"They have also partly reached the next evolutionary step like the creatures we met in Faluel's mine." Solus said. "That's why the trolls could suck darkness magic just by touching me and could cast Light Mastery without studying it!" Nyka said in shock. "It also explains why the Warg was so damn strong and smart. She and her pack were halfway through becoming a Hati." Just saying those words made Tista's back hurt more. "As I said, it's just a theory, but it covers all bases and answers all the questions you've asked me." Faluel rubbed one head under the other to scratch one of her long necks. "That's why we must move quickly. I'm going to contact Ajatar and Morok in the hope that they can help us find Glemos' true lab. If we don't get there first, the Council will steal Morok's legacy and kill all those poor bastards. "I've failed Echidna, but I'm not going to let the rest of her kind die like that. They did nothing wrong and, in a way, they are our distant relatives." "That's wonderful news!" Kamila clapped her hands. "You are going to need Lith's help to rescue those poor souls and get your hands on the prize. Morok is about to marry and a bloodline legacy would do wonders for his status." "Since when do you care so much about him and worry so little about me? Usually, you would go on and on about me risking my life and how worried you are while I work on the field." Lith knitted his brows in jealousy. "I am worried about you, but I also care about our friends." She said with a radiant smile. 'I also can't wait to spend a few days without you shadowing me and treating me like a crystal vase.' She actually thought. "Just one thing doesn't add up." Nyka's eyes burned with white light as Dawn spoke through her mouth. "Why did the monsters come out of hiding now and how could the humans and the magical beasts miss such a horde?" "That's easy." Faluel replied. "If my theory is correct, Glemos needed lots of space and resources for his secret lab. He must have created a self-sufficient environment where the monsters lived while he studied the long-term effects of the Harmonizer on them. "After his death, however, one of two things must have happened. Either the monsters have started to reproduce without care for population control and have run out of food, or they have come out to search for their missing 'god'. "Thanks to their intelligence, they didn't waste time nor did they damage the surroundings in order to not alert their prey. The monsters must have moved out from the secret lab in numbers and then aimed for the cities with a mana geyser like Ne'sra. "Whatever their goal is, a place like that is the perfect starting point for their search while also keep breeding." "Not really." Solus shook her head. "Ne'sra has more abundance of food compared to other cities but still there wasn't enough to feed such a huge swarm even if they let the population starve." "Really?" Lith looked her in the eyes, sighing. "Solus, you should know that partially reverted or not, those creatures are still monsters. They would've never let the people of Ne'sra starve because they would have eaten them first. "Monsters consider even their own kin as food, let alone members of the other races." "Indeed." The Hydra and Dawn nodded. "Then we must alert the Kingdom immediately!" Solus gasped in horror. "What if more cities are about to be sieged as we speak and they fall because we are here blabbering?" "Please!" Lith sighed again, but this time he also rolled his eyes. "If Glemos' test subjects have a shred of a brain, they have coordinated their attack and struck different cities at the same time. It was already too late before you girls even fought." Kamila angrily slapped the back of his neck. "Can't you be a little more sensitive? Not everyone here is as battle-hardened as you." She pointed at Solus who was shivering in shock, at his parents who had gone pale at the thought of how many human lives might have been lost, and the children who were sobbing. 'The word I was looking for was actually "cold-hearted" but I couldn't say that in front of his family. Lith and I need to talk in private. I won't allow him to speak of human lives like mere numbers in front Elysia.' She thought. "Uhh…" That was all Lith managed to say as his snarky reply died on his lips. He was used to speaking freely during strategic meetings with Awakened and had completely forgotten about his own family. Another consequence of not having Solus in his head 24/7 was that no one now kept his cynical thoughts from coming out of his mouth. "Maybe, but maybe Lith is wrong." Faluel tried to console them but she had already reached Lith's same conclusion. She just had the sensitivity to not voice it in front of someone so empathetical like Solus. "You alert the Royals while I contact the Council. We'll resume this conversation later." Alas, Lith's analysis was on point. Many cities in different parts of the Kingdom had been attacked by large hordes of monsters. Most had won the battle and suffered many casualties among soldiers and mages while a few had fallen. There was no news from them and the Royals considered the people of the conquered cities to be already dead. Faluel called Lith back a few minutes later. "I have good news and I have bad news." The serpentine face of the Hydra's head looked grim. "The good news is that as soon as the attacks started, the Awakened joined the battle per their treaty with the Royals. "Between the combined strength of the Council and the Kingdom, all the fallen cities will be recaptured in a short while. Also, by mapping the locations of the attacks, we should be able to triangulate the position of Glemos' secret lab or at least narrow down the search area." "What about the bad news?" Lith said after having care to Hush the area around him, letting only the grown-up in hearing range. "That according to our scouts, it will achieve damage control at best. The monsters don't seem to be interested in occupying the cities but in their content. People, food, and magical resources. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶 "They are already smart enough to know they don't stand a chance against us. What Solus has fought today wasn't an invading army but a plunder expedition." Faluel sighed. "This is interesting-" A strong nudge in the ribs from Kamila had Lith shift his brain's gears to a more sensitive wording. "This is terrible, but there's something I don't understand. If the Glemos' experiments have already reached such an advanced stage, why was he so obsessed with Morok and what need did he have to further perfect the Harmonizers?" "Really?" This time it was Morok who spoke to Lith like a dumb child. Faluel had added him to the conversation, bringing him up to speed along with the Council.