Lith used Invigoration as well, but unlike Tista, his face remained expressionless as he studied his enemies.

Orpal had become surprisingly tall, almost as Lith. He stood 1.82 (6') tall, with the muscular build of an athlete, black hair, and brown eyes. Despite all the hardsh.i.p.s he was supposed to have gone through, Orpal didn't look a day past his 25 years of age.

'This is bullshit. He wasn't this tall when he was kicked out. Sure, he had yet to hit his growth spurt, but no one in my family developed such a physique without my treatments. Solus?' Lith thought.

'Bright orange core and regular life force, but we know it doesn't mean much. We wear cloaking device ourselves.' The idea that Orpal might have access to state secrets was simply absurd but even though Solus had just met Lith's older brother, the intensity of her hatred for him matched Tista's.

She wouldn't lower her guard as long as he drew breath.

As for the Rettas, Kamila's and Zinya's parents, they looked like a nice couple, reminding Lith that looks are often deceiving.

Crefas Retta was a man in his mid-fifties, about 1.71 meters (5'7") tall, with greying raven-black hair and mustache. He had the slender built of someone who had a sedentary job, but he exuded an aura of confidence and charisma that intimidated the Verhens.

Kima Retta, instead, was a lovely woman in her late forties that barely looked one day past forty. She was about 1.6 meters (5'3") tall, with light brown hair and sky-blue eyes.

Her visage had delicate proportions, full lips, and the sickly pale color of the northerners masterfully hidden by a light makeup. It made it quite obvious from whom the Yehval sisters had gotten their beauty.

"Professor Vastor, it's so nice to see you." Lith gave him a small bow to which the Professor replied with a nod of the head. "I'm dead tired from work. Would you mind keeping an eye on the situation in my stead while I clean up?"

"Gladly." Vastor's stone-cold voice matched his gaze as he clenched the Yggdrasil Staff so hard that his knuckles turned white.

The Dominator armor shielded his black core from mystical senses, whereas his weapon shone like a sun to Solus's mana sense.

"Thanks. Please, follow me, darling." Lith gave Kamila a quick kiss before dragging her in the bathroom with him and making Orpal turn green with envy.

Even after Night had modified his body to match that of his hated brother, to receive the attention of a woman as pretty as Kamila Orpal still needed Night's help.

"Are you insane? There is no time for s.e.x now." She said the moment the door closed behind them.

"I just needed privacy." Lith could see her panic and tried to calm her down. He was well aware of the power that even the worst parents had on their children, no matter their age.

Breaking the shackles of blood took more than strong words and good resolutions. It took determination, a cold heart, and lots of pain.

"Don't ask me why, but Meln smells fishier than I do right now. I'll take a quick shower and use this time to regain as much strength as I can. Stay close to Vastor and keep your sister and my parents with you.

"He's your safe haven until my return. Okay?" Lith said.

"Okay." Kamila hugged him tightly, uncaring for his stench while the warmth of Lith's body shook off the coldness in her heart.

"Tista, it's been so long since we last met. You've grown into a gorgeous woman. Why don't you give your older brother a hug?" Orpal opened his arms as he walked toward her, obtaining in return a push so strong that it sent him back sitting on the couch.

"Keep your dirty hands off me, whatever name you now go by." Tista's eyes blazed with cyan mana. "I've got only two brothers and their names are Lith and Aran. Professor, if he makes a wrong move while I'm away, react with extreme prejudice."

Orpal's voice was warm and nice, yet it gave the creeps to every woman in the room, even Kima. They all had enough experience with their respective suitors to recognize the tone of a brother speaking to his sister from that of a man addressing a woman he would like to sleep with.

"Don't mind if do." Vastor looked like an overweight and short middle-aged man, yet he gave Night the creeps as much as Orpal did to the women.

There was something about his demeanor that gave Vastor both the calm of a sage and the savagery of a predator that could snuff her life at the slightest provocation. Baba Yaga's slave spell kept Night from helping Orpal in any way against the residents of Lutia but luckily for them, Vastor wasn't among them.

'Calm down, you moron. Your plan will never work if you get your a.s.s kicked.' Night said via their mind link.

'First Lith ignored me, then Tista disrespected me, and now you want me to cower in front of an old fart? What good is our bond if I can't teach any of them a lesson?' Orpal snarled.

'The "old fart" has a staff that alone can hurt us and if you attack him, there's no telling what might happen.' Due to the slave spell, Night couldn't mention the arrays surrounding them nor the fact that outside the house there were more powerful creatures staring at them than trees in the woods.

The only thing she could do was to warn Orpal about the dangers that Vastor posed to the plan. Like most of those who gained power without effort, Orpal felt entitled to everything, letting his pride and l.u.s.t cloud his vision.

'I can't believe that cripple became such a hottie. Tista spends so much time with Leech every day and she has to obey him due to the rules of the Council, yet she treated me like trash.' Orpal's thought, wondering if he should take an apprentice as well.

Keeping his cool during the first visit had been much simpler. He had enjoyed playing with the feelings of guilt that still plagued his parents. Orpal had managed not to laugh when Elina had cried hearing about Trion's death only because he had rehearsed his speech many times with the members of the Night Court.

Yet no amount of rehearsing could help contain the fury that ravaged Orpal's mind as things didn't play as he had predicted. He had expected Lith to lash out in outrage, to which he would have responded with calm, proving his superiority.

He had predicted that Tista would have been as gullible as Rena and that his appearance would have been enough to undermine Lith's authority.

"Professor Vastor, how long have you known my daughter?" Crefas said, assuming that the old man would be easy prey.

'When I heard the songs about Lith, I thought that the bards were just buttering him up to encourage him and other young mages into serving the Kingdom. I expected to find a mage as talented as naïve with a crush on my rebellious daughter, not a butcher.'