Chapter 3881: Favored Son (Part 2)

"Her ogre side, however, should deserve a cursory examination. Maybe, I can use it to recreate Vareen’s ability to infect the living and mass-produce minions at a moment’s notice.

"Alas, the Plaguespreader fell a few years ago, and the opportunity to learn his secrets is lost."

There was one book for each of the Eldritch-hybrids except that for the Master.

"He stole his way into becoming an Eldritch." Every word of Raum’s entries was filled with outrage. "His research is a pale imitation of mine. A twisted, disgusting farce that I’ll soon erase from the face of Mogar.

"The Master gained his powers by combining the tissues of my Eldritch siblings foolish enough to follow him. There’s nothing I can gain from studying a pathetic little man that I can’t learn by studying the other Divine Beast hybrids."

’I already knew the Master was a male from his fight with the Guardians of Jiera.’ Leegaain thought. ’Learning that he’s also a human is a small clue, but still a clue.’

The other books on the desk contained a detailed picture of the hybrids and a list of their abilities as Zoreth knew them. There was nothing new to the Father of All Dragons, but he stored them in his pocket dimension nonetheless.

The tomes in the bookshelves behind Raum’s desk, however, turned out to be the real treasure trove. They contained the full account of the Wonderer’s research.

The ingredients each type of enchantment needed not to be consumed by Chaos, the proportions of Forgemastery and Forbidden Magic necessary to craft and implant a power core, everything that Raum had discovered or guessed during the millennia was there.

Leegaain’s smile only widened when he opened the cabinet behind the desk and found the engraving that controlled the permanent arrays of the entire facility. The Guardian touched the crystal core, adding his imprint.

Then, the Guardian stepped back until he could take in the entire room with one look. He disabled the security arrays connecting the lab with the rest of the facility and stored everything that wasn’t bolted to the ground inside his pocket dimension.

"Did you find what you were looking for, Owl?" Aryk asked.

"I did." Leegaain nodded as his figure transformed from that of a small boy into an adult albino man with violet eyes and vertical slitted pupils.

The two youths flinched in surprise, but he pretended not to notice.

"Can we go away now, then?" Lilax swallowed hard.

"You can go, if you want." Leegaain shook his head. "Just say the word, and I’ll Warp you two to safety. My job here, however, is far from done. If I don’t stop Raum, there are going to be dozens more Zoreths and thousands more Aryks and Lilaxs.

"I need to finish what I’ve started. I need to put down my son and ensure that the horrific knowledge he has accrued dies with him."

"I’d rather stay here." Lilax replied, unwilling to leave the Guardian’s side and return to her miserable existence in the streets of Dekari with nothing but the clothes she wore. "Like my mother always said, there’s no place safer than a Dragon’s back."

"Agreed." Aryk nodded.

"Fine, but before moving forward, I need you to listen carefully and follow my instructions to the letter." Leegaain handed them a few items and explained his plan.

***

Just a few rooms away, Raum was screaming with joy and pain in equal measure. He hadn’t spent the last two days idly, and after hours of gruesome research, he had managed to replicate another of Xenagrosh’s mana organs.

The golden sphere seeped slowly into the Wonderer’s chest. The Forbidden Magic of his spell unraveled his very being to make space for the unliving power core before weaving everything back into place.

As soon as the golden sphere disappeared below the black slate of the surface of Raum’s body, the pain stopped. New vigor flowed through him, and his life force changed to adapt to the presence of the artificial mana organ.

"It’s been a long time since I breathed Origin Flames, sister. Remind me how I’m supposed to do it."

Xenagrosh’s reply was drowned by the blood and saliva filling her mouth. Her voice produced frothing gurgles instead of words as it escaped her lips.

"Silly me." Raum laughed a mirthless laugh. "I forgot how demanding our sessions are on you. Heal, sister. Heal enough to answer my questions, but no more. I need you alive, not well."

A snap of his fingers deactivated the Odi chains long enough for the Shadow Dragon to absorb the life force and world energy surrounding her. Her wounds healed, and vigor returned to her limbs, yet her eyes remained empty and her muscles slack.

"Now answer my question. How do I-"

Screams and alarms cut him short, drawing Raum’s attention to the only entrance to his lab.

"Exhale while releasing a spark of life force." Xenagrosh’s voice was deadpan, her mind as broken as her body.

The door to the lab flew off its hinges, aimed at Raum’s heart with pinpoint precision. The Wonderer slammed it down to the ground with a flick of his hand, yet such was the momentum of the enchanted metal door that half of it sank into the stone floor.

"I hate what you’ve done with the place, Raum the Wonderer." Leegaain made his entrance as majestic as it was unexpected. "I’m ashamed of being your father and having called you son."

His mere presence radiated a warmth that untangled the energies twisted by the Forbidden Magic, and his aura soothed the tormented spirits of the prisoners chained to the ceiling, giving their glazed eyes a spark of life.

"Before we start trading blows, however, I need to know one thing. Why did you do this? You were a good Dragon and a loving father, yet while I explored this place, I haven’t found a single trace of the Azith I knew.

"What happened to the small Hatchling who crawled up my legs and begged me to read him a story? What happened to the young Mist Dragon who served as an apprentice for all the Dragon Patriarchs to learn their wisdom?

"What happened to the proud Patriarch of the Mist Dragons who risked his life many times just to save a foolish Hatchling from their own stupidity?"

Raum had no interest in answering Leegaain’s question and activated the defensive measures of his lab, instead. Or rather, he tried.

The arrays still answered his touch, but they also answered Leegaain’s will now.

The moment Raum triggered a magical formation, the Father of All Dragons shut it down. The willpower of the Guardian and the Eldritch battled in the ether to a standstill for a few seconds before Raum gave up.

He took his communication amulet out of his pocket dimension, and he was glad to discover that the runes of his most trusted followers were still in place.

"Code red! I repeat, code red!" The Wonderer shouted for everyone to hear.

"About that..." Leegaain snapped his fingers, and the silvery surface of the amulet became almost as clear as the day it had been Forgemastered.

All those whom the Guardian had encountered and trapped in their own bodies died at the same time.

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