Chapter 83

After lunch, the group fell asleep . The stress and the fatigue from the last two days weighted heavily on everyone, but Lith and Phloria were the most affected .

They had been on their toes non-stop since their arrival in the forest, the only moments of rest were those that they spent in the cave . Lith had pushed his body so hard during those days that he was aching all over .

He used Invigoration as much as he could, and that meant very little . From his experiments with the potions, Lith knew that the physical enhancing ones had side effects, just like fusion magic, that only proper rest could remove .

Invigoration could make up for them, but how could he possibly justify his ridiculous recovery speed? His mind kept searching for a solution, but without success . Restless, he started reconsidering his group’s situation and chances of success .

The more he thought about it, the more the exercise didn’t make any sense .

– “How the heck is a group of teenagers supposed to last for a whole week? With no prior notice nor someone capable of hunting, I can’t see even a genius get past the third day .

The Headmaster’s magical beasts attacked once a day, and each time it was much worse . If by tomorrow they get serious, it will be our end . And that’s just the icing of the cake, there’s also the fear, the need to search for food and shelter .

Not to mention things like those spiders that just want to eat you .

Sure, we could just hole ourselves in the cave, but if Solus is right, then we would only risk of damaging our grades . I don’t know how long I can still hold on . The forced cohabitation is pushing me to the brink of insanity .

My hatred and rage are eating me from the inside, it’s only a matter of time before I snap . ” –

Phloria’s group woke up only for a frugal dinner, at the expenses of Lith’s food stock, before going back to sleep .

The moon was shining bright in the sky, and from its favourite spot, Scarlett was contemplating the last piece of the puzzle that had fallen into its lap .

The Scorpicore was atop the tallest hill of the forest, the only place from where something of its size could sit comfortably while looking at its domain .

– “First, a group of five man-pups with six mana cores . That alone was beyond odd, but with the Clackers ravaging the forest, I had almost forgot about it . But then, somehow, one of those man-pups manages to remove from his body the Stunner Clacker’s venom without it losing much of its potency .

I know it’s not a big deal detoxify it with magic or an antidote, but extracting it from a victim? Not even a magical beast capable of using light magic would be able to accomplish such feat . Let alone a human, with their silly imitation of magic .

It would require to be able to locate and manipulate the venom coursing through the body with surgical precision . That’s something that only an Awakened like me would be able to do . I need to have a chat with this pup, before this charade comes to its end . ” –

Scarlett’s elite squad was in a deep slumber, resting to recover from the many wounds received that day . The Scorpicore set a powerful barrier around its beloved minions, so that no one could bother them without incurring in a sudden death .

Then, with a powerful flap of its wings, Scarlett took off, using his gold rimmed enchanted pince-nez to find where the anomaly was hidden . There were just a few dozen groups remaining, between that and its speed, finding the cave was a simple task .

Once outside, it suddenly realized to have overlooked a major problem .

– “Dammit, how the heck do I start a conversation without scaring the sh*t out of him?” Scarlett scratched its right ear with the back leg, searching for a solution .

“I got so used talking to Linjos and his minions, that I had almost forgot that my appearance can be quite intimidating . Kidnapping isn’t a good ice breaker . I could enter after devolving to a cat, but why should he talk to me?

Damn, this is going to be harder than I expected . ” –

After pacing for a while, hoping Lith would somehow notice its presence and wake up, Scarlett decided to change its approach . Thanks to the pince-nez, it could see that the anomaly was a ring .

The artifact was different from everything Scarlett had ever encountered . Its curiosity was more piqued by the second . Scarlett decided that if the owner was unavailable, it could always try with the artifact .

Scarlett sent a tendril of mana, thin as a silk thread, to connect its mana core to Solus’, establishing a telepathic link .

– “Whatever you are, I demand an explanation . What are you trying to accomplish in my domain? Why are you leeching energy from a helpless pup? Speak, or I will crush you between my fangs!” –

Scarlett didn’t like humans much, but was still polite towards them, hoping to avoid useless conflicts . But when facing cursed objects, it would show no mercy, stooping down at their level and speaking the only language they knew: violence .

Hearing that alien voice resounding in her mind, Solus was terrified, instantly waking up . It had been such a violent intrusion that even Lith regained his senses, his conscience dragged along with hers .

– “What is happening?” He asked .

“I don’t know, there’s a voice in my head, and a giant monster thingy outside . ” –

Using Life Vision, Lith could see through the cave’s walls Scarlett’s silhouette and energy signature . His mouth went agape in front of the biggest and strongest magical creature he had ever seen .

– “Solus, what’s its mana core?” His mouth went dry, Lith needed to lean against a wall to not fall on his knees for the shock .

“Bright blue, but there’s something odd . The amount of mana it holds its beyond words . Is like the world energy is willingly seeping in its body . It’s similar to your breathing technique, but unbelievably stronger . Lith, I’m scared . “

“Same . Where the f*ck are the Professors? Without them we are dead!” –

Knowing there wasn’t much he could do, Lith activated Invigoration, quickly replenishing all his mana reserves and restoring his physical strength . If he had to die, he would die fighting without holding back .

Watching the world energy flow inside the pup through its pince-nez, Scarlett winced of joy . One of its questions was already answered . He was clearly an Awakened too, now the problem was to ascertain how deep he had been corrupted .

Using another thread of mana, Scarlett created a separate mind link with Lith .

– “Fear not, I mean no harm, otherwise I would have just made the hill collapse, burying you all alive . I only want to understand the cursed object purpose and goal . I don’t want to kill you, but if you try defending that parasite, you’ll leave me no choice . ” –

Lith was so shocked hearing another voice in his head, that he started to believe he was actually going mad . Everything was happening too fast, and he could not make head or tails of those words .

– “What cursed object? Who are you and what do you want from me?”

Luckily, unlike his mind link with Solus, this one was active, not passive . It required Lith’s will to pass information or thoughts, so he could channel his anger and conceal his fear .

“Do you deny having a living being at your finger?”

Since the monster knew so much, Lith realized that lying would be useless, the best he could do was hide part of the truth .

“No . But it’s just a dimensional ring, it does no harm . ” Solus’ real nature had to be kept hidden, otherwise the creature could take her for itself .

“You fool!” Scarlett sneered . “Who would give life to such a trivial object? Don’t you realize how deep is its deception? I can’t believe that despite being Awakened you are so stupid . It’s clearly a lie, and you know it!”

“I’m a what?!” Lith asked . That conversation was making less and less sense .

Scarlett snorted, cursing humans and their inability to take care of their own .

“Another self-taught? Not bad, pup . An Awakened is someone that has learned to manipulate his own mana core . Not only it allows him to use magic the same way magical beasts do, guiding it with the mind instead of the body .

But also makes possible to refine the mana core, drawing in the world energy and permanently adding it to his own . It’s what you just did, pup .

Now tell me, how do you call your talent? Every one of you I met gives it a different name: first magic, the supreme art, original magic, whatever . “

“True magic . ” – Lith mind blurted without a second thought . He had finally met someone that could explain to him true magic .