Baby Solus shook her head. She didn't understand a word Menadion said, but she pretended otherwise because she didn't want to disappoint her mother.

"Because once a Forgemaster find the proper sequence of runes, any mage capable of executing the spells in the correct order can create an artificial mage that's programmed to do just a few things, but it does them to perfection.

"Runes have no stray thought, no distraction, nor do they make mistakes. This way, the Forgemaster that follows the blueprint only has to succeed once to create something that can exceed even their own limits."

"The pseudo core provides the mana that the runes channel exactly in the way necessary to fulfill their purpose. Tyris programmed the gemstones to use Domination just like I programmed the amulets to generate holograms."

At that point, Solus hoped that the workaholic Menadion would give her a demonstration of such crafting technique.

Much to her surprise, the First Ruler of the Flames prepared dinner for both of them and then tucked the young Solus in her bed before reading her a story. The fairy tale Solus had to listen to was cheesy, childish, and had to do with white crystals as much as any of Elina's recipes.

Yet to her it was the crown jewel of that dream.

***

Ernas Household, the day after.

With Jirni and Orion busy doing overtime in an attempt to find an opening in Deirus's plan, Friya and Quylla didn't even need to find an excuse to get away from home for a few days.

Before departing, however, they had to make sure not to leave any loose ends.

"Mom, is there anything we can do to help you with your investigation? Anything at all?" Friya asked during dinner.

"No, dear. The Royal Guards offer me plenty of protection and since the King suspended him from the Royal Court Deirus, had yet to make a single move, let alone a mistake. Thanks for the offer anyway."

Jirni was glad that her daughters had never given up on getting even with Yurial's father, but she was even more glad that they hadn't lost their temper and ruined her hard work.

Putting down an opponent of such caliber required patience. As long as Deirus followed the law, the Ernas had to do the same or risk to play into his hand.

"Do you have any piece of news about my ex-guildmates?" Friya said. Shutting the Crystal Shield had been painful, but it was the only possible move she had left.

Wyra, Friya's ex-second in command was now in witness protection while the others had been relieved from their duty. Without any link with Friya, they would be at least free from Deirus's grasp.

"All of them have left the Kingdom. They didn't trust the nobles nor the army anymore and losing their leader has been the last straw." The pain in Friya's eyes saddened Jirni, but she was actually happy of having got rid of them.

Not only were they a liability to her daughter's safety, but Jirni also suspected that, for the right price, Deirus might have turned against her, planting an assassin in their midst.

Jirni told Friya about everything the ex-members of the Crystal Shield had done before leaving the Kingdom. According to their information, they had moved to the Gorgon Empire, hoping that their status of mages would help them find a master and learn at least one specialization.

"Thanks, Mom. Is it a problem if I go to the Blood Desert for a couple of days?"

"It depends. Are you using the Kingdom's Gate network or the beasts'?"

"The beasts'. Master Faluel is sending us on a mission." Quylla replied.

"Then it's just perfect. Faluel will deal with Salaark and Deirus will lose your traces for a while. He's obsessed with you, Quylla. Phloria's disappearance already made him falter. If you follow suit, he could panic enough to make a fatal mistake." Jirni said.

"Deirus is not the only one concerned about Phloria, you know?" Orion grunted.

Those days, between the cold war with Deirus and his daughters spending so much time with the Hydra, Orion relieved his stress by playing with Lucky, the family dog who had evolved into a Ry.

The unlikely magical beast now sat beside the Lord of the house, begging Orion with his round puppy eyes for cuddles and food.

"Indeed. Where is Mom?" Lucky whined while looking at his already empty bowl.

Orion treated the Ry as one of his children, which meant regular exercise and a healthy diet. Ever since the dog had learned how to talk, people had the absurd demand for him to do more than sleep and eat all day.

"He's right, where is M- my little flower?" Orion asked.

"She's on another mission with Lith and Tista. If you want to know more, just ask her the next time she calls." Friya said.

"At least they are not alone." Orion grunted. "What about you?"

"We are accompanying our fellow disciple, Nalrond-"

"When are you going to introduce him to us?" Orion cut her short.

"Your father is right." Jirni nipped their complaints in the bud.

"In the last few months, you've spent a lot of time with that guy. We have the right to know your suitors and dispose of them if needed, as you did with that Morok guy."

Realizing that even her mother expected her to have already dumped him made Quylla blush and Friya almost choke on her food to avoid saying "I told you so".

"Don't worry, Mom. Nalrond's not interested in us more than Quylla is interested in that oddball." Friya spread more salt on her soup and on Quylla's wounds.

"Well, I want to know him nonetheless. I heard he can use dimensional magic and if Faluel has taken him in as an apprentice and Lith has yet to kill him, there must be a good reason." Jirni said.

Voices about the Light Mastery spells Nalrond had employed against the undead had reached her ears and Jirni could use a sane version of Manohar for her plans. The original had just disappeared once again, leaving her without one of her most precious assets.

Orion gave them the most detailed map of the Blood Desert in his possession, the contact rune of the Kingdom's ambassador in case they needed help, and a copy of the Code of Salaark, also known as the Desert's Survival Guide.

It didn't teach its readers how to find water or what signs to follow in order to reach a tribe. It only contained the laws people had to abide by unless they wanted an angry Phoenix chasing them down.

The following morning, after packing enough food to last for a few days, they reached Faluel's lair, where a surprise was expecting them.

"How could you tell him about the Fringe?" Nalrond asked Quylla while pointing at Morok who refused to leave.

"I didn't. I just told Morok that I would go away for a while and that he didn't have to worry if my amulet goes offline. The last time it happened after the attack on Lith's house, he came to my house to make sure I was alright and my Mom unleashed the Royal Guards at him." Quylla said.