Chapter 3956: Upper Rank (Part 1) "This is amazing!" Ryla said after successfully triggering Umbral Shift and Lightforged a few times. "You took the words out of my mouth!" Tista said in disbelief. "How did you learn two new bloodline abilities so quickly?" "Your technique is effective, and I’ve already mastered the three steps you just described." The Fomor shrugged. "You had a great idea, Tista. By combining our wings and eyes with fusion magic, one can overload their body with a single element and trigger the corresponding bloodline ability with ease." "Actually, it’s not my idea." Tista sighed. "I just remembered Quylla’s theory about elemental bloodline abilities being nothing but fusion magic projected on the outside. I thought that if I focused on one elemental flow and amplified it beyond what my body can handle, then the fusion overload would have fueled my Indech powers." "Glad to be of help." Quylla nodded. "You’re a genius, babe." Morok’s body released arches of Vital Storm, but their effect lasted only as long as he maintained his focus. "You’re not bad either, Tista." "Thanks." Her voice oozed sarcasm. "Great thinking, Big Sis." Lith’s body became wreathed in Balefire, but he failed to project it outwards. "Don’t listen to Morok, Tista." Zoreth’s red eye and arm burst with Balefire as well, painting the grass around her red. "Your idea is amazing, especially for me." She released a small jet of fire that extended for almost twenty meters (66’) before losing cohesion. "This is great." She grunted. "I came up with the idea of the fusion overload, yet everyone can already use my technique better than me." "That’s because we can all use our wings better than you." Lith replied. "Aside from Zor, of course. She has no wings, but the stored elements in her arms make it easy for her to overload her fusion magic." "Apparently easy." The Arke extended her secondary right arm and showed an ample area of her skin that had reverted to dull blue. "Your wings make you guys perfect elemental conduits. "As long as you can tap into the world energy, you can release as much elemental power as you absorb. My arms, instead, seem to have a limited ability to siphon the world energy, but they can store it long-term. "The accumulated elemental power makes it easier for me to overload my body, but only until the energy I accumulated runs out. I’m just an elemental battery, and unless I’m given time to recharge, I need to use my abilities wisely in battle." "Speaking of abilities, how did you do that?" Tista asked. "You are a rank 1 human, and Balefire is a Fomor bloodline ability." "Good question." Zoreth had no answer for it. "I just followed you guys’ lead. I didn’t think about whether I could do it or not. I just did. Urhen?" "Tista is right." The Balor replied. "Only Fomor can use Balefire, but Balors can use proto-versions of most of the elemental powers." She collected the fire element with Swirling Wind, and a circle of flames appeared behind her back, wreathing Urhen in a lesser but still deadly version of Balefire. "Yet I’m unable to use it as a long-range weapon." She added after a few tries. "How is this possible?" "I can think of two possibilities." Quylla pondered. "To confirm my second theory, I’d need the help of a Traughen, but since we can’t call Carana, we have to bother Lady Yaga. Solus, do you mind calling her?" "No problem, Quylla." Solus took her amulet out and pressed Yaga’s rune. "But I don’t know if she can-" "Yes, Epphy? I mean, Solus." The Mother walked through the door of the Mansion, cutting Solus short. She had disheveled hair and wore a loose mage robe that she used as pajamas. "You were sleeping at this hour?" Lith asked. "It’s four in the morning in Zima." Baba Yaga yawned. "I arrived here so quickly thanks to my bond with Dawn. What do you want?" A mind link brought her up to speed. "As I was saying, I have two working theories." Quylla said. "The first is that Zoreth’s human and troll sides complement each other so well that she has access, or at least partial access, to rank 2 bloodline abilities despite being a rank 1. "The second is that her human aspect and troll side have been stimulated by the Dragon aspect ever since she became an Arke and are slowly evolving." "There is a third option." Baba Yaga used her breathing technique, Sun and Moon, to study Zoreth’s life force and found small but clear signs of change. "Both your theories are correct. "The common ancestry shared by humans and Odi allows Zoreth’s mana organs to overlap just like her mana cores. In turn, this strengthens their connection and counters the effect of her Eldritch side better. "The less Chaos the Odi side and the human aspect have to deal with, the more the pressure exerted on them by the Dragon aspect pushes their evolution forward instead of crushing them on the spot." "That’s an interesting theory, Malyshka." Solus nodded. "But it sounds a bit extreme. Zor became an Arke just two weeks ago. Her life force didn’t have the time to develop so much." "You’re wrong, Solus." Baba Yaga shook her head. "Zoreth became a hybrid almost four years ago, correct?" She asked, and the Shadow Dragon nodded for her to continue. "Four years of constant training, experiments, and improvements. "Despite all the limits of her previous hybrid state, her Dragon aspect and troll side managed to stimulate her human aspect to reach rank 1. Yet there is the bottom rank 1 of a newly evolved species and the upper rank 1 of someone close to breaking through to the next level. "I already had my suspicions after we fixed Zoreth’s life force, and this confirms it. The state we found her wasn’t her limit. It was the limit of her old condition, and we lifted it. Without it, her life force is progressing again." "How can you be so sure?" Tista asked. "Her arms." The Mother pointed at the elemental rune patterns painting Zoreth’s forearms of the same colors as her eyes. "Only a Traughen develops elemental arms as their mastery over magic increases. "On top of that, look at her skin. The mana core of a troll can only channel light and darkness. Their body reflects this condition by constantly shifting between black and white, whereas Zoreth’s remains stable. "Her skin stays of the dull blue resulting from the mix of the sky-blue of a Fomor and the gray of a Traughen." "Is there any way to test your theory further?" The Shadow Dragon asked, looking at her Arke form like she saw it for the first time. "Yes, there is." Baba Yaga nodded. "Have you already recovered body casting, Zoreth?" "No." She shrugged. "Just like I have no Spirit Magic or Awakening." "Good." The Red Mother’s words made everyone blink in confusion. "Then do me a favor. Cast a spell, any spell will do. It must contain the elements your form is attuned with, though." "Done." Zoreth said after a second. "Move it to your corresponding arms." Baba Yaga said. "I beg your pardon?" "You heard me." The Mother replied. "Do it."