‘I could tell you Lith Awakened very young and that compared to him you had much less time to practice but that’s not the issue.’ Faluel replied and Tista nodded. ‘He had to work everything out by himself whereas you had skilled teachers every step of your way.
‘You could have caught up to your brother by now if you had his same drive.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘That after healing from the Strangler you had a peaceful life. You joined the academy because it was your dream and became an Awakened without any effort on your part. I took you in as my apprentice only because Lith brought you along, not because you deserved it.’ Faluel said.
‘Was I that lacking?’ Tista lowered her eyes in embarrassment.
‘No, you were a great mage but that’s beyond the point.’ The Hydra replied. ‘Lith joined the academy because no one could teach him high tier magic. He relentlessly improved his skills for Solus’ sake first and then also to fix his life force.
‘When he studied, you played. When you studied, he risked his life on the battlefield. As I said, you lack his drive. Even now, you are studying without a real goal. You do what you like, not what you have to.’
‘What about you?’ Tista asked.
‘I come from a good family but I had to work hard to earn everything I have. My position as the beast Ruler of the Distar region, my Awakening, and my treasures are all things I achieved without relying on others.
‘Right now, my goal is to perfect Glemos’ Harmonizers and help my people to break past the limits of Lesser Dragons. On top of that, I also have to keep my word and find a way for the people of Zelex to undo their fallen state.’
‘I definitely lack drive.’ Tista sighed. ‘Sorry for wasting your time with my whining.’
‘Don’t be silly. You didn’t whine, you looked at yourself in search of your flaws and you found them. Bonus points for recognizing your problems instead of making excuses for them.’
‘Thank you, Master Faluel.’
‘You are welcome.’ The Hydra gave her a polite nod of the head.
‘By the way, how is the Harmonizer project going?’ Tista asked.
‘Not well.’ Faluel shrugged. ‘There’s a reason the Tyrant bloodline worked for millennia on the Harmonizers yet failed to achieve any permanent result.
‘Even after Thrud’s Generals agreed to help us Hydras in our research, we have yet to isolate the key factors in the different bloodlines of Lesser Divine Beasts that the Ambrosia triggered.
‘Until we succeed, even with perfect Harmonizer taking the next evolutionary step is but a pipe dream. Baba Yaga offered her help as well, but only if the Hydras invest part of their resources in the development of Harmonizers for her undead.
‘Useless to say, my people are not inclined to agree and are still arguing about it.’
‘Well, Ripha is a good friend of Baba Yaga and the Royals just announced her return. I’m sure the Hydras would love to work with the First Ruler of the Flames. On top of that, Ripha can vouch for Baba Yaga, breaking the impasse.’ Tista said.
‘Having one of the greatest Healers of all times work side by side with one of the greatest Forgemasters would surely help our research, but there’s one problem, or rather, two problems with that.’ Faluel replied.
‘Problem one: Ripha might not be interested in charity work.’ Tista said. ‘Problem two: Lith is not interested in charity work.’
‘Exactly.’ Faluel sighed. ‘Even if Master Menadion agrees to help us, she can’t go anywhere unless Lith comes along. Still, it’s a good idea. I’ll talk with Master Menadion first. If I can’t convince her, then there’s nothing I can do.’
‘You’d better wait to do that.’ Tista said. ‘At the moment, Ripha’s only priority is to make up for the lost time with Solus.’
‘As she should.’ Faluel said. ‘I’m in no rush. The research has been stumped for centuries, it can wait a few more months.’
Once the lesson was over, everybody went back to the Blood Desert for lunch. Lith and Solus spent the rest of the day respectively with his family and with her mother.
Solus wanted to know everything about her first life, both the good and bad parts. Menadion, instead, had waited seventeen years to comment on Solus’ every life choice and congratulate her for her achievements.
“I’m so glad you earned your deep green Great Mage robe long before my return, sweetie.” Ripha said. “I don’t want you to live under my shadow.”
“Don’t worry, Mom.” Solus hugged her. “Even if everyone were to think I’m mooching off you, it would be a small price to pay to have you back.”
“Thanks, dear.” Menadion returned the embrace. “Since it’s my turn to ask questions, how did Lith free himself after Nalear captured him? I want the truth, not the sugar-coated version you gave his parents.”
“Right. You were with me after she sealed me in the Retrieval Unit.” Solus nodded and told her mother about the day when Yurial died
***
A few days later, Lith and Solus had found their new routine.
They would spend the morning learning about the tower from Menadion and receiving advice from her about how to best use the different floors. They didn’t work or practice much.
It was just an excuse to better know Menadion through her work and let her break the ice with Lith after their awkward first encounter. Their relationship was far from smooth and further complicated by the fact that she was supposed to be his teacher and he her master.
For a mage as ancient and powerful as Menadion, it wasn’t easy to accept being dependent on someone much younger than her, let alone when that someone was also bonded to her beloved daughter.
Lith and Solus would then spend the time after lunch on their own and take turns at night to take care of the babies. Elysia and Valeron had missed them both dearly and still needed to be reassured they wouldn’t disappear again.
“Thank the gods Elysia now sleeps through most of the night with just a couple of lunch breaks.” Lith sighed.
“Valeron is a dear, but every time she woke him up, he never passed up the opportunity for an extra meal.” Kamila chuckled.
“Which also meant an extra diaper change.” His nose wrinkled at the memory. “The worst part is that we can’t put them in another room. They are too smart. They know our faces, our smells, and even our heat signatures!
“If they don’t see us when they wake up, they have a heartbreaking fit of cry until they see you, me, or Solus.”
“It’s one of the burdens of being a good parent.” Kamla chuckled. “Your children end up loving you. Also, it’s not my fault if we have to deal with toddlers with magical powers and bloodline abilities.”
“Yeah, that’s on me.” Lith said with mock indignance. “The first child is hard on anyone but I upgraded us to hell difficulty.”
“Yup.” Kamila gave him a sweet kiss. “And you had the genius idea to start a new game while we have yet to finish the tutorial.”
