Chapter 4546: Contagious Envy (Part 2)
Chapter 4546: Contagious Envy (Part 2)
"I’m sorry, Big Brother, it’s all my fault. Leria is innocent." Aran replied, his eyes welling with tears. "I let pride get the better of me."
"Pride?" Lith echoed, and Leria tilted her head to one side in confusion.
"Erkin may be of our blood, but he’s still Meln’s son." The young boy tried to stay calm, but there was an edge to his voice. "I know what I did was stupid, but I needed to check Erkin wasn’t better than us. Than you."
Those words hit Lith hard, but they hit Leria even harder.
"When I read that Erkin has better chances of bloodline awakening than us, I thought I would die of envy. It’s not fair!" Aran raised his eyes, and Lith noticed the blind rage in them. "That’s why I asked Val for help. I can’t stand the idea of being less talented than Meln’s son!"
Lith said nothing and hugged Aran, who started to cry softly.
’Not only are my and Dad’s rage contagious, but also Meln’s envy.’ Lith thought. ’Knowing how competitive the kids are even among them, I should have predicted that their rivalry with Erkin was bound to be much worse. I underestimated the problem.’
"Don’t say that, Aran. You are better than this, and we both know it." He actually said. "Do you realize that trying to compete with a baby is exactly what Meln would do? What he did to me?"
Aran and Leria froze, ashamed of themselves and terrified of becoming anything like their estranged relative.
"Erkin went through something I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy." Lith continued. "Getting slightly ahead in his bloodline awakening is nothing compared to the hardships he’ll have to face as he grows up.
"You guys have a loving family, talent, and countless things you can brag about with your friends, including being already Awakened at your age. Erkin has Meln for a father."
The kids stopped to think about how they would feel in their unborn cousin’s shoes and shuddered. The strength of a Titania and the better chances at awakening the Divine Beast bloodline suddenly lost their allure.
"You’re right, Big Bro." Aran nodded. "Erkin has so little compared to me, yet I got fixated on the only thing he has, and I don’t. That was mean of me."
"And me." Leria trembled despite the heat of the Desert. "Even being as magically talented as Aran would be a little price to pay to have good parents like mine. I can’t believe how petty I’ve been."
"Hey!" Even in his state, Aran didn’t miss the jab hidden in her apology.
"It’s true." Leria snorted. "I’m sorry for being an Aran, Uncle Lith."
"It’s all right." Lith patted her head. "As long as you guys have learned your lesson and don’t do anything stupid again. Okay?"
"Okay." Aran and Leria nodded, saving their quarrel for later.
"What about people like Lilia and Leran, Uncle Lith?" Leria’s voice was now devoid of envy and filled solely with curiosity. "Can Val’s Life Flames help them? I don’t want them to give up on one of their life forces. It would be so cool if they became Demonic Wolves!"
"First of all, even if that happened, Protector’s children wouldn’t become Demons. They’d just turn into a new species, like Nalrond." Lith shook his head. "Second, I think there is a misunderstanding here."
He Warped them to the Infirmary, showing the kids the holograms of their life forces.
"As you can see, you don’t have two or three life forces. You’re fully human, like me at your age." A flick of Lith’s finger switched the holograms to Lilia’s and Leran’s life forces. "Your friends, instead, have a human and a Skoll life force.
"The wall between them isn’t a flaw in their condition; quite the contrary. It’s akin to the impurities in a non-Awakened body, a protection. Let’s assume Val could burn the wall down and empower both of Lilia’s life forces. What do you think would happen?"
"Wouldn’t they merge?" Leria asked.
"No. They would clash, and Lilia would be forced to choose which life force she wants now rather than when she’s twenty." Lith said, and the kids’ jaws dropped to the floor at the revelation.
"The wall will thin on its own if Lilia and Leran manage to harmonize their life forces and will remain as it is if they can’t. The same will happen to you, guys. There is no magical shortcut."
"Thanks, Big Bro." Aran hugged Lith. "I’m sorry for bothering you, Val, and thank you for not listening to my nonsense."
"Same." Leria hugged Lith as well. "Thank you for not listening to Aran’s nonsense, Val."
"Hey!"
***
From that moment onwards, Aran and Leria lowered their guard toward Althika and their unborn cousin. More importantly, they apologized for their mean thoughts through their actions. They warmed up to the Titania and slowly opened up to the possibility of giving her the benefit of the doubt.
Once the Verhens returned home, they explored the potential of the Rune Stores as training tools not only for children, but also for adults of all races.
"Your initial assessment was correct, Ryla." Quylla said after studying the foam constructs’ effects on the Fomor’s life force. "The Rune Stores enhance your wings’ ability to absorb the elemental energy from your surroundings.
"The increased flow generated by the breathing technique Lith devised makes it easier for your fallen life force to untangle and recover more quickly from our treatments. It’s like having a second set of small wings."
The data collected from Zoreth’s improved life force, her own twins, and Tista’s Indech’s life force helped Quylla in her endeavor to devise a cure for the Fomors. Not having to deal with Lith’s Eldritch side removed many variables, while studying Zoreth’s rank 1+ human side helped Quylla understand what parts of a fallen life force had to be treated first.
"I’m glad to hear it, but shouldn’t you focus on Garrik more?" Ryla asked.
"Sadly, Garrik’s life force is complicated by his Tyrant aspect." Quylla replied. "I need to understand Morok’s, Orikan’s, and Jirya’s life forces properly before I move on to the next phase for him.
"Unlike you, Garrik’s life force is fixing itself over time and has reached a point where any meddling might do him more harm than good. If I take a wrong turn, I might ruin months of progress.
"Even worse, his life force might mistake my treatment for a consequence of its natural changes and adapt to work around me. It would pointlessly delay Garrik’s recovery and teach me all the wrong things."
"I see." Ryla swallowed hard at the idea. "Thank you for taking such good care of my son and me, Quylla."
"Please, don’t mention it." Quylla shook her head. "I have just performed my duty as a healer. Once you are free to leave the mana geyser without losing your lifespan, I expect some serious praise."
"With pleasure." Ryla chuckled, and Quylla smiled at her own joke.
"These Rune Stores are amazing, son!" Raaz said. "Look. Even your old man can triple cast now."
He had the Water, Air, and Earth Stores floating around him, each releasing a different tier one spell.