"The vision changed almost a month ago. Why are we doing nothing?" Jirniâs anger was barely contained. It took all of her willpower to prevent it to show on the outside.
"Because based on all we know, itâs likely we are about to face the threat of slave collars, like those the Pontus Household purchased from the missing Alchemist Hatorne." Duchess Distar was disgusted by her own words.
Just like Jirni, she hated feeling helpless.
"Whoever the traitors are, they have managed to slip out of our net too many times. Linjos needs time to remove enough members of his staff to require an official turn over without arising suspicions.
"If we act rashly, we risk alerting them. They would only need to activate the collars to force us to butcher innocents while they escape under the cover of the ensuing chaos.
"We are lulling them into a false sense of confidence, so that our first strike will also be the last." Her hands were clenched so hard they were white, the blood drained from her fingers.
"Easy for you to say. Itâs my little girls that live in that death trap, not yours. Why canât we at least warn them?"
"To achieve what? Spook them? Spook the traitors? We may be wrong about the collars. So far all the security sweeps came out negative." Mirim Distar shook her head.
"Itâs not only your daughters who are in danger, but every single student in all the remaining four academies. If you canât keep your personal and professional life separated, maybe you should recuse yourself from the case."
Jirni Distar knew that Mirim was right and hated her for that.
"How long before we move?" She asked.
"Very soon."
***
Village of Lutia.
Lith considered the idea of becoming an elder brother and an uncle almost at the same time disturbing at best. When during the second month of winter Elina noticed she had skipped her period, Lith knew he had succeeded.
Both his mother and sister were nervous. The former considered her pregnancy like a miracle while the latter was on edge being her first time. Lith was basically on call 24/7, but luckily nothing happened in his absence that Nana or Tista couldnât handle.
Lith would go back to his village at least once a week, during the weekend to perform a complete check up on both women.
"Everything is fine. Again." Lith snorted.
"Iâm so sorry, dear. I didnât mean to rush you." Elina apologized with such a merry voice it sounded fake, but she was actually sincere. She was just too happy with the good news.
"Do you want to know the gender of the babies?" Lith asked.
"Do you know it already?" Judging by their enthusiasm he had just asked a rhetorical question.
"Male. Female." He pointed at Elina first and at Rena second.
âUgh. My family so far had bad luck with males. Orpal, Trion, and then me. Letâs hope the little one grows into a better man than us. It doesnât take much, after all.â Lith thought.
âHow dare you!â Solus scolded him. Not even reminding her of his body count spared him from a lecture.
Both families didnât share Lithâs negative outlook on life. They celebrated together until late.
The next day, after the end of the lessons Lith went to Phloriaâs room to share the latest news and give her an early birthday present. In a few days, she would turn sixteen, becoming an adult according to Mogarâs standards.
"Congratulations, you must be thrilled." Phloria embraced him tightly. For a moment, Lith lost himself in the delicate fragrance of her hair.
"Not really." He didnât want to spoil the mood for his family, but at least with Solus and Phloria he could be honest.
"Iâm scared at the idea of having another brother. I almost have only bad memories about them." Most of all, he was scared of loving and losing his little brother. Lith was certain he couldnât take it again.
"As for my niece, I donât know. Iâm afraid the baby will take a lot of her time and we will grow even further apart."
"How many times do I have to tell you?" Phloria sighed. "You canât keep your loved ones under a rock. You must learn to let them go. You are not losing a sister but gaining a niece."
Lith didnât reply. It was a matter on which they had to agree to disagree.
"I have also come to give you your birthday present." Lith took out from his pocket a small box, handing it to her.
"Why so early? Donât you know itâs bad luck?" She giggled, rushing to opening the box.
It contained a lily shaped gold pendant. Renaâs father in law had melted and purified the gold, while Lith had shaped it with magic. It was so lifelike that Phloria attempted to smell it.
"I researched the etymology of your name. This flower symbolizes the goddess you are named after. Itâs also enchanted to be durable and as a dimensional amulet with a capacity of fifty square meters." It was the highest grade dimensional item Lith could create without making a fuss.
"Thanks! Itâs a wonderful gift!" She attempted to kiss him, but Lith stopped her.
"Thatâs just my cover story gift. Otherwise people would think Iâm even more of a cheapskate than I already am."
"Whatâs the real gift, then?" Phloria was puzzled.
"I know I canât Forgemaster anything your father couldnât do better, not I can afford something you couldnât buy on your own. The only thing I can offer you is my trust. Please, close your eyes and give me your hands."
Phloria did as instructed, while Lith activated Invigoration on her.
âWhat the heck?â What he saw left him flabbergasted. Compared to the last time he had visited her, most of the impurities in her body were converging towards the mana core. They hadnât moved much, but the movement was as clear as the day.
âItâs just as I feared.â Solus sighed. âThe prolonged exposure to you, combined with the repeated use of Invigoration and the practice of high level magic seems to stimulate other peopleâs cores.â
âExposure to me? Invigoration?â Lith was still stunned.
âDo you remember Balkorâs attack? To save her and Yurial, you had to use Invigoration a lot. Also, since she asked you out, the two of you spend a lot of time together. Protector told us that the key to Awakening is a high mana density.
âCompared to a normal mage whose core is dormant, yours is a small mana geyser.â
âDoesnât this mean that Tista is likely to Awaken? Compared to them, she has been much closer to me.â
âIf she enters the White Griffon, I think itâs a reasonable assumption.â Solus replied.
âIt also depends on her talent and luck. Tista hasnât Awakened in years and Phloriaâs impurities have barely moved. Donâtâ overthink it.â
Lith took a deep breath to calm himself before proceeding. He used Invigoration to remove the most external impurities from her hair and skin, destroying them as soon as they emerged.
"Whatâs this smell?" Phloria had no idea why she was feeling so hot and fuzzy, but the stench was out of this world.
"This is my gift. Iâd like for it to remain a secret between the two of us." He said bringing her in front of the mirror.
"I donât feel any different." Phloria looked her reflection without noticing anything.
"Take a bath and let me know in the morning. Doctorâs order." Lith kissed her deeply, tasting her fragrance before leaving her room.
He took off, flying along the corridor towards his living quarters.
âIâm proud of you, taking such a leap of f... Watch out!â Solus yelled.
Lith reacted swift as the wind dodging a barrage of icicles, only to feel an invisible grip blocking his limbs. He immediately activated fusion magic to neutralize the effects of the spirit magic holding him.
The person using it was an expert. They slammed him against the walls and the ceiling before he could react.
"I bet you didnât expect to meet another Awakened one, did you?" A too familiar voice said while the world around him faded to black.