Supreme Magus

Chapter 3897: Priceless Lesson (Part 2)

”As I said, we need an expert. Two would be better. Solus, explain our plan to everyone. I’ll be right back.” Lith Warped away, and all eyes turned to Solus.

”I’ve already called Malyshka, and she’ll be here in a while. I don’t know if she’ll help us, but it’s worth a shot.”

”Who’s Malyshka?” Bytra asked.

”You know her as Baba Yaga.” Menadion replied.

”The Red Mother? What can she do? She created the undead, not the Abominations.” Bytra sighed.

”She’s also an Odi.” Solus replied. ”Malyshka is probably the last unfallen member of her species and a white core. On top of that, she’s one of the greatest experts on life forces on Mogar. She may notice something we missed.”

”An Odi?” Bytra’s eyes went wide in surprise. ”That’s great news. How long will it take her to come here, and where did Lith go?”

”Malyshka will be here in a few minutes.” Solus said. ”As for Lith, he’s gone to inform the Master of the Infirmary’s findings. Maybe he can see farther than we do and give us a few leads.”

***

White Griffon Academy, at the same time.

”I’m sorry, Lith, I have no idea how to save Zoreth.” Vastor sighed. ”I know about her evolved human side, and that’s the reason I used her as a base for my own Eldritch side, but I have no clue how or why she evolved after merging with her clone.”

Lith had gone to the academy after making a few random calls and taking several detours to ensure he wasn’t being followed. He trusted Leegaain and Salaark, but not enough to rule out that they wouldn’t exploit the current crisis to discover the Master’s identity.

It was the reason he had contacted Marth first and visited Vastor under the Headmaster’s recommendation. Vastor was the Head of Light Magic Department and a leading figure in Body Sculpting.

His expertise made him the ideal consultant for such delicate circumstances.

”I won’t ask you how you acquired such extensive data in so little time, Lith, but if you discover something new, please, share it with me.”

”I will, Zogar.” Lith nodded. ”I’m surprised Tezka didn’t come up with anything. He and Nelia were my best bets.”

”You would be right if this were a simple matter.” Vastor replied. ”They are both great experts, but it has been millennia since they could practice light magic freely. I brought them up to speed, but their field record in modern Healing magic is inferior to yours.

”We’ll keep working on our side, but I can’t promise you anything. The damage is too extensive, and I’ve never dealt with something like this. I should have prepared better.” He gritted his teeth in helplessness.

”There is really nothing you can tell me?” Lith asked. ”You must have studied Zoreth’s life force thoroughly before implanting it into your body. Didn’t you learn something that might be useful in finding a cure?”

”I can tell you this.” Lith didn’t know that Vastor’s body contained fragments of all the Divine Beast-Eldritch hybrids plus Tezka, and the Master decided to keep things that way. ”Zoreth was my first success because her original life forces were highly compatible.”

”I know that.” Lith shrugged. ”Chaos and Decay neutralize each other into darkness and light. As long as they are balanced, Zoreth is almost identical to a normal living being.”

”Correct, but only partially.” Vastor steepled his fingers. ”They don’t just neutralize, they also feed on each other. That means that no energy is lost at any time. What weakens the Decay strengthens the Chaos and vice versa.”

”How is this relevant?” Lith gave the old Professor a quizzical look.

”Let’s put it like this.” Vastor took out a glass from one of the drawers of his desk. ”This is a healthy patient.”

He filled the glass with water conjured by a chore magic spell.

”And this is what happens when you perform a treatment on them.” Vastor gulped the water, leaving the glass half empty. ”Their life force weakens and their stamina depletes, forcing a Healer to infuse more.”

He conjured more water, refilling the glass.

”This is what happens with Zoreth.” Vastor took a second glass and placed it beside the first.

The water moved from the full glass into the empty one until they matched.

”If you weaken the Chaos, the Decay drains the lost energy.” The water moved again, leaving one glass almost empty. ”You might think that to restore the balance, you have to strengthen the Chaos, but then you’d add several variables.

”For example, what would happen if the next time the Decay steals energy from the Chaos, it exceeds its vessel’s capacity? What if you strengthen the Chaos too much and it drains the Decay?”

The Master poured conjured more water and split it between the glasses until it spilled over the already filled glass’ edges. Then, he dried his desk and took a pause, giving Lith the time to ponder the issue.

”It’s much better to attack the Decay.” Vastor flicked his finger at the almost full glass, and the extra water returned to the other glass. ”There are no new variables because you are not adding more water.”

”I see.” Lith narrowed his eyes. ”This is what makes Zoreth so stable compared to the other hybrids.”

”Correct.” The Master nodded. ”It’s also something you can use while attempting a cure. If something gets out of your hands, don’t pour more mana and life force. Nudge the winning side, and the other will do the rest.

”Also, consider this.” A tap of Vastor’s finger created two parallel vertical cracks in the glass that covered half its length. ”You are trying to prevent this.”

A spark of Chaos and the cracks reached below the water level, making it seep out.

”Instead of letting her condition reach this point...” A weak Forgemastering spell proved how difficult it was to recover all fragments and put them back into place under the pressure exerted by the liquid.

”Do this.” An equally weak Forgemastering spell strengthened the undamaged part of the glass, stopping the advance of the cracks and the spilling of the water.

”Zoreth is a living being, so by supporting her still healthy side, you might find clues or even receive guidance about how to put her life forces back together. Remember, only part of her is fighting against you.

”The rest is fighting by your side. Survival instinct is the driving force of all living beings, and we both know it can create small miracles.”

”Thank you, Professor Vastor.” Lith stood up and offered his hand, which the Master promptly shook. ”Today you’ve taught me a priceless lesson.”

”Don’t waste your time thanking me, Lith.” Vastor shook his head. ”Please, go and save Zoreth.”

Lith turned around without answering and used his Professor ring to Warp to the Headmaster’s office and from there return to the Blood Desert in one step.

***

Blood Desert, Starforge Tower, at the same time.

The Red Mother had reached the Heavenly Plume tribe before Lith’s return and had spent that time studying the readings of the Infirmary and questioning Quylla about the people of Zelex.

”I can’t believe a child of Leegaain, even one who turned into an Eldritch, dared doing this to his own sister.” Baba Yaga wanted to spit on the ground, but she held herself back in respect for her friends.