Chapter 4267: Guiding Hand (part 1)

Supreme Magus

"Dawn even taught her best Light Mastery to the children without telling us anything about it. She did it because she cares about them, not to make a good impression on us. What have you done aside from trying to use Ral as a road map to reach your apex form?"

"Forget my question." Silverwing raised her hands in surrender and stepped back.

’I can only blame myself for this.’ She thought. ’I’ve spent so much time alone caring only about myself that I’ve turned into an obnoxious jerk. Epphy is right. Between Dawn and me, no one would believe she’s the cursed object.’

"Speaking of Raldarak, can I see him?" Dawn asked as her golden eyes sparkled like small suns.

"Yes, but I warn you-"

"Yes, yes! He’s adorable, calls everyone mama, and has the highest friendly-kidnapping rate in Mogar’s history. I know that already." Dawn cut her short. "I won’t try anything funny. You have my word."

Solus nodded and Warped Raldarak to the tower.

The baby boy stirred from his nap and stared at the newcomer in confusion, mistaking her for Solus until his vision cleared up.

"Mama?" He asked. .

"No, little one. No." Dawn sniffled as warm tears streaked along her cheeks. "But thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me."

"Mama!" Raldarak nodded.

"Gods, he’s so sweet and cute." The Horseman sat down, her knees too weak to support her. "He’s perfect. If you ever need a babysitter, please call me. I’ll pay you."

Nalrond was about to say something when Acala’s glare stopped him. The traitorous Ranger was shorter and leaner than the Agni, but the sheer bloodlust he emitted dwarfed Nalrond’s.

Once Lith joined Acala, the Agni decided to retreat to fight another day.

"See, Aunt Loka?" Solus said with the sweetest yet sour tone of voice. "No requests for shapeshifting, no staring at the baby’s hair, and no studying his life forces. That’s the right reaction to a handsome baby boy."

"I get it, okay? Stop beating a Magus while she’s down." Silverwing sighed.

"Don’t get me wrong, Lith. Elysia is just as beautiful." Dawn handed Raldarak back to Solus before the idea of separating herself from the baby boy became unbearable. "It’s just that being called dad all the time kind of ruins the moment for a woman."

"That happens to men, too." Lith chuckled. "You should have seen the face Nalrond and Bodya made every time Elysia called them dad. It seemed like a venomous snake had bitten them. Priceless."

"I can imagine." She replied. "Jokes aside, I’m ready to work. Just tell me what you want me to do."

"Bring out your tower, please." Lith replied. "The mana geyser below the Mansion is not powerful enough to fuel three mage towers, but whatever you and Lady Yaga can take from it will help us during the procedure."

"Mom?" Dawn asked.

"Way ahead of you." The Mother nodded. "Sunrise is already out and inside Bloodhaven, safe from Solus’ prying Eyes of Menadion."

"I swear that wasn’t our intention, Malyshka!" Solus blushed violently.

"I don’t know why, but I can’t bring myself to believe you." Baba Yaga grunted. "Oh, wait. Silly me. I do know. It’s because you scanned me in the past!"

"I’m sorry." Solus gave her a deep bow.

"Next, I need you to spectate on the whole process, Grandma." Lith said as Salaark appeared out of thin air.

"Do you need my help as well, Featherling?" It was her turn to take care of the babies, so she was always within earshot.

"Yes, Grandma, but not in the way you think." Lith replied. "I know you wouldn’t help us in our experiments, but if this succeeds, we’ll need you to repeat the procedure for Ragnark and the Sage Staff.

"We’re not skilled with Creation Magic enough to dismantle artifacts that complex without harming their semi-consciousness. The only thing I ask you is to evaluate our current skill level and reforge our weapons as if we were the ones doing it."

"That I will gladly do." The Guardian nodded.

Lith moved everyone but Silverwing in the Forge, while the rest of the family would watch from the ground floor.

"Are we going to have spectators?" The Mother asked.

"Yes, if my theory is right, it will be quite the show. If I’m wrong, seeing everything blow up in my face will make them laugh and teach them the dangers of magic."

"Let me get this straight." Baba Yaga chuckled. "Everyone who knows about the tower can witness your Forgemastering but Lochra? That’s mean."

"It’s fair. There’s a big difference." Lith shrugged. "Solus and I have already completed the preparatory phase. All that’s left to do is conjure the single pseudo cores, shaping them into a power core, and infusing them inside the glaive."

He pointed at the curved blade polearm that rested on the Adamant Forge at the center of the lab.

"I was expecting you to be already done with the shaping of the power core." Faluel frowned.

"I can’t do it unless you tell me which one of your samples you want to use as an amplifier." Lith opened a dimensional passage to the Spark, where vials filled with the Hydra’s blood and scales were constantly refined.

"Good point." Faluel thought for a while about what she wanted from her weapon before pointing at a blood vial. "Amplify the magical properties, please. Further strengthening the Adamant would be useless.

"Especially when you can slowly transform it into Davross with the Spark." She fluttered her eyelashes, running her fingers on Lith’s arm in a seductive way.

"Hands off the merchandise, sister!" Kamila snarled from the floor above. "Also, remember that the children are watching you."

"My bad!" Faluel jumped back as if she had touched a live wire. "Stupid Dragon Greed."

"Before we start, I ask you to remain silent until I’m done." Lith took a series of deep breaths, bringing his Sigil Demons to him and bestowing upon them seven eyes.

Then, he donned the Menadion Set and drew on himself the power of the entire tower. Lith stopped controlling the enchantments of the single floors from a distance and brought them to him via the five artifacts.

He used the power of the Elemental Storage to conjure the elemental power he needed, and the Mana Injector to compress the world energy within the Hands’ grasp.

He then used the Watchtower to amplify the effects of the Ears and follow the flow of the different energy sources at play so as not to waste a single iota of mana as he assembled the pseudo cores into the power core.

Lith used Faluel’s blood last, coating the power core with it and turning it into a sphere that he reshaped until even the Ears and Eyes couldn’t find the slightest imperfection.

In the meantime, Tista conjured Vital Storm and supercharged those who would take part in the Forgemastering process, while Solus split the Fury into seven copies and handed them to her friends.

Everyone had many questions, but they all had to wait until Lith sent the power core floating near the glaive after checking it over and over again.

"What’s going on?" Fyrwal asked. "Why is Lith wearing the Menadion Set instead of Ripha?"