’I didn’t stop Nalear because she was born out of the Kingdom’s unfair treatment. She was just like Balkor, the symptom of a disease that made it impossible for the upper echelons to ignore any longer. A foreigner causing troubles is another matter entirely.’ A sudden surge in the world energy coming from the Kellar region made her and Leegaain turn their heads at the same time. "It’s the anomaly kid again. Are you interested?" "Thanks, but no thanks. I’m at a critical step in my research. Keep me posted if something interesting happens." The Father of all Dragons replied. It took Tyris but a thought to Warp at the borders of Kaduria. *** The black rain was falling with the intensity of a summer storm, but luckily it had no effect on Lith. ’I recognize this feeling. It’s the same coming out of the cursed item. A twisted version of world energy.’ He thought while his body shivered in disgust. The rain was the will of the Black Star taking physical form. When the temple of the High Sun imbued so many lives inside their weapon, they made a huge mistake. Dozens of conflicting personalities had been forced together in a single mind, giving birth to a deranged individual with no memory nor morals. The only thing left after their merging was the obsession to control everything under the High Sun’s gaze and destroy everything that couldn’t be controlled. Kaduria had been the field test and the Black Star was pleased with the results. Every living being on Mogar would be at its mercy. Life and death would disappear forever under its rule. The worthy ones would live in a utopian world while the sinners would have an eternity to be redeemed through pain. The black rain ripped the life out of the Kadurians, taking away everything they had but their minds. The process was unbearable, causing them to emit a collective telepathic shriek. Waves of agony made Lith and Treius fall to their knees. They became part of the hive mind and were forced to experience the memories of all the Kadurians. To share their centuries worth of suffering. It lasted only for a few seconds, yet it almost drove them insane. The mental pressure overwhelmed their minds, making it impossible for them to distinguish their thoughts from the Kadurians’. The two Awakened ones rose to their feet at the same time, albeit with completely different mindsets. Treius was regretting his decision of merging with the artifact. Until that moment, he had always thought that no price was too great to achieve his goals as long as he wasn’t the one paying for it. Now he wasn’t so sure anymore. As for Lith, he stared at his opponent with eyes filled with a mix of pain and hatred. All seven of them. Two new pairs of eyes had appeared. One above and the other below humans’ eyes were supposed to be. The seventh was a vertical slit opened in the middle of his forehead. He was now over two meters tall (7 feet) and covered by black scales the tip of which was bright red from the scorching heat that coursed through them. Aside from the eyes and a pair of curved horns protruding from his forehead, his head was a featureless black slate. Two pairs of upside down membranous wings came out from his back, conjuring on their own enough wind to keep him a few centimeters from the ground. A long tail ending in several bone blades whipped the air in a frenzy. The Shadows looked at the ruby dragon with unbridled rage. Just like the two Awakened had experienced the Kadurians’ lives, the Kadurians had experienced theirs. Thanks to that, they recognized the giant as their sworn enemy. Instead of being high in the sky, outside their reach, it was finally standing in front of them. The army of Shadows charged forward with only one thought in mind: revenge. Treius’s missing arm was regenerating at a speed visible at the naked eye, the stump had already reached the wrist level. He swatted them with a simple wave of the end, turning dozens of them into black snow at once. Lith took off like a bullet with the Gatekeeper aimed at the still blinded eye. Treius cursed at himself for having forgotten about his real enemy. His tail whipped at Lith boosted by air and fire fusion. Because of the partial blindness it only grazed its target, yet it was enough to send Lith crashing against the ground while spinning like a top. His collarbone was broken and so was his hip and left arm. He just shut off his pain receptors, letting light fusion mend his wounds while he resumed his attack. For the first time since they had met, Treius felt confident about his chances of victory. ’Now there is no obstacle slowing my movements, nothing that the Ranger can use against me. Even if he has changed form too, in a contest of raw power we are still a dragon versus an ant!’ He thought. ’What are you doing, you dimwit?’ The Black Star reprimanded him. ’Don’t underestimate those Shadows. They are leeching my powers!’ ’Our powers, you mean. Feel free to break our deal. I’m sure the Ranger will be happy to finish his job.’ Treius had no intention of letting the Black Star order him around anymore. Still, its advice made sense. He stomped the ground repeatedly before taking flight with air magic. He tried flapping his wings, but they were slow and clumsy. They reduced his mobility instead of improving it. "Haven’t you had enough?" Treius said with a laugh while watching Lith flying in circles above him. "I have to admit it, you are smarter than me and probably you worked your ass for years to become so strong. Yet it doesn’t matter. Nothing matters against overwhelming power!" He opened his mouth, releasing a densely packed jet of purple flames. It was a tier four true spell, Fire Blade. Treius wasn’t able to actually breathe fire. Lith burned with hatred at those words. In his mind Treius, the Black Star, his Earth father, the boy who had killed his brother, were all the same person. Someone who held an underserved power and used it only to spread misery. He took a deep breath to shout in defiance, yet no voice came out. The scales on his face opened up revealing his fang-filled mouth from which erupted a stream of blue flames that clashed with the spell in mid-air, like snakes wriggling in a deadly embrace. None of those present, except for Lady Tyris, knew what had just happened. Lith didn’t let the surprise slow him down, bringing his array to completion. Yurial’s Hexagram was a six-pointed blue star inscribed inside a circle. One of the points shone with a yellow light, neutralizing air magic within his area of effect. Treius fell to the ground with the grace of a brick and the Shadows resumed their assault. Lith tried to used the debris on the ground to cover his movements, but once again Treius’s tail intercepted him. Even if he dodged the hit, the shockwave sent him rolling onto the ground. ’Dammit, I almost forgot he can use Life Vision too. I must... What’s that?’ Lith recognized from the giant footprints the spot where Treius had killed several Shadows. Among the debris, there were several black floating orbs of different sizes.