'Not here, not now!' Lith inwardly screamed.
'Until it's over, I will be a sitting duck!' He knew that it was impossible to delay the refining process of the impurities until he was back home.
Lith had no choice but to offer no resistance, making it as fast and painless as possible.
Soon, black ooze started being excreted from all his pores and orifices. Lith's eyes and throat were burning from the nasty feeling the impurities inflicted on their way out.
Lith felt like a river of bile was coming out of his body.
When it finally ended, he was kneeling with his hands on the ground. A huge puddle of the tar-like substance was below him, tainting the air with its putrid smell.
'Congratulations on evolving your mana core to deep cyan!' Solus's voice was full of joy.
'You also should have lost at least a kilogram or two (2.2 or 4.4 pounds), judging from how many impurities you expelled this time. I can already feel the quality of your mana flow improving. My meals have never been so tasty!'
'Deep cyan?' Lith coughed up some impurities that got stuck in his throat.
'All these years, the hard work, even risking my life against not one but two consecutive magical beasts, just for the worst cyan core possible?' He couldn't help but feel depressed and frustrated.
'I'm still below Nana's level, and she was born with that core! If she practiced my breathing techniques, there's no telling how strong she would be. She could probably already topple mountains and split the sea.'
With a pulse of darkness magic, he banished all the impurities into nothingness.
'Look at the bright side. Thanks to the breakthrough, you should finally be able to cure Tista. Isn't that what you wanted from the beginning?' Solus tried to console him the best that she could.
At that thought, Lith's mood lightened up immediately.
'You are damn right! Sometimes I am just a self-centered a*shole.'
'Sometimes?' Solus sarcastically remarked.
'Okay, fine! Most of the times I let my hunger for power get the best of me. Happy now?'
Solus giggled.
Despite having yet to use Invigoration, Lith could already perceive the world around him more vividly than ever. The colors, the smells, the sounds Everything was different. It was like being born again and experiencing the world for the first time.
Still feeling light headed, he splashed the river's cold water on his face, trying to regain his focus.
Suddenly, Lith felt a shiver run down his back and his neck hair stood up.
Lith abruptly jumped back on his feet, turning around to discover that a Ry, the very same Ry from two years ago was silently walking toward him.
It had become bigger, its height at the withers reaching 1.6 meters (5'6"), and its red fur had gained shades of white, dancing in the sunlight like a wildfire.
Just trying the Soaring Hawk spell almost made Lith faint, so he was forced to cancel it while using Invigoration to regain his strength once again.
Yet Lith's mana core was still unstable after the evolution process, and therefore unable to assimilate more world energy.
'F*ck my life! I can only escape on foot.' He thought.
Sniffing his stress and fear, the Ry spoke up.
"Fear not, Scourge, I mean no harm. On the contrary, I have come to give you my thanks. It was my duty stopping Irtu and Gerda, but you managed to precede me."
It threw a magnificent deer he was carrying on its back at Lith's feet. Both the skin and the antlers were in perfect conditions, aside from a single bite mark on the neck, where it had been cleanly broken.
"I noticed you humans prefer them like this, since after eating the meat you can exchange the rest for those things you call 'money'."
Lith didn't feel very reassured, he decided to keep stalling while he was catching his breath and searching for the best possible escape route.
"So, you can talk too, uh? Why didn't we have this conversation two years ago, instead of fighting?"
"Stop eyeing for an escape route. If I really wanted to kill you, I would have avoided useless talk and struck when you are at your weakest. I am not arrogant and cruel like Irtu. I would not make the mistake of underestimating you again.
"As for your question, it was you that attacked me first.
"Also, do you know what happens when one of us speaks? The human faints or runs away. Either way, they come back in numbers, even willing to set the woods on fire to kill us all."
The Ry growled at that unpleasant memory.
Lith relaxed a bit.
"Yeah, humans get scared easily. They think themselves all high and righteous. They don't like when someone or something they don't recognize as an equal threatens the status quo.
"By the way, sorry for the sneak attack, but you were big, scary, and destroying something really precious to me."
A light of understanding lit in the Ry's eyes.
"You mean the annoying rock that you now wear at your finger, I see. Then it's my turn to apologize for damaging your property and trying to kick you out of the woods. I only wanted the noise to stop, and for you to cease your attack."
"If I have to believe your words, why do you call me Scourge? Isn't that kind of offensive?" Lith kept moving, very slowly, towards the fastest way home, one step at a time, like he was just shifting his weight from one foot to another while chatting.
The Ry snorted, pretending not to notice it.
"It's no insult. You killed the king in the west, and with its life you claimed its title as well."
"That would make you the king in the east, I suppose. What's your title?" Lith moved another step.
"The Protector. My role is to keep both humans and unruly magic beasts at bay."
"It has a much better ring than mine. By the way, your majesty, I am not interested in kingships or messing with your turf. Feel free to take over Irtu's region or whatever it's called. I only hunt for my survival, not for sport or pleasure."
"And that's why you are still alive." Seeing that the human was too self-conscious about his weakened state, the Ry gave up and turned back, walking towards the woods.
Lith was still scared, yet had the presence of mind to store the deer in his pocket dimension. As soon as the magical beast disappeared from his sight, Lith ran out of the woods, telling Solus to look out for any possible danger.
Once outside, he changed into his usual clothing, deeming the claw rip on his shirt too unsettling for his parents.
The closer he got home, the weaker he felt. The adrenaline rush was fading away, his body and mind were both battered from all that had happened. A splitting headache arose, making it difficult for him to think.
When Lith finally arrived at his destination, he was too tired to speak or even walk to his bedroom. He sat down on the nearest chair, sighing in relief, allowing himself to relax.
The next thing he knew, someone had put him into bed, and judging from the lighting it was already night. He closed his eyes, pondering about what to do next, and when he opened them again it was already dawn.
Tista and Rena were still asleep, Lith decided to get up and prepare breakfast for everyone, following his normal routine. It was in that moment that he realized how much he had changed overnight.
Not only was his body brimming with strength, but he could also perceive his own mana flow without the assistance of any breathing technique. Lith needed but a thought to start floating, managing to get out of the bedroom without making the wood creak.
What had required so much focus just the day before, now barely needed his attention.
'If a tier one spell has become so easy, what about chore magic?'
Lith discovered that now he was able to use up to six spells at once without the use of any gesture or magic word to help him to coordinate them.
Soon many small vortexes were cleaning every nook and cranny of the dining room, the air in the room was getting warmer by the second, all the while plates and cutlery floated in their place.
By the time the table was laid, he had also finished washing and drying the floor.
'I have performed in less than a minute what usually took me half an hour! I still have a lot of time before having to wake everyone else up. Solus, how do you feel?'
'Now that I know you are all right, just peachy. But since you were referring to my abilities, instead of my feelings…' Judging from her tone she was quite pissed off.
'…both Soluspedia and the pocket dimension have started expanding since your mana core stabilized.'
'And what about you?'
'Thanks for asking without any subtle hint from my side.' The sarcasm was palpable. 'I am still recovering from the huge scare you gave me yesterday, but I'll live.'
'I'm sorry, I know you wanted me to escape from Irtu and not take unnecessary risks, but I couldn't run away and live in fear, waiting for him to find and attack my family.
'I have lived too long in terror of my father, back on Earth, to let the same thing happen again. I hope you can understand.'
Wanting nothing more than to change the subject and escape that awkward silence, Lith asked:
'What about Gerda's carcass? Can we take credit for the kill or would it raise suspicions?'
'There is no problem for Gerda, history is full of promising mages, even younger than you, killing a magical beast. Since there is no way to determine how strong it was, you can say that you ambushed it successfully.
'Irtu, on the other hand, is more problematic. Not only is his pelt useless, making him only good for racking up merits, but his corpse also shows signs of a spell that should be around tier four or five, if not above. I'd say to save it for rainy days.'
After deciding what to do with the various carcasses, Lith used the remaining time to practice Accumulation, while thinking about how to announce to his parents that he had devised a treatment for Tista.
Among all the things he had gained since arriving in the new world, his family's happiness was still the greatest prize he could strive for.
I want to dedicate this chapter to my greatest contributor and oldest supporter, Lusername.
Thanks for sticking by my side since the beginning of the story, I hope you like your new cameo.
As prof T. would say "It's tale grew in the telling" XD
Author's note: I do research my stuff, but please remember that this is a work of fiction, not a medical textbook. If among you there is some nit-picky doctor, please be nice and cut me some slack. Enjoy your read.
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Lith spent the next few days familiarizing himself with the changes in both his body and mana core. Healing with true magic was very different from the on/off effects that fake magic used. Not to mention that the procedure for Tista required surgical precision.
So, he used his new job as Nana's assistant to once again master his mana flow. Lith also personally reported the slaying of the magical beast to Count Lark via Nana's communication amulet.
He gave the Count the chance to buy the perfectly preserved pelt, but for that he needed to get in touch with Selia. Lith had no idea how to tan and preserve such a magnificent fur, and neither did he know how much it was worth.
So, he had been forced to turn to the huntress for help. Selia had accepted in exchange for 25% on the final price. The same fate befell the deer carcass.
Lith's goal was to improve his relationship with Count Lark by earning merits for both of them.
Through their confidential agreement, Lith would achieve merits because he had eliminated a threat to the County, while the Count would take the credit for the kill. Lark would say that it was him who had discovered Lith's talent and claim to have entrusted him with the task.
According to the law book in Lith's possession, a noble could achieve great fame and honors, according to how his subjects performed.
While they would get merits, the noble would improve his social status and importance in the King's Court, raising his chances of achieving one more title with all the lands attached to it.
It was a perfect win-win situation.
Lith hoped to reel in Count Lark among his official backers. Having him has a patron was not enough. Being that the Count was a magic enthusiast, Lith was just one of the many talented youths he was sponsoring and nothing more.
Lith wanted their relationship to develop further, so that when he finally could leave the village, he would have someone to rely on.
If there was one thing that he had learned from Nana's story, it was that a country bumpkin like him was in desperate need of someone trustworthy in an influential position.
Count Lark was obviously thrilled at the idea that one of his proteges had achieved such a result. His hopes for Lith being accepted at the Lightning Griffon Academy skyrocketed. After so many failures, another success was in his sights.
It would further raise the Count's status in the eyes of the Court. Killing a magical beast was good, but finding and developing the talent of a powerful mage was much better. Together with the military, mages were the backbone of the Kingdom.
After settling his business with Count Lark, Lith had Solus help him completely rethink his concept of magic.
'So far I have used magic just like a club, to hit and kill. But Gerda and Irtu have shown me that magic, in this world is not fixed as it is in Dungeons & Looting. I have been too narrow-minded. It's not only light magic that can act at a cellular level.
'All kinds of magic can interact with matter, changing its properties. If Irtu could make the ground elastic, then I should be able to walk on water without freezing it first, by altering its density. I need more advanced spellbooks to understand magic's limits.
'It's no wonder that a Magus' talent increases exponentially after discovering true magic.
'Not only do they start with a better core than mine, so they can refine it to further heights, but they also become capable of replicating every single spell they saw until that point
'While inventing a new spell takes a lot of time for a fake mage, finding the right balance between hand signs and magic words to obtain the desired effect, a true mage just needs to understand the underlying principles behind a spell to perform it.'
Thanks to his battle with the magical beasts, Lith was able to quickly develop new spells, by either imitating their tactics or experimenting by himself.
After about two weeks, his body, mind, and mana core were perfectly in tune. Lith asked Rena to go to the village with Trion, giving him the opportunity to freely talk with his parents and Tista.
Trion and Lith were now in a more neutral relationship, there were no hard feelings left, but no trust either.
Lith had to dumb the concepts down a lot to make his parents understand the risks of the procedure. He was not a doctor, but they were his parents just like Tista was their beloved daughter and his beloved sister.
Lith would not proceed unless he received their informed consent, or at least the next best thing, since they understood very little of magic and nothing at all of anatomy.
"How sure are you about this thing?" Asked Raaz, holding Tista as tight as he could, like Lith was going to take her away.
"I'd love to tell you that everything will be alright, but I can't. I never tried something so big and complex. Tista, I worked years to develop this spell, just for you. The only thing that I can promise, is that I will give my all.
"I have obsessed over this for many nights and days, because I want you to be free and happy like everyone else, instead of being stuck in a cage. Be it your body or this house, no matter how golden we can make it, it's still a cage.
"I want you to be able to run in the wind, walk in the snow. To get out of this house, to meet people, make friends, maybe someday fall in love with someone and be loved back.
"I will do all I can to free you from these shackles, but I can't do it without your trust and consent."
Lith looked them in the eyes, one at a time, to show them his resolve and determination.
Tista escaped her father's arms and hugged Lith tight.
"Oh, Lith. When you talk like that you sound more like dad than a little brother." She said crying.
"Of course I trust you. You have always been by my side, taking care of me, even when I could do nothing but stay in bed all day. You worked so hard, giving me so much.
"Food, clothes, you even invented the rocking chair for me (AN: is actually a swing. See chap 17 for more details). Mom, Dad, I want to do it. Whatever happens, I could never regret having trust in my little brother."
Without saying a word, Raaz and Elina joined her in the embrace. All of them sobbed together, even Lith, so fond of their bond and so scared to lose one of them at the same time.
After Lith calmed down, he could finally start. On paper, the treatment was simple. By using Invigoration's real-time imaging of Tista's body, Lith would use light and dark magic in synch.
Dark magic would destroy the damaged cells that composed almost half of Tista's lungs, while at the same rate light magic would enhance the healthy cells' ability to multiply, instantly replacing the lost organ tissue.
Even with his limited knowledge of medicine, Lith could see many underlying problems. The destroyed cells would release toxins and impurities in Tista's system. If too many of them accumulated too fast, she could die of shock or organ failure.
Also, regenerating a vital organ like the lungs was a delicate process, that would consume lots of her strength and she hadn't much to begin with.
Lith decided to take things slow, treating only a minimal part of her lungs to begin with. Then he would use his control over her mana flow to expel all toxins and impurities the dead tissues would release from her body.
Then, he would give her some time to recover before attempting another session.
During the whole process, he took care of her, ensuring that she was eating and resting properly. To do that, Lith skipped hunting and magic training, only keeping his job with Nana to have a steady source of income while Tista was resting.
The whole procedure took over a month, but thanks to all his painstaking efforts and meticulous bordering on anal-retentive preparations, everything went well.
In some respects, even too well.
After the treatment, Tista's mana core had gone from light orange to yellow, and according to Solus, it kept evolving over time.
'Seems your sister was quite talented, but her illness prevented her core from properly growing.'
'That's good.' Lith nodded 'As soon as she completely recovers, I can bring her to Nana to learn magic. That way she will be able to learn a trade and achieve a social status on her own. What comes next depends entirely on her.'
'Won't you teach her true magic?'
'That would be idiotic. She is just ten years old. If there's really some sort of global conspiracy and control over magic, that would mean putting her in danger. She deserves to finally have some fun. To live instead of just surviving.
'I won't drag her into a hornet nest unless that's what she wants.'
Lith made sure that everyone in the family understood the importance of keeping Tista's recovery a secret. Lith was still a no one, if the rumor spread, nobles or other mages could hunt them down to get their hands on the procedure.
Despite the fact that they regretted being forced to keep Trion in the dark, they accepted wholeheartedly. None of them was stupid enough to endanger such a newly achieved happiness just for a bit of bragging.
Since according to Nana there was a chance for Tista to heal by herself when her growth spurt hit, they decided to stick with that story and claim it to be a miracle of nature.
Lith had g developed a spell to alter the results of Nana's Vinire Rad Tu, so that when she checked on Tista she would still appear ill, but slowly improving. This time he would not slip up on the details.
Tista had to put up a façade every time Trion was around, but she soldiered on bravely. Being sick was second nature to her, sometimes she even fooled Lith and her parents with her acting.
But whenever she could, she would walk with Lith through the Trawn woods, going together to his secret clearing where she could finally be free to run, swim in the river, sing, and dance at her heart's content.
Lith didn't regret even one moment spent with her instead of practicing magic or refining his mana core. Those things were of secondary importance to him.
He had started practicing magic only because of his hunger for power, to put this new world to the test before committing suicide again. But then he had fallen in love with his new family, and magic had become a tool instead of a purpose.
And that purpose was laughing and jumping around, in front of his eyes.
Lith couldn't and wouldn't hold his tears back.
'Wherever you are, Carl, I hope with all my heart that you too have found someone to love and to protect. I love you, little brother, and no matter how distant we are, you'll always be with me.'
A few months later, Lith received an invitation from Count Lark, to join him for a day in his manor as his esteemed guest.
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