2488 Family Legacy (Part 4) At that point, he would count up to five and give up on an element. As soon as his body experienced pain again, he would repeat the process until fusion magic was completely turned off. Orion practiced fusion magic every time that his full focus wasn't required and took pauses between sessions. He knew that his body was old, his core powerful, and that if the dam of his impurities cracked the resulting mana flow would kill him. "Then slow down." Zoreth said. "What about you, Jirni?" "I'm fine, thank you." Lady Ernas replied. "I meant at what point your training is. And don't try and lie to me. It's not just your life that's at stake" The Shadow Dragon caressed Jirni's womb with nothing but tenderness, but Lady Ernas tensed up, perceiving those words as a threat. "I'm practicing Accumulation every time I'm not forced to speak and I haven't slept in a week." "What? Why?" Those were Xenagrosh's questions but Orion had beaten her to the punch. "Because I've already mastered First Magic and all the tier one spells I can use." Jirni replied. "Already?" Xenagrosh was flabbergasted. "I knew you are a dangerous woman, but I never thought you would also be a genius magician." "I'm no genius." There was no humility in Jirni's voice, only self-loathing, "I've practiced first magic since I was a child and I've always experimented with the few spells I could use in the hope that magical talent could be nurtured. "Aside from Spirit Magic, there's nothing new. True magic is indeed more complicated than fake magic but unless one is a slacker it doesn't take long to master the few things a bright orange core can do" She conjured one elemental spell at a time, losing control the moment she tried to double cast. "Still, you are making quick progress. Too quick, I'd say. Why don't you slow down a bit?" Xenagrosh asked. "Because without my job I have too much time on my hands. I'm getting bored and I'm not used to it. Training is the only thing that keeps my mind off my Little Flower." Jirni's eyes flared with mana, her muscles tensing with fury, "When that happens, I get sad, then violent, and then I want to hurt someone, no matter who. A flower vase cracked under the pressure of a wild pulse of Spirit Magic. "Damn pregnancy hormones." Xenagrosh cursed. "Train less and sleep more. You both need it." "Dammit, woman, you heard her. Healer's orders." Orion lifted Jirni in a princess carry and put her in the bed. "I'm fully dressed, you oaf!" "And if I take my eyes off you, you'd run away, you bullhead! I won't fall for your tricks again." Orion snorted before turning to Xenagrosh. "Is there any risk that my wife's shenanigans put our baby to risk? What if they Awaken like Elysia?" At those words, Jirni went pale. Her body froze, torn between the desire to get stronger and the instinct to protect the life inside of her. "Don't worry, there's no risk. It would take a powerful Awakened being constantly close to her and a mana geyser. She lacks both." The Shadow Dragon shook her head, "Well, Jirni herself is an Awakened..." "A neophyte. She's so weak that you barely notice her mana flow with Life Vision." Xenagrosh said but Orion ignored her. "And she's surrounded by countless powerful artifacts. Let's suppose that happens. What should we do?" "Move to a magicless place, avoid contact with Awakened, and cease Jirni's training entirely." "Why is that? My core is weaker than Kamila's and now that Solus has returned, she practices every day." Jirni said. "Even as a hybrid, Elysia's Divine Beast side makes her much more resilient than a human while her Abomination side can feed off any excess energy. Also, don't forget that unlike you, Kamila practices magic, not breathing techniques. "Her body and core get passively tempered by Elysia's. Kamila acts as a drain instead of putting more stress on the baby as you do." Xenagrosh replied. "If your baby Awakens, the sudden surge of power might kill you and them with you. "Even if you survive, your reckless training might blow them up in your womb. Is that what you want?" Jirni took off her shoes, undid her hair, and covered herself with a blanket in reply. "I feel tired. Please, leave me alone. "What about our lesson?" Xenagrosh asked. "It can wait until tomorrow. I'm sorry for wasting your time." Jirni said with a sigh, her breath becoming slow the moment she closed her eyes. At first, Zoreth thought it was just another trick, but her Dragon Eyes could see that wasn't the case. Jirni's body was truly exhausted and the moment her willpower had wavered, fatigue had caught up with her. "You two need to slow down and relax." The Shadow Dragon whispered after closing the door. "There's no threat at hand. The only thing you two can achieve with your reckless behavior is to kill yourself." "I know, but magic is the only thing that keeps us busy." Orion sighed, looking at the family mausoleum through the window. "This house is filled with memories of our Little Flower. It's hard not to think of her when everything reminds us of her." Zoreth knew nothing about grief so she just nodded. Everyone in her family was a Dragon so death was unlikely unless one was an egotistical idiot. Like her. Yet she was an expert on regrets and guilt. "I can't tell you how to live your life but whenever you feel like doing something stupid, think about me. Death isn't the worst that can happen to either of you. Many in the Organization were powerful mages overeager to Awaken. "All of them have one thing in common. Their first act was to kill everyone around them. In your case, the arrays of this place might manage to stop you but you would force your children to live the rest of their life with the guilt of murdering their own father. "You are no different than Jirni. Your life isn't the only one at stake. She said while Orion accompanied her to the Ernas Gate. "Thanks. I'll keep that in mind." He went pale and stopped circulating the light element. "Where are you going now?" "To the Desert." She said with a warm smile, taking a book out of her dimensional pocket. "I plan to read a few fables to Elysia in Dragontongue." "But she's still in the womb!" Orion blurted out in surprise. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮 "You'd be surprised about how good a Dragon's hearing and memory are." She chuckled. "The very day I was born. my mother tried to strangle my father in outrage." "Why? What did Leegaain do?" *** Blood Desert, a few days later. Lith's life force had completely assimilated the healing energy of the tower and recovered from his injuries but he was still forbidden to practice magic. It didn't really bother him since he could at least work on his future Void Magic lessons and the trains' blueprints. The Royal Court was still arranging the final details about the Tablets so there was still time for some last-minute change in the pseudo cores. *** Korelance: Chapter provided to us peasants by nemesis. Donate to the author if you can. Check out the discord for faster updates. Link in the bio!