Chapter 3740: Seize the Chance (Part 1) As for Selia, she had conveniently asked Kamila to move their magical lesson to the higher floors of the Mansion for no reason in particular. Kamila pretended not to notice that they had a perfect view of the park from there. "Thank you again for your assistance, Queen Syrah." Ryman said while focusing on the life forces of his children. "I don’t think I could have grasped the basics of my Life Eater bloodline ability without your help." "Just call me Syrah, or I’ll start calling you Lord Ryman." The Hati Queen replied. "Also, I should be the one to thank you for volunteering to help with Quylla’s research. Without your help, there’s not much she can do for us Hati." "No need to thank me. I owe you that much." Protector shook his head. "I’m really sorry for the circumstances we have met and shedding the blood of your people. I wish things could have gone differently." "If wishes were horses, beggars would ride." Syrah replied. "I don’t regret our meeting because things went the best way they could, save for a miracle. It’s only thanks to you and your allies that we are all here today." Her expression softened while looking at her children. They had been spared the visit to the Gardens of Time and were among the first generation of Zelex’s Hati who had not been forced to sacrifice their childhood for duty. Whenever Syrah was invited to the Vehren Mansion, she gladly accepted because she could bring her pups with her. It was one more day the young Hati could safely spend under the sun without shortening their life span. "I’m sorry, but do we get lunch?" Xagra asked, and his siblings nodded. "Of course, you do. You are my guests and can have as many seconds as you want." Ryman nodded. "Yay! We’ll eat until our bellies hurt!" The young Hati cheered in a way that left Protector’s children confused and wrenched his heart. ’Poor kids. Even though they don’t have to ration food anymore, a home-cooked meal is still a special event for them.’ "Behave, children." If not for her thick silvery fur, Syrah would have flushed in embarrassment. ’I must learn how to cook, dammit!’ She thought. "Where is Ryla? We can’t start without her." She actually said. "I’m here, Syrah, but today I’m just going to watch." The Fomor said. "I’m the one who’ll help you today, Uncle Ryman." Garrik moved his yellow eye to his right palm, and his face turned into a mask of focus. Yellow sparks arched around his hand, but there wasn’t enough golden lightning to empower even Solkar. "Not like that, Garrik, remember what I’ve taught you." Ryla said. "Tyrants draw and emit elemental energy from their eyes, while Fomors can also absorb and filter the world energy through their wings. "Use your yellow eye only to focus and amplify the air element. In from your wings, out of your eye." She gave him a practical demonstration, making her own yellow eye spark with electricity. "Okay, Mom." Garrik’s Tyrant eyes competed with his Fomor wings for the elemental energy until he managed to shut the former down completely. His pristine feathers turned into the six different elemental colors as the world energy filled them. Ryla guided him through a breathing exercise that closely reminded Protector of an Awakening technique. A few seconds later, Garrik’s right hand was brimming with golden lightning. "Now split it evenly between Ryman and Syrah’s children." Ryla said. "Don’t rush it. There is no danger. This is not the kind of lightning that hurts." The young Fomor-Tyrant hybrid followed his mother’s instructions, giving half of the power he had accumulated to Ryman and splitting the rest among the young Hati. ’Lucky bastard.’ Syrah inwardly grunted, taking care her thoughts wouldn’t reach her children. ’In a few years, his life force will be perfect, and he’ll have the powers of a Tyrant and a Fomor both. Garrik will Awaken while we’ll still be confined in our underground prison.’ "Now listen to me well, young Skolls." She actually said. "Hati have the ability to share everything with their alpha, like this." At her signal, part of the golden lightning disappeared from her children’s bodies and crackled around Syrah. "Your father’s Life Eater bloodline ability works similarly, but in the opposite direction." Despite being so close to his children, Ryman had a hard time sensing their life forces. If not for the golden lightning boosting his abilities and Syrah slowly siphoning it from the young Hati to show him how her ability worked, he would have never succeeded. After a while, part of the electricity arching across Protector’s body faded away and reappeared around his children. "Yet we Hati are flawed, whereas you are not." Syrah continued. "I believe you are not limited to receiving and storing your father’s power. If I’m right, you can bestow your own strength upon him like a Hati would, and also pass it on to any of you. "Close your eyes and feel the connection not only between you and your father, but also among you pups." The first part was relatively easy. Once Ryman managed to pass the golden lightning, he could recall it at will. The children were just passive vessels for his power and played no role in the process. Protector’s children tried to send the borrowed power back, but failed. Then, they tried to focus the power inside their mana cores and amplify it with their own energy like they did with spells, but it failed as well. "I’m sorry, Dad, I can’t do it." Lilia said, and the others nodded. "Maybe, we would have a chance if we were Awakened." The sadness in Lilia’s voice told Ryman this wasn’t another of her attempts to guilt-trip him into Awakening her and Leran. Quite the contrary. The young Skolls were picturing their father fighting against a dangerous opponent in their minds. In that hypothetical scenario, Ryman needed his children’s help to turn the tide of the battle. By failing him in the peace of the training, the young Skolls felt like they were also failing Ryman in the make-believe fight to the death. "It’s not a matter of Awakening, baby girl." Protector gently patted her head. "Our Hati cousins aren’t Awakened either, yet they can do it. It’s just a matter of practice and effort." "But, Dad, in the bards’ tales heroes succeed on their first try!" Leran whimpered. "That’s because it’s cooler that way and it saves a lot of time." Protector chuckled. "If a bard had to recount all the countless hours of training the hero needs to master his abilities, the spectators would get bored before the adventures even start." "Really?" Fenrir asked, the expression on her small face half happy and half angry. She was happy because she hadn’t failed her father, and angry because all those bards in her children’s books had lied to her! "Really." Protector would have liked to take a break and give them all a hug, but holding the golden lightning for long was hard for him and even harder for the children. They could only take so much before getting exhausted and needing to rest for the remainder of the day.