Chapter 12 - Awakening Sage part 2

— Saint Anubis City, Magus District, House Trilleck

One year later.

It had nearly been three years since little Joseph Trilleck had begun refining his two Source Artifacts. Currently, Jodye was still unconscious inside of a two-meter tall tank full of milky white liquid origin essence, seated in the middle of the medicinal chamber made of origin stone. The tank was full of a magical elixir liquid that was continually being absorbed into Jodye's body.

If Jodye Trill could see this, he would be reminded of a popular anime from his old world about super-powerful monkey aliens. However, he remained oblivious to this as he floated silently in place. Sitting at the dining table, in a stunning sky blue dress that securely hugged the beautiful curves of her body, was the ever-elegant first lady of House Trilleck, Isis Trilleck.

Her sapphire blue eyes looked divine as they reflected the light from the dress. The golden lights within her eyes caused them to release a hypnotic glow. During this time, the lady Isis would very rarely leave the Lord's manor, as she was very concerned with the advancement of her son. It had been so long since she had heard his little voice that she was beginning to feel empty inside.

"Who knew that it was possible to love a creature this much... it seems that ultimately there is a difference between a child born of love and child born of schemes and hatred. Yet, they are both my own flesh..." Lady Isis let out a heavy sigh as she sat in front of the medicinal chamber drinking tea. She stood from her seat as she slowly sashayed over to her son, placing her hand on the glass of the tank. "Little Joe, you must become strong okay? Both your mother and older sister Iara may need you one day...but you must first survive this cruel and merciless world...ugh."

"My Lady," There was a soft bell chime as Ke Si appeared out of nowhere, standing directly left of lady Isis as if he had been there from the beginning of time. Although she was startled at first, she had long since grown accustomed to the butler's random appearances.

"What is it Ke Si?" Lady Isis still had her eyes trained on Joseph and her hand on the glass, as if she was trying to memorize every bit of the boy's profile.

"The House Lord has returned. He has asked me to inform you that he requires your presence, post-haste." Ke Si turned around and begin to slowly walk away, and the little silver bells at the end of his long white dreads would chime with every step he took.

"You are both mistaken. For the time being, I will not be leaving this room. You may summon your master, Osiris, here." Lady Isis' beautiful face was indifferent, her usual bell-chime-like voice sounding detached, and cold like an ice sculpture. This was a striking contrast to her typical temperament but somehow felt far more natural.

"This..." Ke Si was taken aback by this unexpected change in the First Lady's demeanor, but he quickly recovered. After all, this was much more like the famous Radiant Master from the rumors, "If you are worried for the third young lord, I can make this room go dark, as well as remain by his side."

Lady Isis merely glanced at Ke Si from the side, before returning her gaze to her son's body. She didn't move an inch, nor did she look up again. Ke Si let out a sigh and disappeared into the shadows. Several moments later, House Lord Osiris appeared from within the lady's shadow. The Lord approached the lady from behind, sliding his arm around her waist. Lady Isis shot him a cold glare but did not resist his embrace while her body slightly softened.

"Icy..." said Lord Osiris.

"This room is isolated by my serene magic barrier, Breeze. There is no need for this play," lady Isis turned her head back to Jodye Trill after she spoke, her face still indifferent.

"What play, Icy? Regardless of anything else, what I feel for you has always been genuine. I have always loved you, I did this to protect the mission," said Lord Osiris softly, as he rubbed the ice-cold back of this frozen beauty. He couldn't help but be completely infatuated when faced with her cold attitude. It felt like the days when he had first met her, "This mission is just as crucial for you as it is for me, perhaps even more so. How could I let you suffer through such pain through the years? I only wanted to help."

"With your innate ability, who could know the difference between the truth and a lie?" scoffed Lady Isis, gently removing the strong arm from her waist, then she changed her voice to one that displayed faux affection, "Less of that. What is it that you want, my darling husband? I will, of course, assist 'my lord' in any way I can."

Lord Osiris scratched his nose in embarrassment, a hint of guilt flashing through his eyes, "I have word from God Wolf Redoubt. If little Jo does not awaken in a year, they will come to fetch him. Our plan should be unaffected."

"The plan..." Isis Trilleck's eyes flashed with deep despair...after a moment she looked Osiris in his eyes and said, "Oh Breeze, couldn't we just just...runaway. Why don't we just leave once he wakes up, just the three of us! Once he matures, it won't be too late too..."

"If I were to do that, what would have been the point of coming this far? What do I tell the souls of those who have fallen to achieve our aims? How do I face my nephew in the future? What do we say to Iara, who never asked to be born into this mess? Furthermore, what will you have suffered much for? No, Icy, this is something I absolutely cannot escape. We cannot escape. The White Demon must be exorcized," The House Lord's eyes were resolute, his tone leaving no room for a new debate.

"Okay," said Isis dryly. At the mention of the word "White Demon" the cold energy released from her body caused the temperature of the room to plummet below zero before she acted as if the previous conversation hadn't happened at all, "and if he does awaken before the end of phase two? What will happen then?"

"Look at how much he's grown ah..." said Lord Osiris as he moved closer to the tank. "He will turn five years old soon. If he awakens within the month, there have been measures taken to ensure he is not swept up in the swarm. Next month he'll be assigned a sha...dow...eh?"

Before Lord Osiris Trilleck could finish his words, he felt some force momentum rising from within the tank. The other two noticed at the same time, and all three looked back towards the tank, only to see the elixir liquid rapidly begin depleting, being absorbed into Jodye Trill's body. In fact, even the origin energy within the origin stones, and other materials that made up the medicinal chamber were all absorbed into the kid's body as if he were a dry sponge thrown in a shallow puddle.

Jodye Trill's eyes suddenly snapped open, a small electric current briefly flashing through them. His sapphire eyes had an almost imperceptible gold light flowing within. The medicinal chamber crumbled into pieces of rock and dust. The void shook slightly as a dragon's roar was heard that shattered the serene magic barrier and spread over 1,000 miles in every direction, with Jodye as the center.

Of the three adults in the room, there wasn't one of them who wasn't stunned. Lady Isis eyes were like full blue saucers, as her body started to shake slightly, her excitement and anxiety were barely hidden. That shock wave was so powerful that it still made a commotion despite being obstructed by her barrier! That was crazy, as she was much stronger than this boy, and may be stronger than even the two men in the room with her.

Then again, she was well aware that this husband of hers was an enigma. No one knew his true depths.

Lord Osiris' face, on the other hand, was deathly grave. Trepidation and doubt were written all over his face, as he glanced at lady Isis Trilleck on his side. Bearing two children, and both of them end up with a dragon soul. This could no longer be a mere coincident.

'Could her bloodline really be so potent? Was this, perhaps, the reason that fellow is so determined to have her?' Osiris started to question his own methods for the first time. Would his plan really work, or were they breeding a disaster?

Meanwhile, Ke Si stood in a daze with his mouth hanging open. He never expected to witness such a force from one of his lord's children, "Dragon...force..."

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Ten minutes earlier...

[Cosmos Revolving Grimoire]

'Chaos Force baptism in progress: 225% (dual)'

'Serenity Force baptism in progress: 50% (Perfect)'

'Calamity Force baptism in progress: 70% (Perfect)'

'Perfect Synchronization with Host in progress: 41%...42%...43%.'

'Guardian 1: Cosmos Devouring Sky Wolf, Compatibility rating: 63% (Perfect)'

'Guardian 2: Mighty God Sky Jackal, Compatibility rating: 12%.'

"It seems my consciousness is still being restricted to the host space. I wonder why my second guardian's rating keeps decreasing instead of increasing?" thought Jodye Trill. He was in host form, seated in an all-white throne that seemed to be made out of dragon bones. Jodye and his throne were floating through a dark void, "It's been only god knows how long...sheesh. I stopped counting halfway through the second year... my mother was correct, this was truly a waste of my childhood. Let's check the other one."

With a thought, Jodye Trill was able to retrieve information from his second source artifact.

[Pharaoh's Law]

'Chaos Force baptism in progress: 225% (dual) '

'Thunderbolt Force baptism in progress: 207% (Legacy).'

'Dragon Force baptism in progress: 250% (Legacy).'

'Legacy Fusion with Host in progress: 97%...98%...99%.'

'Legacy Soul: Vajra Dragon, compatibility rating: 3% (Legacy).'

"Well, this is much more impressive. At least, for the most part," thought Jodye Trill, wondering why the compatibility rating would be so low. Then again, the dragon had once tried to kill Jodye. Remembering this, Jodye no longer felt confused, "I wonder what happens when the source artifact fusion is completed at 100%. Does this value continue to increase as well? If so, will I ever wake up?"

Jodye Trill was startled to find a mechanical sounding voice speak back to him, in answer to his thoughts.

"Responding to host query: Negative. Once the source artifact in Legacy Fusion reaches 100%, the Host will awaken. This is true unless the host's second artifact is still structuring the host space. However, once the source artifact in Perfect Synchronization reaches 50%, Host will immediately awaken." Said the metallic voice.

Without asking, Jodye Trill was somehow aware that it was his [Pharaoh's Law] that had spoken to him. He apparently had a telepathic connection with the source spirit. It was the source spirit that had spoken to him.

"Hm? I wonder, what does this 'Legacy, Dual, and Perfect' mean exactly?" thought Jodye Trill. In this space, all his thoughts were heard a loud in the void around him, like there was a secret sound system hiding in the dark. It was quieter to just speak out loud.

"Responding to host query:" came the metallic voice, "the Combat Soul: Vajra Dragon has given the host the legacy of its soul flame, the entire essence of the consciousness that was Janair Mazi. By giving away the legacy, the hollowed soul flame of Janair Mazi has evolved into this source spirit."

"Trippy. How do I use this so-called 'legacy'? What are the benefits, and are there any potential dangers?" asked Jodye Trill.

"Responding to host query: once the host has its main consciousness restored, the host must raise the compatibility rating with Combat Soul: Vajra Dragon, to remove seals on the legacy. This legacy has a total of eight normal seals and three special seals. Special seals are only removed under particular conditions. Conditions required unknown."

"Very cool. That's all trippy," thought Jodye Trill.

"Registration of artifact spirit name [Trippy] acknowledged. Just call the name [Trippy], and I will answer your query."

Jodye was speechless. What was this now? Wasn't he just using American slang? He didn't even know he could name his artifacts, and now he wouldn't have the chance.

Ten minutes later.

"Legacy Fusion with Host complete," said the robotic voice of [Trippy].

"Great, more waiting, woohoo," complained Jodye Trill.

One day later, he was still waiting impatiently. He tapped the armrest of his throne in irritation. He was almost about to scream when he heard the voice of [Trippy].

"Synchronization of [Cosmos Revolving Grimoire] has reached the required threshold. Restoring main consciousness."

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