precious to them as Solus was to Lith. Where Kamila was his beating heart, Solus was the warm light in his soul.
She was his first and best friend, his better half, and an irreplaceable presence in his life. The fact that she was also bound to a priceless artifact like Menadion’s tower only triggered the Dragon further.
“Kill them! Kill them all and retrieve my Light!” Flaming chains comprised of Cursed fires burst from his chest and plunged into the still-stunned Demons of the Darkness, setting them ablaze into Demons of the Abyss.
‘No, no, no!’ Lith telepathically screamed in frustration. ‘I’ve gone through too much to fail like this. I had to spot the Fomor, allow him to escape, follow him and work my ass to get past the arrays.
‘I didn’t deal with Yozmogh just to let you ruin everything! Don’t listen to a word he says. Stay put.’ Luckily, the Demons could hear both the Voidfeather and Lith, leaving them utterly confused about whose orders they should follow.
“I said kill them all! Burn this place to the ground and let its ashes be a lesson.” The Divine Beast roared as he took a deep breath that filled his wings and mouth with violet light.
‘If we’ve reached an agreement, why aren’t you helping?’ Lith needed sheer willpower to stop the blast of Origin Flames.
‘I am helping!’ The Void snarled. ‘The guy hates me. If he sees me anywhere around you, he’ll go berserk and fight you way harder than now.’
‘Why does he hate you and why is he not listening to me? This is no split-personality bullshit. You are all just parts of me.’ Lith asked.
‘Respectively, he hates me because I beat him to a pulp on a daily basis until a few months ago. He doesn’t listen to you because he has other priorities. Last, but not least, since when are you good at controlling your own emotions?
‘Do I have to remind you that if not for Solus Lutia and the White Griffon academy would have been turned into a bloodbath?’ The Void replied. ‘I’m your rage, pain, and self-loath.
‘He’s your greed, love, and all the feelings that you’ve spent your whole life repressing. His rebelliousness is far from surprising considering how you treated him.’
‘What do you mean, you beat him to a pulp until a few months ago?’ Lith was so flabbergasted that he went this close to losing control of the Voidfeather.
‘Your beast side had to suppress your Abomination side until the violet, remember? I was the reason you were stuck at the deep violet and he is the reason your human body was stable, unlike regular Puppeteers.
‘Only once we stopped fighting could he gather his strength and become my equal. Our equal.’ Then, seeing that Lith was having a hard time accepting reality, the Void spoke slowly.
‘Human. Abomination. Divine Beast.’ The Void pointed his clawed finger at Lith, himself, and lastly at the Voidfeather. ‘We are the three sides of whatever a Tiamat is. You and I are cool. You and he are not. Is it clear now?’
