The two key pieces of the Forgemastering process welcomed each other like lovers, craving to become one. There was no resistance, no imperfection arose, and no intervention from Salaark was needed. Once the fusion was completed, the Overlord clenched her fist and sealed the power core with a slightly bigger sphere that was actually comprised of countless mana pathways. "See it for yourself." Salaark handed the reborn battle claw to the Sekhmet. "Your Life Maelstrom isn’t just meant to kick your power up a few notches but to become an integral part of your Forgemastered creations. "Whoever uses that weapon can now boost its powers tenfold at will thanks to the Life Maelstrom I’ve trapped within it. The mana pathways keep the silver lightning from leaking out and with time and world energy the elemental crystals can restore the consumed Life Maelstrom to its initial amount." "This is amazing." Scarlett could now tell the difference between an Awakened masterpiece and Guardian-level equipment. Even without testing the battle claw, she could tell that a mere swing of her weapon would tear the palace’s walls apart and endanger the inhabitants of the Heavenly Plume Tribe. "Can I really conjure something like that for my Forgemastery?" Balkor asked in amazement. "Just a spark but yes." Salaark shook her head. "Your body is battered and your life force is running out. Even if you were to discover how to do it, I wouldn’t recommend it. You are a mortal and far from your prime. "Your cracked life force can’t handle this kind of energy without exploding. You need to restore your body and build yourself a tower. Then, you might use the equivalent of a candle’s flame." "If a Magus like me is a candle even after obtaining a mage tower, what are you, My Liege?" "A raging volcano." Salaark replied. "Wait, that’s it?" Scarlett was flabbergasted. "One lesson and you send me away? What about Creation Magic? You taught it to both Balkor and Lith!" "Don’t be greedy, cat." The Overlord scoffed. "You are a Guardian now and have infinite life whereas they can’t afford the luxury of time. You have learned Light Mastery and figured out one branch of Void Magic on your own. "You are the youngest Guardian ever. I trust you to learn Creation Magic just like Yaga and I did, by yourself. If you don’t, that’s too bad. Bye!" A snap of Salaark’s fingers brought Scarlett and her battle claw to Lutia. Inside the nursery in Lith’s house, to be precise. "Welcome, dear Scarlett, and congratulations." Tyris welcomed the Sekhmet by handing her Valeron the Second. "I didn’t expect you so soon but you come at the right moment. I can use some help." Judging by the baby boy’s stern look, Valeron was more suspicious than impressed by the sudden appearance of the newcomer. Judging by the stench, he also needed a fresh diaper. "What is this? Why am I here?" Scarlett asked in confusion when she found herself in human form against her will and with no magical power. "This is a person." Tyris glared at the Sekhmet. "Valeron the Second, this is Scarlett, a grumpy but well-meaning Guardian. Scarlett, this is Valeron, my grandchild." "Hi." The baby boy waved his small hand. "Nice to meet you too, little one." Scarlett sighed as she unfolded the cloth diaper. "As for your second question, this is part of your training." Tyris said while taking care of Elysia. "Then we can move on to the next phase, Lady Tyris. With all due respect, I’ve raised plenty of children. This is nothing new to me." Scarlett wasn’t used to cloth diapers but she was a quick learner. After watching the Great Mother changing Elysia, the Sekhmet was able to do the same for Valeron. "You couldn’t be more wrong." Tyris shook her head, her hair sparkling like a golden waterfall under the morning sunlight. "You have raised plenty of children as a cat, a Shyf, and a Scorpicore, but none as a Guardian." "What difference does it make?" Scarlett had to use a wet wipe to clean the baby and abundant hot water and soap for herself. "Think about it." Tyris replied. "Leegaain taught you how to control your powers. Fenagar how to discover the secrets of your bloodline. Roghar how to use them. Zagran taught how to fight and Salaark how to Forgemaster with them. "What’s left for you to learn that I can teach you?" Scarlett pondered the question for a while but found no answer. "I don’t know." She shrugged. "If it were up to me, I’d build myself a state-of-the-art Guardian-level lab and then shut myself in it until I’ve mastered Salaark’s final lesson. After that, I’d go visit Zagran for a few spars and that’s it." "And that’s why you are here instead." Tyris nodded. "I’m sorry, but you lost me." Scarlett felt stupid. "I can almost hear Salaark imparting her famous final lesson to you." Tyris chuckled before making her best impression of the Overlord’s stern, thundering voice. "You are not part of nature anymore. You are a force of nature. You are not a mage anymore. You are magic. Did I say that right?" "Down to a t." Scarlett couldn’t help but chuckle as well. The contrast between the two women was literally like night and day." Does she always use those exact same words?" "Always." Tyris replied. "What Salaark always fails to add, however, is that beneath that force of nature and magic, there’s still Scarlett the Scorpicore. You are more than your powers. You are a person." "And?" Scarlett tilted her head in confusion. "And a newborn Guardian tends to lose themselves in their newfound powers. To mistake what they can do with who they are." Tyris said. "Give it enough time and you might even forget about the reasons you chose to become a Guardian in the first place. "You’ve come to me not to learn something new but to remember something you have learned a long time ago: who you are. I’m going to make sure your status as a Guardian doesn’t muddy your morals and beliefs. "You have learned how to control your powers but you’ll soon discover that controlling yourself and your ego has become much more difficult than it ever was. And how could it be any different, now that you can read into people’s hearts? "Now that you can listen to their wishes and the cries of help of those in need? How can someone capable of changing the world around them with a mere thought not be tempted to use their powers for what they believe to be ’the greater good’?" Scarlett pondered those words and Tyris let them sink in, waiting until the Sekhmet nodded her to continue before resuming to talk. "I’ve taken your powers away for the same reason you are going to help me with the children. After over two years of isolation, I want you to reconnect with your old self. The Scarlett who loved children so much that she sacrificed everything she was for them. Find adventures on empire "We need to dig her out of that Guardian shell before the power of the Sekhmet smothers hers."