’This is my fault.’ Lith blamed himself as much as the Guardians. ’I put Mom into this situation because I wanted to lure Meln and his cronies out of their hole. She went on those stupid trips only because I told her she would have been safe.’ "Do you at least know why this happened?" Raaz wanted to be angry, but first, he needed someone to blame. "What the fuck did those guys want? Was it Meln again?" "Yes, we have already uncovered everything." Leegaain glossed over the part where the Awakened had folded like lawn chairs the moment the Guardians had manifested their power. "Meln had nothing to do with this. "Or Lith, for that matter. They were after Ripha." "Me?" Menadion pointed at herself. "Why? How?" "You are the legendary First Ruler of the Flames, child." Salaark replied. "Those idiots targeted Elina because they knew how much Lith cares for her. The plan was to ask Lith to make you Forgemaster a full set of equipment for them as ransom." "Are they idiots?" Lith snarled. "Why would I trust two kidnappers and how could they trust me not to put a tracker among the enchantments?" "Easy." Leegaain replied. "You would have had no choice but to trust them if you wanted to see Elina again and we all know you would have done it. After all, as long as your mother is alive, you can find her, rescue her, and eliminate her captors. "But if she dies…" The Father of All Dragons left the phrase hanging, its meaning painfully clear to everyone. Lith had long since stored the energy signatures of his family members and friends in the Eyes of Menadion. With that plus the Watchtower and its ability to greatly extend the Eyes’ range, there were very few places on Mogar where Lith couldn’t find them. On top of that, no one knew about either the tower or the Eyes and had any idea that keeping a hostage was the same as lighting a beacon for Lith. On the other hand, however, the secret also made people confident enough to attempt to kidnap Elina and the others. "The good news is the kidnappers had every intention of letting your mother go." Leegaain continued after a while. "Awakened can shapeshift and without knowing their energy signature, a physical description is useless to identify them. "Ironically, not being an Awakened is what would ensure the survival of those like Raaz and Rena. As for the tracker, the kidnappers planned to demand artifacts with no cloaking runes. "This way, with just a glance with Life Vision they would have been able to tell if the equipment was really as powerful as promised or just a decoy before storing it inside a dimensional amulet. "Once they had gotten away with it, they would have checked for trackers and only then would they have returned Elina to you. "It was a great plan. With your mother alive and the looming threat of Meln, they knew you would have soon had more important matters to attend. Also, without the cloaking runes, they could have studied Menadion’s techniques and attempted to recreate them." "They would have indeed gained a lot and I had allegedly no means to stop them." Lith nodded. "But it all starts from the false premise I had no way to find them." "Again, if you reveal the existence of the tower and the Eyes, some problems will disappear and others will pop out." Leegaain said. "If you keep them a secret, your deception will make people cocky because you appear weak. "Both have consequences and, in your shoes, I wouldn’t reveal my cards unless it’s absolutely necessary." "I know." Lith clenched his fists, knowing that there was no perfect solution. He could only choose the lesser evil he could deal with. "But the reasoning of the kidnappers is idiotic!" Menadion felt responsible for what had happened to Elina. The pain she read on Raaz’s face and the idea of inflicting the misery she had endured after Threin’s death upon others was unbearable. "I have just returned from the dead after seven hundred years and everyone knows it. I’m still far from updating my techniques and completing my study of modern runes. I couldn’t deliver what they asked even if I wanted to." "Like they know or care about such insignificant details, Ripha." Salaark sighed. "You are the legendary First Ruler of the Flames, famous for her tower and the peerless Menadion Set. "During your life, you have crafted wonders and now you have returned from the grave. Do you really find it absurd that people think you can do miracles? Even pieces outdated for seven hundred years like the Eyes are still considered a priceless treasure because modern Forgemasters can’t replicate them. "What the rest of Mogar knows and cares about is that you are back and that whoever controls Lith also controls you. Nothing you say will change their mind." Explore stories on freewebnovel.com "What if you didn’t use Ripha’s existence to justify your actions at the borders to the Royals, son?" Raaz gently caressed Elina’s hair while she slept. There was no blame or accusation in his voice, just the need for a solution. "I thought long and hard before doing that, Dad, and I came to the conclusion that hiding Ripha’s return would have only made my relationship with the Royals worse." Lith replied. "Too many people had seen her. "Even if somehow none of the Liches ended up babbling about it, one of the Dragons was bound to. It was only a matter of time before Mogar would know about her return and at that point, the Royals would have lost their trust in me because of my deception. "I played my cards the best I could to control the situation as much as I could, Dad. With all my contingency plans and preparations, I’m still human. Nothing I do will be ever enough." Lith lowered his eyes, feeling guilty for dragging his parents into his own mess. The idea of losing his mother terrified him while knowing that, if that were to ever happen, he would also lose his father horrified him. ’Everything I’ve built, all the happiness I’ve worked so hard to achieve, it was almost destroyed by two random idiots.’ Lith heard Esor’s warning echoing in his head. ’I’ve only deluded myself to be safe and those idiots shattered my illusion. ’No matter what I do, I’m still weak.’ 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖 "Don’t say that, son." Raaz saw the effect of his words on Lith and stood up to hug him. "This isn’t your fault. You didn’t provoke those people or willingly put your mother in danger. "Elina just went to buy groceries to make us a delicious dinner and you set in motion a plan to protect her. The plan backfired a little, but she’s still safe with us. It’s the only thing that matters." Lith heard Raaz’s drumming heart and smelled the fear in his sweat. Yet Lith also admired how steady Raaz’s voice was and how he hid those feelings and acted strong for his son. "Thanks, Dad." Lith returned the embrace. "Don’t mention it, son." Raaz patted Lith’s back and let him go.