"How are you doing with Creation Magic?" Kamila asked.
"I still have a long way to go, but I'm making progress. The Grimoire is working on Grandma's lessons as we speak. With a bit of luck, it will decipher the simplest spells first so that Solus and I can start from the basics.
"Phoenix's Forge is the only spell I've actually cast on my own and is tier five. It gives me a point of arrival whereas I need something to start with. I set the Eyes on Dismantle first. It's tier one Creation Magic and relatively simple."
"Excellent news." Kamila nodded. "Once you have mastered it, do you mind recycling Zogar's Dominator armor?"
"I beg your pardon?" Lith raised his eyebrow in disbelief.
"You heard me. Zogar has… changed and there's no way to retrofit the armor for his new needs. The gods know how hard to find the ingredients for an artifact like that is." Kamila pointed at the room and at the likely presence of a Guardian.
"I think that Salaark-"
"I swear to the gods, call me that again and I'll come there and kick your ass." An angry voice cut him short and confirmed Kamila's suspicions.
"Grandma might not agree with me using her teachings for someone else and I don't want to upset her."
"I really don't mind as long as you don't teach Creation Magic around, but thank you for asking, dear."
"See? Even Grandma agrees."
"Okay, but do you realize that Zogar is… an Archmage of the Kingdom and has… to keep its interest above his own? What if in the future we end up standing on opposing sides?"
"He's also the husband of my sister and the father of her children." Kamila replied with a scoff. "If something goes wrong, you two will talk it out like family not fight to the death.
"Also, how would you feel if something happened to him or Zinya because his equipment is outdated? Are you willing to put everything at risk just because of a hypothetical, paranoid scenario?"
Lith had to ponder a lot before answering. He didn't want to argue for no reason and he also had to admit that Kamila had a point.
'Zogar didn't hesitate to reveal his identity as the Master to me in Lightkeep in order to help me. Without the instruction for the device he gave me back then, I would have never learned about memory crystals.
'He has also chosen me as the heir of his legacy and taught me a few of his personal spells back in Verendi. On top of that, if not for him I would have never met the Abomination-hybrids.
'Without Zoreth, my understanding of Origin Flames would still be superficial. Without Bytra, Solus would have never gotten her Fury back.
'Tezka has proven to be an honest friend to Zinya and the children, and he has taught Friya priceless lessons. Maybe even to me and Solus, if only we manage to make sense of what we've witnessed during the fight.'
Luckily for Lith, every single move of both the Overlord and the Suneater had been recorded by the Eyes and was currently being deciphered by the tower's Grimoire.
Even though Lith and Solus lacked dimensional awareness, they could still replicate Salaark's skills and at least find a way to counter Tezka's spells after understanding their underlying principles.
"Fine, you win. I'll do it." Lith sighed, getting under the blankets.
"Thank you!" Kamila's whole expression beamed with joy as she made Elysia burp at the end of her meal. "I'd give you a proper reward but we have a guest so you'll have to settle for this."
She gave him a kiss on the cheek while the baby stared at them in curiosity.
"La." Elysia said, demanding her due.
"Of course, I love you too." Kamila kissed her on both cheeks and then passed the baby to Lith who did the same. "Now Dad will put you to bed. Goodnight, Elysia."
Lith held the baby tight for a second before putting her in the crib and setting the thermostat to make sure she wouldn't be cold.
"Goodnight, my heart. Always remember that you are safe, you are loved, and you are wise." Elysia cooed, recognizing the words that her father told her every night even though she failed to understand their meaning.
***
Blood Desert, Heavenly Plume Tribe, Salaark's palace, Lith's tower.
Between the information collected by Lith from the captured undead after the failed attempt on his life at the Mansion and those extracted by Vastor's hybrids, Lith was almost ready to strike back.
Almost.
During the past months, he had gotten used to his new body and used his breathing technique, Abyssal Gaze, to further refine his core and body. The breakthrough had made him stronger but at the same time had made every piece of his equipment obsolete.
The last time he had reforged the artifacts had been during the War of the Griffons, with the help of all his friends. Including Phloria.
Until that moment, Lith had hesitated to recycle and upgrade his equipment because by doing so he would erase one of the final traces of Phloria's presence in his life. As long as her mana flowed in the enchanted items, she was always with him.
Yet with Elysia's birth and an old enemy knocking on his door, there was no time for sentimentality anymore. He had come to the Desert to redo everything from scratch. Double Edge, the Voidwalker armor, Thundercrash, the Golems, the Sage Staff, and even Ragnarök.
After all, they had been Forgemastered back when he was still at the violet and Solus at the blue. Now they had both broken through the next level and the tower had become more powerful after recovering the new floors. n-.OIn
In a matter of life and death, feelings were inconsequential. Only power and quality mattered.
"Where is everyone and why have you conjured such a fancy recliner for me? Not that I'm complaining, mind you." Salaark was sitting on the most comfortable massage chair Lith could remember from Earth, with a table filled with ice cream and snacks on her right.
Aside from her, Solus, and Lith, the tower was empty. Salaark knew that Lith would split the Fury into nine copies and use as many assistants to tap into the full power of the tower.
That way, he could Forgemaster pieces way beyond the level of a violet-cored mage with a tower.
"I'm going to call them later." Lith replied. "First, I want to use the Dismantle spell myself and recycle the materials. I can't do it in the presence of a witness since you forbid me to teach Creation Magic and I can't risk people like Quylla or Faluel to learn from observation."
"If you don't need my help then why am I here?" The Overlord asked.
"Because I'm going to need your help in case something goes wrong." Lith gave her a polite bow. "Dismantle might be a tier one spell, but I've never used it on something this complex and precious.
"I don't want to lose precious ingredients forever out of stupid pride, let alone ruin things that can't be replaced in a lifetime."