‘Careful.’ Dusk warned Kelia. ‘The Royals have assigned this wagon to Verhen in order to repair the power core in case of malfunction and to protect it from people like us.
‘He’s an Awakened and he is going to notice any attempt of using spells or breathing techniques unless you are extra caref- By the Red Mother!’
The moment Solus opened the door, Dusk noticed that her core had broken through the blue, something that he had missed the previous time due to the presence of the mana geyser under the Verhen Mansion.
Yet both her mana flow and vitality were off the charts compared to what he would have expected from someone at that level.
Even that anomaly, however, took a backseat when the other occupants of the wagon turned around to look at the newcomer. Both babies had their eyes lit up with mana and Life Vision as they observed Kelia with curiosity.
‘How can people Awakened from birth actually exist?’ He was wrong, since Valeron fit the description but Elysia had Awakened shortly after conception. ‘Also, how come the younger one has a mana core as strong as the older one?’
The baby girl had experienced her first breakthrough at birth due to Lith rearranging his life forces. From that moment, she had spent most of her time in the tower or in the Verhen Mansion where Solus could tailor-fit the flow of world energy to match Elysia’s body development.
She had yet to learn what a breathing technique even was, but her mana core was just two steps behind her body refining as if she used Invigoration nigh non-stop. Lith did it on purpose so that Elysia would experience no pain as her core developed.
Valeron had only recently joined the family but since that moment he had received the same care.
“Hi, Kelia. Nice to see you. You are just in time for the start of a new movie.” Solus said while pointing at Orion while making sure to eclipse the gesture with her own body.
‘He knows about Awakened but nothing about me or my relationship with Lith.’ She explained via a mind link. ‘Don’t mention anything about Dusk or me that might put us both into trouble.’
“What’s a movie?” Kelia asked with a genuinely confused expression on her face.
She knew from their previous encounters that Kamila and the Ernas girls knew everything about Solus so Kelia found it odd to keep only one member of their team in the dark.
‘A story projected with Light Mastery and given sound by air magic.’ Dusk replied while his host stared at the images with her mouth agape. ‘If only Mother had shared with me the same knowledge she bestowed upon Dawn or if my sister had bothered teaching me, we could do the same.’
The Horseman gritted Kelia’s teeth in annoyance.
Light Mastery wasn’t part of Dawn’s bloodline abilities, just a very rare branch of magic. Yet since the Bright Day had fewer innate skills compared to Dusk, she considered Light Mastery as such and she had never shared its secrets with either of her siblings.
On paper, Dusk was the strongest of the Horsemen due to possessing the mana organs necessary to conjure the Guardians’ most powerful bloodline abilities. Yet Light Mastery tipped the scales in Dawn’s favor and she preferred keeping the balance between the three Horsemen since they often fought between them.
“It’s like a theatrical play but performed with magic and without breaks unless we need to go to the bathroom or grab a snack.” Solus replied before introducing Kelia to the rest of her guests.
Except for Orion, everyone’s eyes flared up with Life Vision to make sure that she wasn’t attempting anything funny. The Kingdom was in a neutral relationship with the Empire and Solus with the Horsemen of Dawn and Dusk, but there was little trust between them.
‘We can forget about studying the power core.’ Kelia thought. ‘Milea was right. It’s too dangerous.’
She ended up enjoying the story of Lord of the Blings and completely forgot about her missions.
‘It was nice.’ She thought at the ending. ‘Too bad for the forced plot. Like who would be stupid enough to sit on their thumbs for centuries while an evil overlord builds a whole army?’
‘It’s just a story.’ Dusk pointed at Elysia and Valeron who seemed to have overlooked the many logical shortcomings of the movie.
“I’m tired of sitting around.” Solus stood up, stretching her lithe arms. “I’m taking a walk. Would you like to come with me, Kelia?”
“Sure.” The Horseman replied a bit too quickly, making Orion wonder what the heck could a woman like Solus have to tell a young girl like Kelia. “I’ve heard you are a Professor at the White Griffon and even though I know that no academy shares its secrets, I was hoping you could help me with the basics.”
“Honorary Professor, actually.” Solus blushed a bit in embarrassment. “And only because Lith and I are the only ones who can teach Void Magic.”
“Don’t be modest.” Lith shrugged. “As soon as we master all tiers of Void Magic, we’ll have all the qualifications to become Professors at any academy of our choice.”
“We?” Orion could understand the joy of instructing a youth in the ways of magic but he was utterly confused by Lith’s wording. “You are a f…arming Magus. The first one in over a century for the Kingdom.”
“What about Balkor, Manohar, and Zavra?” Kelia asked.
“Fine. The first Magus who isn’t insane, a traitor, or both.” Orion grunted. “Bottom line, even if we don’t consider the Supreme Magus title, and it’s a big if, you can already teach wherever you want. What’s that ‘we’ about?”
‘Fuck me sideways.’ Lith thought. ‘I screwed up.’
“Solus and I have worked very well together on several projects but she’s still just a Great Mage.” He actually said. “I just meant that Void Magic is her ticket to become a Professor and teach alongside me, if that’s what she wants.”
The explanation would have been perfect if not for Solus living with Lith, working with him, teaching with him, and holding Elysia as often as Kamila.
“Baba?” The baby girl asked when Solus unwrapped her hair around Elysia and gently handed the baby to Kamila.
“I’m just going to take a walk, sweetheart.” Solus kissed the baby’s forehead. “And I’m not baba. I’m not a bad person. Don’t you love m- aunt Solus?”
Elysia pondered the issue with a stern expression on her plump, cute face before nodding.
“Awa.” She tried and failed to modulate the sounds for aunt.
“Good girl. I love you too.” It was more than enough for Solus who threw one final glare at Lith before walking away.
As they left the wagon, Kelia and Solus made small talk while using a mind link for the real communication.
‘I haven’t seen you since Elysia’s birthday gala.’ Solus said to the Red Sun.
‘I’m sorry, but we have been too busy with the academy to have any free time.’ He replied. ‘Even with my help, graduating from four years in just two is a very demanding feat.’
