"Wait, what?" The Scorpicore who had snored through Kallaās rant suddenly woke up at the mention of her name. "Why should I come along?"
"Because youāre a tracker even better than Lith. Also, Iām too weak to ensure my own safety let alone that of my daughter. Youāll serve as both our bodyguard and Lithās aid in the case something goes wrong." The Wight said.
"No way! Iām glad if you spend some quality time with Nyka, but donāt drag me into this mess. Whenever I asked the Council for help, they always turned me down. Iāve got no obligation toward anyone here." Scarlett stood tall with a stone-cold gaze.
She didnāt like the Council nor Lith and she liked the undead even less. Either the Forbidden Magic went awry and bit the undeadās a.s.s or it succeeded, forcing the Council to move theirs, the Scorpicore would win just by doing nothing.
"Please, youāre extremely gullible and easy to manipulate." Kalla gave a nudge to Nyka who caught her drift and hugged Scarlettās huge snout.
"Please, aunt Scar, we need your help. You know that Mom canāt be trusted when books are involved and once Lith is out hunting, I would be all alone surrounded by strangers." She said.
"I said no." Scarlettās ins.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e heart took Nykaās big puppy eyes head-on without flinching for almost five seconds before starting to beat with motherly love. "Okay, fine."
"Slow down. We need to contact the Council and share with them your analysis of the situation. Forbidden Magic is considered a crime even by Awakened, there must be something they can do." Faluel said.
"Can? Sure. But do you think they want to?" Kalla shook her head. "Iām pretty sure this Haug fellow addressed the problem to the Council before trying to get Lith involved. They have much better experts than me, yet they didnāt care.
"Awakened only care for crimes committed by other Awakened. Thatās why back in the day the Council did nothing against the slave collars in the Empire or against Hatorne. They were fake makes, hence none of the Councilās business.
"Guardians follow a similar policy. Leegaain washed his hands of the Empire just like Tyris considered Nalearās ploy a price that her people had to pay to learn their lesson.
"On top of that, Lightkeep isnāt in the Kingdom, but in the Empire. My money on Leegaain not caring one bit, Inxialot making excuses to not leave his lab, and the rest of the Council bickering for so long that before they are done, weāll be gone and back." The Wight said.
Faluel contacted the Council nonetheless, and when Kallaās prediction came true down to the last detail, she had to admit that the Wight may be an airhead, but she had done her homework about politics.
"I canāt believe our gang is hitting the road from the first time." Tista hugged Solus and Nyka, eager to share an adventure with them and to visit an undead city.
"Youāre not coming." Lith, Kalla, and Faluel said in unison.
"What? Why?" She asked with eyes wide open in surprise.
"Because youāre too weak." Lith said. "Someone at the bright cyan would be a liability. Iām close to reaching the violet core while Scarlett is going to have her hands full with Kalla and Nyka."
"Not by my choice!" Tista angrily pointed at Faluel. "I worked my a.s.s off day and night, but she forbade me to use Acc.u.mulation. How can I have a breakthrough without it?"
"I understand your anger, child, but your body isnāt ready yet." Faluel used Lifestream, her breathing technique, to show Tista her condition along with a hologram depicting a perfect cyan-cored body.
"I know that compared to Lith I Awakened later, but I survived the process. Compared to that-"
"Wrong." Faluel cut her short. "Donāt you remember Mogarās words? To alter Lithās bloodline, they messed with your parentsā. If it affected yours as well, then the blue level means the awakening of your beastās life force.
"Youād become a hybrid and your body would undergo deep changes that would make the breakthrough way more dangerous than usual. You are already 21, past the age when normal hybrids have to choose their final nature.
"I have no idea if you are going to turn into a Wyrmling nor if you have to choose your life force right off the bat. Thatās why I wonāt allow you to use Acc.u.mulation until weāve done everything we can to ensure your survival." The Hydra said.
"Donāt worry, Tista. Weāll take good care of your brother." Phloria said while she and Friya patted her back.
"Right. I have to stay home because Iām the only non-Awakened in the group." Quylla sighed deeply, knowing they were right.
āI wish I could swear that Iāll work even harder to become an Awakened, but that would be idiotic. Iām already doing my best and without caution, Iām more likely to become either a corpse or an Abomination.ā
She thought.
"Donāt worry, Quylla. Theyāre not coming either." Lith and Faluel seemed to share a mind link, finishing each otherās sentences.
"This isnāt fair! Iāve finally Awakened, Iām incredibly strong and I even have Silverwingās hair!" Friya said flaunting her six elemental streaks.
"You still have to get accustomed to your new body and powers, let alone converting all of your spells into true magic." Lith shook her head. "You are an Awakened who still fights like a fake mage. In a way, youāre weaker than when you were human."
"Agreed." Faluel nodded.
"What about me? Iāve Awakened for a while and Dad even gave me new equipment!" Phloria said.
"I noticed and I know they are all masterpieces, but you have Tistaās same problem. Without Acc.u.mulation, your body is even weaker than Friyaās who Awakened with the Hydraās bloodline technique." Lith said.
"This isnāt Jiera. Iām not going to explore my beast side or making new experiences. This is a mission in hostile territory and all of you would be liabilities."
"Thatās not all." Faluel said. "Your mother has forbidden you to leave home and your disappearance would make noise throughout the Kingdom. There would be no way to stop Jirni from searching for you and her absence would compromise everyoneās security."
"It seems it will just be you and I, sister." Nyka said while hugging Solusās stone doll.
No one asked Nalrond to come and he was happier that way. He hated the undead and the thought of helping them made his stomach churn.
āInstead of wasting my time with those vermin, Iād rather practice Spirit Magic. Now that I have a wand as well, I can use the mind link to try and communicate with my sealed beast half. Without his help, Iāll always remain a hybrid.ā
He thought.
The lesson went particularly well because everyone was eager to show Faluel and Kalla that they wouldnāt be a dead weight, but the Hydra didnāt change her mind.
Lith informed his parents, Jirni, and Mirim of his mission, to give them the time to adjust the security detail before his departure, leaving Kamila for last.