"They are-" Before the Guardian could reply, Kamila turned her back to her and ran to Lith's side. "Quylla, do something!" The Royal Healer used her best diagnostic tools and understood that Tyris had been sincere. Just like Baba Yaga had said a few minutes back, Lith was just tired. Quylla turned toward Kamila to reassure her, but judging from her panicked expression, words wouldn't suffice. "He's okay. There's no further damage to Lith's life force. He just needs rest." Quylla said while using her Injection spell to administer him tonics and nutrients straight into the blood flow. Lith didn't need them, but seeing Quylla do something about his condition had a placebo effect on Kamila's nerves. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Kamila broke out in tears as Tyris helped her to take him down Kalla's back and made Lith's head rest on Kamila's lap. The Guardian made sure with gravity magic that the weight wouldn't crush her. "As I was saying, operation Freedom was a success." Vladion cleared his throat in embarrassment. "We have performed a complete scan of the Golden Griffon's power core with the Eyes and we have already arranged the data." He took several copies of the blueprints of the power core out of his pocket dimension, handing them to the Royals, the Council, and even Milea in case the Kingdom failed. It would have taken the Council days to sort that much information but there was very little that Baba Yaga couldn't do while in her tower. "Excellent work." Sylpha nodded. "Now we must just find a safe way to make it collapse, possibly from a distance, and we are set." No one was actually listening to her. Everyone was studying the blueprints for both clues and inspiration for their own magical research. Despite his cursed origin by the hands of the Mad King, the Golden Griffon was still a wonder of magic. "Fuck!" The Queen frowned deeply when she recognized the modern runes of the lost academy. They were the same that the rest of the six great academies had used back when Lith was in the fourth year, proving Linnea's involvement. She was about to share the bad news with the others when her army amulet lit up. The upper echelons of the Kingdom knew that she didn't want to be disturbed so it had to be important. "Be quick." She said after pressing General Berion's rune. "We did it!" His voice was barely audible over the booming cheers. Berion's eyes shone with joy like those of a child during his birthday. "Belius belongs to the Kingdom again!" "What? How?" Sylpha sounded incredulous but a wide smile appeared on her face. "A while ago Thrud left along with her generals. At that point, the Highmaster and Great Mage Ernas' Awakened corps managed to break through and take the city!" "That's excellent news! We must let everybody know that-" A desperate wail filled the air of Belius, turning excitement into fear and making silence befall the city. "What the heck was that?" "Just another casualty of this war." Tyris said, her eyes shedding sad tears. "Jormun, the one you knew as Jakra the Emerald Dragon, has just died in Thrud's arms. The flame of one of Leegaain's firstborns has just gone out, making Mogar a darker place." "That's impossible." Lith turned his head toward her, his voice barely a whisper. "We fought inside the Golden Griffon. He's supposed to be immortal like everybody else." "No, he wasn't." Tyris shook her head. "He preferred to die as a free man than living like a slave." Suddenly Jormun's last words finally made sense. The realization made Lith clench his hands as hard as he could, yet it amounted to nothing. The feelings he had shared with the Emerald Dragon during the handshake were still vivid in his mind. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮 Lith knew that he hadn't fought a zealot hellbent on conquering Mogar but a father doing his best to protect his child. Jormun had borne no killing intent toward him until the very end, even forgiving Lith for murdering him. They had never been friends but they had never been enemies either. In a way, their condition made them very similar and even though they had barely spent any time together, Lith had seen himself in Jormun while he took care of Valeron. Solus too felt greatly saddened at the news, feeling responsible for Jormun's death. He had stood on the wrong side of the war but he had been a good man. "Damn. Thrud losing her husband isn't necessarily a good thing." Sylpha said, drawing on herself the hateful gazes of Lith and Tyris. "Grief can make her sloppy, but it can also make her ruthless. "We must tread with caution. If we push too hard now, she might decide to go out with a blast after poisoning the lands she controls. If that happens, it would take the Kingdom decades to recover and the human losses would be incalculable." "Agreed." Milea nodded. "The Empire will help you repair Belius and keep Thrud's forces in check. You focus on finding the kill switch for the Golden Griffon." Kamila noticed the fire in Lith's eyes, his scales, and his throat. She was happy to have him back but still scared of losing him. When he tried to stand up and give the Queen a piece of his mind, Kamila gently pushed him down. "I don't know what's happened but please stay calm. You heard Quylla. You need to rest and you are in no shape to antagonize the whole Kingdom." Lith was about to reply when he saw how worried she was. 'If I had hesitated, now Jormun would be alive and Kami would be grieving my death. Then why do I feel so guilty for being alive?' Lith's outrage faded and fatigue overtook him again. "Your Majesty, Empress." Vladion gave them both a small bow. "No offense but I'm not interested in politics. We all have upheld our end of the bargain and I require safe passage back into my lands." "Of course." Tyris nodded, opening a Spirit Gate and making everyone groan. Following and ambushing the Firstborn Vampire and the Eyes had just gone from damn hard to suicidal. "Thanks for your help, Lord Vladion." Milea returned the bow. "I hope that the Empire can rely on your collaboration in the future as well." "We'll see." He nodded. "I've heard too many humans making empty promises. I'll judge you from your actions and reply in kind to them." Then, Vladion turned to Lith. "Do you want to stay here or follow us?" "Follow." He panted more than said. "Good." Tyris lifted him up from the floor in a princess carry like he weighed nothing. "Let's go, Kamila." "Wait, are you really leaving?" Inxialot asked. "Of course, I go where the baby goes." "Not you, flashy woman! I mean Lith. I need his help!" "It will have to wait." Tyris rose an eyebrow in confusion. Liches were a mystery even to Guardians. "I already invited your wife but I'll repeat my offer just to be safe. You are both invited to my country house to talk. You can bring your mistress/bodyguard/whatever if it makes you feel safe." His rude words make everyone turn pale in fear but Tyris just chuckled, enjoying the misunderstanding.