"The hunger of an Abomination, the fury of a beast, and the cruelty of a man make you who you are. Be their rider, not their steed. Don't let them rule you but don't discard any of them either. Just keep them in check, make them work for you, and unleash them against whoever killed Mirim.

"Just like I'm going to do with our current enemy first, Mirim's killer second, and Balkor once I have enough power." Scarlet said.

The Scorpicore had never forgiven the Blood Magus for killing her friends nor did she ever forget about her revenge. Scarlett would let her violent emotions simmer, but never grow cold.

"You are right. I need time to calm down and we need Vladion's help." Lith said.

"Exactly. We had an easy time against the altered Emperor Beasts because our opponents were failed prototypes. We can't afford to face the final product with an unstable mind, we need to calm down first." Scarlett gave Lith a strong tea that he accepted before going to rest.

"What about me, Auntie? Can I come as well?" Nyka asked.

"No, child. You are sorely lacking in battle experience. If even a deranged prototype bested you, there's no way you can beat an even stronger and cunning opponent."

Nyka opened her mouth to say that she was stronger than everyone thought and that she had learned from her mistakes. The young Vampire wanted to declare herself a strong, independent woman, capable of protecting herself.

Then, Nyka remembered Kalla's words about teenagers believing to be the only ones with half a brain and realized that, aside from bravado, there would be no substance behind her words.

"You're right, Auntie. I'm powerful, but I'm too green to be of help. I'd just be a liability." Nyka said.

"That's my girl!" Kalla said, hugging her daughter and cleaning her from head to toe again.

"Mom! Have mercy!" There was no one besides Scarlett there, but being licked like a puppy was still embarrassing beyond belief.

"Good girl." Scarlett joined the licking. "Once we get back home, I'll make a warrior out of you."

Meanwhile, in the nearby room, Lith used his Council amulet to contact Faluel and have her safely put him in contact with Kamila. The army and the communication amulet didn't work in Lightkeep and he was in dire need to hear her voice.

"I'm sorry for not being there earlier, but Jirni left in a hurry to warn you and make sure that her daughters were alright, leaving me to secure the crime scene." Kamila's eyes were bloodshot, but her voice was calm and the only expression on her face was of worry for him.

"Please, don't apologize. You were just doing your job. Thanks for being always here for me." Lith said.

"I know it's the dumbest question in the world, but how are you holding up?"

"Barely." Lith told her about his Abomination side going out of control and Scarlett's theory about the culprit's perfect timing.

"Good gods!" Kamila inwardly forgave Haug for his past rudeness and typed everything on her army amulet, sharing the Scorpicore's thoughts with Jirni.

All the while never averting her eyes from Lith's.

"Don't worry about us. Everyone is safe and there are Royal Guards visiting those who received the cards." She said to calm him down.

"You have no idea how much I miss you right now." Lith said, longing for her warm embrace.

"I miss you more." Kamila extended her hand for him to touch.

She knew that holograms were intangible, but Kamila still wanted Lith to know that she was there with him.

"Gods, you two are so cute." Faluel sniffled, feeling the sudden need for a boyfriend to exchange cuddles with. "Better than any romance play I have ever seen."

They had completely forgotten that the Council amulet required its owner to work and that the Hydra had been there the entire time.

***

After the sun set on the surface, the sunstones lit Lightkeep as clear as day while its inhabitants awoke from their forced slumber.

Vladion ate one of the remaining captured Emperor Beasts while Nyka consumed the other. She used the meditation technique that the Firstborn had passed onto her to completely absorb both their life force and mana.

"I'm really sorry for your loss. I'm ready to move whenever you are." Vladion said after making sure that the city arrays held still and mobilizing the city army.

"One question." Lith said. "I know that we are not related or even friends but don't you think it would be better for you to share with me the secret of the violet core? I'm almost there anyway and we could use all the power we can get."

"Absolutely not." They both said in unison.

"It has nothing to do with our relationship, it's a matter of protecting your future." Scarlett said. "Being taught is akin to use a Gate. Sure, you reach your destination in a single step, but you miss the whole journey.

"You don't fight, don't experience different foods and cultures, you never have the opportunities to question yourself or your motivations. Getting there by yourself until the last step means discovering what only you are capable of. What makes you unique."

The Scorpicore showed him her ability to turn darkness into light and vice versa at will. Constructs turned into spheres of destruction and then into healing spells. It wasn't a matter of just changing the element, but even the nature of the spell.

Lith looked at her in awe as Scarlett turned the original hard-light construct into all kinds of darkness and light spells without the need to spend more mana.

"I agree with the Lord." Vladion nodded. "What you lose in the process greatly exceeds your gains. Baba Yaga didn't Awaken even her Firstborns because she wanted us to be independent from her.

"Teaching you our ways would keep you from discovering your own and it would be a short-sighted move exactly because you're so close to finding your unique answer. On top of that, you wouldn't have the time to get accustomed to your new body and powers.

"Please, try to calm down and clear your head while I make the final arrangements to keep my family safe during my absence." The Firstborn left to say goodbye to his wife and son while Lith pondered their words.

'Fuck me sideways, they are right. I've still got my head up my ass. We need to relax, Solus.' He thought.

Lith sat on one of the doorsteps and closed his eyes, focusing solely on his breathing. Not to use a breathing technique so much as to clear his mind from the turmoil that made it hard for him to focus like usual.

It was the perfect method to calm down, but only for someone capable of actually emptying their mind. Lith's brain abhorred void even more than nature does so it formed random thoughts to fill the empty space.

'Okay, this isn't going to work unless we learn how to zen. Let's use Faluel's meditation techniques instead.' Solus said.

The Hydra's incomplete Domination technique required Lith to focus on the elemental flow inside and outside his body, merging them into one. As soon as the task allowed Lith to stop worrying, he moved to circulate fusion magic throughout his body.