Lith spent his days teaching Tista and his nights teaching or experimenting on Phillard. Contrary to the Kroxy's expectations, he was even further behind than Tista in the Awakening process.
"Who needs magic when you have these babies?" Phillard used to say while flexing his enormous muscles. He never liked magic much, preferring to overpower his enemies with pure brute strength.
Lith had to literally beat some common sense into him to force Phillard to practice magic, following the same training schedule he had prepared for his sister. By the end of the winter, the Kroxy's core had improved by leaps and bounds.
Maybe it was because magical beasts were naturally in tune with magic, maybe it was because of Lith's experiments on Phillard to help him sense the world's energy, or maybe it was just death being an incredible motivator.