A True Genius Worries

by Sophia Schmidt

  left with barely a red one. I still need time to recuperate." ¨C

  "It has a yellow mana core." Lith admitted.

  Scarlett had to swallow down a huge scoff.

  "That confirms my worries. That thing is playing him like a fiddle. There's no way a living

  artifact has just a yellow mana core. It must be using some trick to cloud his senses." ¨C

  Scarlett nodded, and proceeded with its explanation.

  "Life cannot be created on a whim, from nothing. There are only two ways to give life to an

  inanimated object, and both require a terrible price. The first method, requires a mage or

  creature very powerful and very insane.

  A cursed object is when someone takes out a huge portion of himself, and binds it to a

  powerful artifact. A Lich's phylactery is the most common example, but is not the worst kind.

  Some creatures have a deep grudge or insane ambition, but no will to live forever.

  So, they pass this obsession of theirs to the one object they are most attached, giving it life.

  But beware, despite having a mind of its own and immense powers, a cursed object is most of

  the times just a shadow of the worst parts of his creator.

  It entices its new master with promises of power and glory, but every time they are used, the

  boundary between master and servant gets thinner. The mind link they share allow the object

  to tamper with the owner's mind, changing it little by little.

  Until he becomes a copy of the object's maker, striving to complete its loose ends. And when

  the user dies, they just search for a replacement."

  "What about the second method?" Lith was stalling for time, hoping someone would come to

  his rescue.

  "Well, that's even worse. To the point it's part of the so-called forbidden magic."

  "Forbidden?" Lith had never heard about any kind of magic being forbidden, not even

  necromancy.

  "Yes. Forbidden magic is the most horrible thing a magical creature could do. Using the life of

  others to empower his creations. Such magic can give birth to miracles, but the price is too

  high, the risks immense.

  It's an unnatural process, almost impossible to balance. One tiny mistake can turn the miracle

  into a nightmare. The most common case of forbidden magic, is when the mage is so

  obsessed by someone to resort to magic to bound him/her to an object.

  The victim becomes doomed to an eternity of slavery, and after the death of its captor, the

  only things that awaits is madness. Still a prisoner, incapable of free will, doomed to obey

  whoever holds the magic's focus.

  I am no hero, nor a self-proclaimed ally of justice, but destroying such abominations is an act

  of mercy towards the victims of this perverted kind of magic."

  "Thanks for the lesson, but my partner is neither." Lith clenched his fists, unwilling to submit.

  "Isn't there anyway to prove you that you are wrong?" He asked as a last resort, hoping to

  avoid a third death.

  "Of course, there is." Scarlett's tail stopped waggling, assuming a question mark shape. Being

  the tail of a scorpion, rather than a cat, the gesture resulted threatening.

  Lith took several steps back, his whole body ablaze for the mana he was about to unleash.

  (AN: question mark tail means the cat is happy, waggling means nervousness.)

  "Damn tail. Sorry, habits die hard." Scarlett put the tail under its body, in a signa of peace.

  "I just need to touch you." The Scorpicore said raising its huge paw. "If I am wrong, which I

  consider highly unlikely, I will leave the both of you alone. You have my word."

  It made sense, even Lith needed physical contact to use Invigoration. If the Scorpicore had a

  similar technique, it was bound to work the same way.

  Lith nodded, and Scarlett pressed two digital pads on his forehead. Being much older and

  experienced than Lith, its Aura technique not only had all of Invigoration's properties, but it

  also allowed Scarlett to get a glimpse of the subject's true nature.

  Under the effects of Aura, no deception was possible, both the body and the mind could not

  lie.

  What Scarlett saw sent cold shivers down its spine. The body was fine, and so was the mind

  and the mana core, aside from a small imbalance caused by too much refining. It was

  something that would fix by itself, with time.

  But where Lith's true self was supposed to be, there was only a bottomless void, made of

  rage, grieving and hate.

  Staring into that abyss, the Scorpicore could see the abyss staring back, trying to taint its mind

  with twisted logic and unbridled fury. Circling the void, there where several lights, keeping the

  void at bay and preventing it to devour everything.

  Getting closer to the lights, Scarlett was able to see that each of them had a face and a name.

  Carl, Rena, Lark, and so on. Only one light had a name but no face. Solus.

  "Order and chaos, what the heck is this pup? This is exactly what I would expect to find in a

  cursed object, not into any living being. If the corruption spreaded so fast, it means it's way

  worse than I thought. I will probably be forced to kill them both."-

  To confirm its suspects, Scarlett touched the ring, only to once again remain completely

  dumbfounded.

  Not only the mana core was yellow, making it the worst living artifact ever, but there was no

  trace of madness, pain or ill will. There was only a light, like the Scorpicore was used to see in

  cubs and babies. The being in the ring was so na?ve to be upsetting.

  The black dots encompassing the light had all the same name and face. Lith. Being so close to

  the abyss for so long, seemed to have affected the living artifact, making it less trustful and

  cynic.

  "By the Great Mother!" Scarlett's head was spinning. "The human is corrupting this thing?

  Not the other way around? What madness is this?!"-

  Because of the shock, the Scorpicore took a step back, trying to rearrange its chaotic

  thoughts.

  "Whatever you are, you are not a kid. You are a monster." Scarlett growled.

  "Well, you are not that good looking either, at least according to human standards." Lith filled

  himself to the brim with mana with Invigoration. The beast's tone and glare had already said

  all he needed to know.

  "Insolent whelp! Who cares about looks? It's not about what you do¡"

  "Is because of what I am." Lith completed the phrase, remembering Protector's words.

  "I'm sorry, Solus. It's been great knowing you. It seems you'll have the find another partner.

  Please, forget about me, and live as long and happily as you can." -

  The disparity between Lith and his opponent wasn't something that could be overcome with

  dirty tricks or ingenuity. Lith was preparing himself to die, his only hope was to give Solus

  enough time to run away from the mad beast.

  "No way! It's only my fault. If it wasn't for me, this thing would have left you alone. I'm not

  leaving you. I have no chances on my own, I much prefer to go down fighting instead than

  running." ¨C

  Solus squeezed her ring form hard, preventing Lith to took it off.

  Thanks to its Aura technique, Scarlett was still able to see both the mana cores, the ability had

  long lasting effects.

  For a brief moment, the cores started to pulse in unison. The yellow one took the excess

  energy from the cyan one, turning green and allowing it to stabilize to the
next level.

  The two cores resonation allowed Lith's magic power to go way beyond his limits, to the point

  that the ring grew and expanded, covering the right hand in the form of a fingerless glove.

  It was still nothing compared to the Scorpicore's strength, and yet the creature stared in

  amazement. Nothing that night made any sense, its patience had run out.

  "I yield." Scarlett said, leaving Lith and Solus as shocked as the Scorpicore.

  Chapter 84 Day Three

  "You what?" Lith kept using Invigoration, overloading his body with mana. He had no reason

  to believe such a change of heart.

  "Yeah, sorry. Finding so many mysteries at once overwhelmed me for a second. I will stay true

  to my word and leave you alone. I don't know what that thing is, nor what you are, but that's

  not reason enough to kill."

  Scarlett noticed that aside from that fleeting second, both the mana cores had gone back to

  normal, the weak-a*s artifact was back being a ring.

  "What do you mean saying you don't know what I am?" Lith was now more scared than

  before.

  "You may have the appearance of a kid, yet you are not. You are closer to an Abomination,

  rather than a human being. The opposite stands for your partner. That thing is not a twisted

  perversion of life, but a living being like I never met before.

  My reasoning was based on false assumptions. I almost let my arrogance guide my hand, and

  for that I apologize."

  The Scorpicore lowered its head, it's menacing aura and aggressive stance subsided.

  "Why did you think my partner is deceiving me?" Lith didn't know how to react. The only

  thing he could think of, was to act friendly but remain vigilant.

  "Do you know that it's taking part of your life force?"

  "Well, yes. When I found my ring, it was on the verge of death. We have helped each other

  ever since."

  The pup kept spewing unbelievable truths like they were the most natural thing in the world.

  Scarlett's head was spinning. The Scorpicore took pride in its knowledge and wisdom, but

  none of it helped making sense in that mess.

  On the verge of a nervous breakdown, Scarlett decided to perform a last attempt.

  It placed the left paw on Lith's head and the right one on Solus, while activating Aura.

  "Their thoughts cannot lie. If the living artifact attempts to tamper with my readings, I will

  notice immediately." ¨C It thought.

  "Are you a human or an Abomination?" It asked Lith.

  "As far as I know, a human." Truth.

  "Were you filled with rage before finding your partner?"

  "I think I was even worse before." Truth with sincerity on top.

  "Do you have any ill will toward the human?" This time Scarlett asked Solus.

  "No. I like him very much."

  That answer brought the Scorpicore to the peak of frustration.

  "Everything I ever learned is a lie!" It screamed in despair, letting them go.

  Unable to hold so much mana any longer, Lith let it disperse. Still in a daze, the Scorpicore had

  turned its back, preparing to leave.

  "Wait! At least explain to me what made you change your mind."

  "The link between you two is not parasitic. That thing is not really sucking out your life force.

  On the contrary, it allows you to use a bigger flow of mana than you naturally could,

  preventing the excess energy to damage your body and using it as its nutrition.

  Two birds with one stone.

  Killing you is also out of question. You did nothing wrong. I have watched your team during

  these days, you have showed respect toward the forest and its animals. As long as you

  behave, you are free to live your life as a student.

  It is none of my business."

  The Scorpicore took the skies with a single flap of its wings.

  "A good-natured cursed object and an Abomination capable of retaining its self-

  consciousness. Now I have seen everything." -

  Lith had so many questions left unanswered in a corner of his mind. What was true magic?

  What was the Awakened agenda? How to contact them?

  But the only thing he could think about was the joy of being still alive. He didn't want to meet

  the Scorpicore ever again, at least until he was strong enough to hold his ground.

  Lith went back to the cave, his body was already starting to experience the aftereffects of the

  mana overload. Moving as silently as he could, he went into the side cave bathroom, finally

  losing control of his bladder.

  The next day, he needed to use Invigoration just to get back to his previous conditions.

  Between the physical and psychological stress of the encounter with the Scorpicore, he had

  barely been able to catch some sleep.

  He was in terrible shape, and so were his companions. Magic could heal all wounds, but there

  was only one way to recover their stamina without rest. The healer had to share his life force

  with darkness magic, but Lith was the most tired of them.

  While consuming breakfast, eating the herbs and fruits left from the previous day, Lith made

  his pitch.

  "Guys, why don't we just give up?" Everyone at the table was surprised, but no one seemed

  outraged at the idea.

  "I mean, look at me. I'm a healer, yet I fought in the line of fire from the first day. I already

  used every trick in my book, if those beasts come back today, I doubt we have a chance to

  make it.

  We were sent here to learn, and damn if we learned more than a thing or two. Now we are

  physically exhausted and mentally tired. If this was a battlefield, I'd say that is better to

  retreat to fight another day, rather than fight a losing battle."

  With deep eyes and aching bodies from two days sleeping on the ground, the proposal

  sounded quite alluring.

  "As much as it pains me, I can't accept." Phloria spoke first. "If this was a battlefield, you

  would be right not once, but a hundred times. But this is just an exercise, and we have a lot to

  learn, even from defeat."

  Lith nodded, he could not refute her reasoning.

  "Yeah." Belia chimed in. "I understand your point, you are a skilled hunter, and was able to

  stand your ground from the first day. But yesterday was my first true battle, I can't give up

  after achieving so little. It would fill me with too much regret."

  "My thoughts exactly." Said Visen with a fierce look. "I can understand the burden on your

  shoulders, but this is too important to quit like that. If you don't think you can cover for me,

  then don't. I need to learn how to fend for myself.

  I refuse to be a burden to the group."

  "Fantastic." Lith thought. "The group of rascals had to grow up a spine at the worst moment

  possible. I am beyond exhausted. All I want is a hot bath and get finally free from big brother's

  eye." ¨C

  "Don't worry, Lith." Phloria patted his back. "I know that between the potions, the fighting

  and the healing, your body must be screaming in pain. I'll do my best to make your job as easy

  as possible."

  Lith smiled, inwardly cursing his bad luck.

  "Yeah, and by tonight I'll be p*oping diamonds." ¨C He inwardly added.

  Once again, their day started by hunting, away from the Clackers' nest. They managed to

  gather meat and fruits, but remained on their toes the whole time. Phloria was having second

  thoughts about her earlier decision.

  Lith was the only on
e that could use potions, and her first plan heavily relied on that to

  establish their tempo and not leave Visen open. His spells could turn tables, but required a lot

  of time to prepare, being their magnitude and area of effect that big.

  But after going all-out three times in two days, she could see how worn out Lith was. His

  hands kept trembling, his pace was unsteady. Knowing potions' side effects, she thought they

  were the cause of his lack of vigour.

  Instead, he was still suffering from the shock of the previous night. Being in a life or death

  situation was something he was used to. Being discovered as not being a kid, but rather an

  Abomination, had given him a real scare.

  Was the Scorpicore right about him? And what about Solus' origins? Lith only wanted some

  peace and quiet to calm his nerves, yet he was forced to use Life Vision, alternating it with

  Solus' mana sense to not waste too much energy.

  Both their abilities required focus and mana to be kept active, especially for Solus, with her

  weak mana core and poor mana capacity. Yet they had to do it, knowing that it was only a

  matter of time before the next attack.

  For that day, Phloria was paired with Lith and Belia with Visen.

  "Incoming!" Lith yelled, prompting his teammates to assume battle formation. There had

  been no warning this time, everyone was astonished by Lith's keen senses and sharp instinct.

  Phloria and Belia managed to conjure their equipment, but this time the magical beasts were

  going all out. Infused with air magic, M'Rook and Sentar moved faster than ever before,

  blitzing between their rank and forcing them on the defence.

  Phloria's team could follow them with their eyes, but sadly their bodies were not able to keep

  up. Without potions and so little experience fighting on the forest ground, their only hope

  was to activate the flight spell from their rings.

  That relieved part of the pressure from M'Rook, but made Sentar even more dangerous. The

  Cron was able to move faster than an arrow, now that they hadn't the cover or rocks and

  trees anymore, striking with spells and talons.

  In a few seconds, their rhythm was destroyed, and Termyn's arrival, sealed the deal.

  This time the Cingy didn't charge at all, instead chose to move silently, making the ground soft