The souls of the dead tried to access Lith’s mana and mastery over magic, but those notions were safely guarded and beyond the reach of the invaders.
“So you admit it!” Valtak roared, coalescing the Primordial Flames into a gigantic snake that coiled around the Void Demon Dragon, trapping him. “Lith is just your first victim. How many people are you willing to sacrifice in order to prolong your existence?”
“Enough!” The voices said, the word both their answer and a threat.
As more and more blue flames poured out of Lith’s body, the souls managed to shape the blue flames into a ring of fire that rapidly expanded and cut the snake into bits, freeing themselves from its snare.
Yet Valtak’s Primordial Flames weren’t lost. The Father of Fire recalled every bit of the fire construct and reshaped them into a fiery armor, but he knew things weren’t going well.
“Get ready to run away, Tista!” He yelled. “Origin Flames are sparked by life force and a living being only has a finite amount. Blue flames, instead, are sparked by the death energy carried by the souls pouring out of the cracks in Lith’s life force.
“The longer the door remains open, the greater the risk of Lith being consumed by the blue flames and we with him becomes. I don’t know if I can win, but at least I can keep those bastards from winning.”
A cold shiver ran down the Hekate’s spine.
She had done everything she could, but nothing seemed to work against the blue flames afflicting Elisya and it was only a matter of time before the baby girl lost control over them.
Until less than a minute ago, Tista had believed Valtak to be invincible. The Elder Wyrm always exuded an unparalleled aura of might and his knowledge seemed endless. Yet not even he could win against the ravages of time.
Since the beginning of the fight, the Void Demon Dragon looked like an incandescent light bulb that becomes brighter as it stays on. The Fire Dragon, instead, was akin to a candle at the end of its wick, its light growing dimmer as it consumed the final drops of wax.
‘Valtak can’t use magic.’ She thought. ‘The blue flames would consume his spells and even if he manages to hit Lith, he would achieve nothing. You can’t harm souls with magic.’
“No way! Even if I run, what about Elysia?” Tista cursed her bad luck and took out her communication amulet, alerting Solus. “Come here as fast as you can. We are in the usual spot!”
Before Solus could ask a single question, a deafening roar shook the Valley of Life and forced the Father of Fire to take a step back.
The souls had gained enough control over Lith’s body to not only keep producing blue flames against his will but also to manipulate them freely. They compressed the remaining blue flame in the form of a spinning drill and shot it forward.
The souls had Valtak and Tista lined up so that if one dodged the drill, the other would still be hit. The blue flames were no faster than regular Origin Flames but the Fire Dragon refused to budge.
‘I’ve caused this and I won’t put Tista’s and the babies’ lives at risk just to save myself. I have no idea if those flames have more hidden abilities and I’ll be damned before I let hatchlings get hurt on my watch!’
The Father of Fire roared back, stopping the shockwave and unleashing the Primordial Flames he had accumulated over his body.
The white fire converged in front of the blue drill, smothering its power yet failing to stop it. The Elder Wyrm flapped his mighty wings, moving himself out of harm’s way and pushing Tista to safety with the mere air pressure he generated.
At the same time, he hurled a jet stream of Primordial Flames the size of an apartment building at the Void Demon Dragon.
The souls cursed, stopping the attack and recalling enough of the blue flames to survive. The backside of the drill retreated while the frontside faded but not before reaching Valtak and burning the right side of his body.
The Elder Wyrm writhed in agony as the membrane of his right wing burned and he plunged to the ground with a thud.
The souls had dealt the first blow.
Valtak had the strength to smother the blue flames before they consumed him, but not enough to stand up.
“Go away, hatchling.” He said amid pants, his long beard burned black and short. “I’m sorry that my final lesson to you had to be in stupidity and pain. Save the babies. They have no one else who can protect them.”
Elysia cried seeing the old and kind Wyrm suffer. She just wanted her father back. She just wanted to go home. She was doing her best to help Lith but it wasn’t enough. It was never enough.
Valeron too cried, but he had no blood bond with Lith. The Bahamut’s bloodline abilities had nothing to do with the Tiamat’s but he still had them and chose to fight as he could.
“Papa! Help!” A burst of silver lightning came out of the baby boy and flooded the Father of Fire, amplifying what was left of his strength tenfold.
“Thank you, little one.” The Elder Wyrm rose to his feet. “With this, I can hold a bit long-”
A burst of fire charged forward and not from the Void Demon Dragon. The souls were still dealing with the white fire with the little blue flames they had left.
Valeron breathed his bright orange Origin Flames and imbued them with what Life Maelstrom he had left, turning them into Life Flames.
They came in too fast and surprise froze Valtak who took them in full.
“By the Father of All Dragons!” Instead of consuming him, the Golden Flames healed the Fire Dragon’s wounds.
The burned scales became ruby red, the broken wing was whole again, and his life force was renewed. If the Dread Flames split the six elements from each other, turning them into destructive cursed elements, the Life Flames exalted and amplified each element.
Light restored Valtak, darkness purged the blue flames, water and earth filled his body with nutrients, while fire and air gave him strength and speed. On top of that, Life Flames still burned at everything like Origin Flames would.
Yet instead of turning their prey into more destructive power, the golden flames converted what they burned into life force and injected it into the Father of Fire. The ground, magma, and rocks were still consumed but their essence was passed on.
“Thanks, little ones.” Valtak opened and closed his fists, feeling stronger than he had been in millennia. “I won’t waste the opportunity you have given me.”
Elysia kept weakening the Void Demon Dragon while Valeron the Second had given Valtak a second wind.
‘Once the effect of these flames and the Life Maelstrom runs out, I’ll be back to being an old fossil. I have to put everything I have in the next attack.’ He thought while a few kilometers away from the fight, the tower Warped to the nearest mana geyser.
