The presence of the seventh element, the element of life, could only mean one thing.
The Shadow Dragon or at least part of her was dead no longer. Her troll and Abomination side weren’t just coexisting anymore. They had somehow worked together to undo each other’s fall.
Even as the Master looked at the phenomenon, he could see the six elemental forces and the newly formed life force fighting to combine into more than emerald sparks.
“Great Mother help me. Look at this!” Vastor altered the rhythm of his breathing technique slightly, using a trick that Nelia had taught him to make the readings of Beyonder’s Eye visible to non-Awakened.
Zoreth gasped while looking at her own abdomen, realizing that she hadn’t been feeling off.
What she had experienced since coming out of the Madness were the physical sensations of a living being, something she had long forgotten to cope with her endless hunger.
Bytra burst into tears, holding her partner and the Master in a heartfelt embrace.
“You did it, Father. You cured death and reversed the fall of the troll race in a single swoop!” She said amid sobs.
“I did nothing as such.” Vastor shook his head feeling unworthy of such praise. “I simply improved on the design of Arthan and Thrud. Without the help and the knowledge of the members of the Organization, none of this would have been possible.”
“Sure, mister Grumpy.” Zoreth rolled her eyes and this time Bytra let it slide. “When you put it like this, it’s two plus two kind of easy. Now, what do you think happened to me?”
“Off the top of my head, adding my living tissues to the remains of your human side created a bridge between your troll and Abomination life forces. It allowed them to merge which in turn brought your cores together. Yet we are still far from success.” He replied.
“What’s next?” Zoreth asked. “More experiments? Another run in the Madness.”
“Didn’t you listen to me?” Vastor furrowed his brows in an annoyed look. “Your life forces have merged. There’s nothing past perfection except maybe for evolution. There’s no problem with your body, only with your cores.
“I believe that you need to harmonize the flow of your mana just like an Awakened does to reach the violet core. In your case, you don’t have to create more auxiliary cores so much as strengthening the middle core until it swallows the other two.”
“See what I mean?” The Shadow Dragon puffed her chest out with pride. “Not only has our father cured death and reversed the fall of my troll core, but he also has figured out the missing piece of the puzzle at first glance.”
“I know!” Bytra swelled with pride as well. “He’s brilliant, isn’t he?”
“No, he’s not.” Zoreth shook her head, receiving Bytra’s frown and Vastor’s approval. “He’s the most brilliant man I’ve ever met, like I’ve always said.”
In less than a split second, the Master and the Raiju switched their expressions.
“Please, I’m no genius!” He scoffed.
“So what? Do you have any idea how many progress you made even before meeting me? Of the kind of talent it takes to gather a bunch of unique individuals, study them, and come up with a solution that works for all of them?
“Eldritches are like white cores. The only members of their own race, forever alone and each forced to face a unique problem only they have. At least the members of the same tribe of a Fallen Race can share their struggles whereas Eldritches can’t afford the luxury of companionship.
“That was before you found us. Before you found me. I made this breakthrough but the success is yours. You studied your life force and found a way to apply it to me. You’ve modified the Madness times and times again in ways that not even the Mad King could conceive.
“He was undoubtedly a genius. Despite his crimes Arthan is recognized as the father of Body Sculpting and you have surpassed him. What does this make you?” The Shadow Dragon asked to a speechless Vastor.
“I don’t care what you tell yourself or if you are not a genius. To me you’ll always be a brilliant man whose determination allowed him to surpass even geniuses. More importantly, you are my beloved savior.
“You took me in after even my own blood turned its back on me. Mogar itself had abandoned me, considering me a lost cause yet you accepted me in your home. You gave me food and developed arrays to contain my hunger.
“You were the first person to listen to me when I talked instead of running away or trying to kill me. Sure, our relationship was born out of common interests but, like me, it has grown a lot during these past years.
“With each Eldritch we took in, you gave me a community first, a family later, and then a wife. You might not be my father, but you are the best dad I could ask for.”
“Hear, hear to that!” Bytra kissed the Master on the forehead. “I couldn’t have said it better.”
“Me neither. Hear, hear!” Kigan walked out of the shadows, carrying with him the rest of the hybrids.
“That short son of an egg did it!” Tezka’s laugh was a low growl of hilarity. “I always knew you had it in you, Grampa.”
“Grampa?” Theseus laughed hard. “Maybe for those as young as me, but you are old enough to be everyone’s forefather, old fox.”
“First, I’m ancient, not old.” Tezka gripped his own chest in mock pain. “Second, I look like a dashing rogue whereas Zogar looks the part of a grampa.”
After a bit of laughter and playful mockery at the Master’s expense, the Fylgja turned serious.
“Jokes aside, I agree with Xenagrosh.” He said. “You have collected Mogar’s trash and treated us like your treasure, sparing no effort and resources on us. And now, you have turned us into some of the most powerful creatures this judgemental planet has ever seen.
“Even if your research didn’t pan out, you’d still have my eternal gratitude. Yet it did, and the word gratitude fails to convey how deep I feel indebted to you, Father.”
Tezka took a pause, letting his words sink in and giving the others the opportunity to chime in in agreement.
“I feel the same as Tezka, Father.” Nandi the Minotaur said. “You gave me back my body, my life, and my freedom. To all us clones, you really are our father. Without you, we wouldn’t have been born.”
“Original or not, I’m still myself.” Theseus the Bastet said. “Scratch that, I’m better. My former self was deranged beyond what even a Guardian could remedy, yet you did. Before I go back to my life, you have my word that I’ll do anything for you.
“Your enemies are my enemies and I’ll fight until my last breath to protect you.”
“And Zin.” Nelia the Griffon nodded.
“And your adoptive children.” Cyare the Fenrir said.
“And the biological ones you are going to have.” Eycos the Garuda patted the Master’s back while giving him a sly look that made the old Professor awkward.
