Kamila followed the chains at a brisk pace until she stood in front of their source.
In his frenzy, Lith hadn't noticed her presence but his Demons did. Locrias tried to stop her but his body refused to move. Dozens of shadows jumped at her just to fade away the moment they stepped into the light.
Kamila took a deep breath, covering her hand with the Orichalcum of her armor before slapping Lith with all of her strength.
"Lith Verhen what do you think you are doing?" Her stern voice and the impact put an end to his roar.
"Orpal! That bastard killed Manohar!" The Tiamat said with a snarl, towering over the much shorter woman.
His eyes blazed with fury and the bone endings of his wings clicked, readying to claw at her.
"The whole Kingdom knows that. Just like they know that he also killed Lark and Mirim. Speaking of Mirim, Brinja was probably grieving her mother before you scared the shit out of her." Kamila ignored the threat and walked right under his nose.
"Brinja. The baby." A light of understanding smothered the fury in his eyes and she struck the iron while it was still hot.
"Exactly. I know that you are hurt and sad, but that doesn't give you the right to terrorize an entire city and your friends. Now stop before someone gets hurt."
Lith was the only one that could see through the blackness. Protector and Nalrond were kept down by his Demons, the customers in the tavern were either cowering or unconscious, and the air was filled with terrified screams that echoed through the empty streets.
Lith took a deep breath and everything ended as quickly as it had started. The Demons faded, the light returned, and the cries ceased.
"I'm sorry for dragging you into this mess. I just wanted someone to pay for what happened to Manohar. I wanted-"
"Shut up, you idiot." Kamila embraced him, shattering the form of the Tiamat that forcefully reverted to human. "No matter how powerful you are, you are still human. You have every right to grieve the murder of a friend."
Lith wobbled as strength left his body. Whatever he had done, it had consumed so much of his energy that not even Invigoration worked.
Yet that word kept echoing in his head, fueling his rage.
Murder.
Manohar hadn't just died peacefully in his sleep. He had been killed, taken away from him.
"Orpal. I should have killed him when I had the chance." Lith grumbled.
"Yeah, right. Murdering your brother would have broken Elina's heart and destroyed your family." Kamila's voice oozed sarcasm. "I need help bringing him home. I don't trust leaving him alone tonight."
"I thought you had to go back to work." Despite his great strength, Protector could carry Lith around only as long as he used gravity fusion.
"I'll take a rain check." Kamila shrugged. "How much does he owe you, Haug?"
"I'll discuss the matter with him the next time he comes to my Tavern. Now get him out of here. I have to leave Derios before the Constables arrive and start asking questions."
Warping and flying were sealed after curfew so Kamila stopped a stagecoach to reach the Association. At the same time, she called her superior to notify her leave of absence.
"Don't worry, dear. Take all the time you need. I can manage on my own until your return." Jirni said before Kamila could even come up with an excuse.
"That was weird." Protector said. "I expected she would give you an earful."
"Me too. To Belius, please." Kamila said the night clerk in charge of the Gate.
"Belius? Not Lutia?" Nalrond asked.
"No. I want Lith to grieve in peace without worrying about his parents feeling guilty for raising an asshole or having to act tough. He is allowed to have feelings, to stumble and fall.
"Also, Belius will keep the accident from happening again. Please, tell everyone Lith is okay and not to contact him unless strictly necessary." Kamila said.
Meanwhile, in her office, Archon Jirni Ernas read the reports of the odd phenomenon in Derios and how it had conveniently ended a few minutes after Kamila's badge had requested access to the city.
'Next step Belius, just like the last time.' Jirni pondered. 'Lith becomes sloppy every time he loses control of his emotions. At this point, I am certain that he and Tiamat are one and the same.
'I can use a powerful ally, but at the moment he's a double-edged sword. If anyone else notices how shadows behave oddly in his presence, things will get dicey with the Royal Court for everyone close to him.'
***
East part of the Continent of Jiera, Roghar's turf, at the same time.
"What the heck is that?" Scarlett the Sekhmet asked.
She was the youngest among the Guardians and her senses were also the weakest, yet she could perceive the Void Lith had unleashed upon Manohar's death.
"An ancient power that has renewed itself in a new form." Roghar the Fenrir said. "The power over death of the Abominations has gained access to the physical plane of existence through the shadows that only a Phoenix can cast."
After Scarlett had finished learning the basics of fighting as a Guardian from Zagran, she had been sent to Roghar, the Guardian of mana.
He had been teaching her how her bond with Mogar gave the Sekhmet ways for her mana to interact with the world energy that she couldn't even conceive back when she was a Scorpicore.
His role was to help her discover her newfound bloodline abilities and master them.
"What does that mean, exactly?" Scarlett asked.
"I wish I knew." Roghar sighed. "Even a Guardian has limits and from one ocean and half a continent of distance, there's not much I can see. Stupid idiots!"
He called Tyris, Leegaain, and Salaark via their mind link, but only the Overlord answered. The other two Guardians cut him off without even listening to his reasons.
They were all watching the events in Derios with interest and curiosity. The potential of a young Tiamat capable of covering an entire city while still at the deep violet core had piqued their interest.
Lith was always a pleasant source of surprise for them, whereas the Fenrir was a constant pain in their ass.
"Be brief because I'm busy and I dislike you." Salaark was wolfing down doughnuts filled with ice cream instead of jelly, the newest hit of the Desert kindly offered by her most recent grandson as a thank you for her help.
The hot of the Desert and the cold of the ice cream complemented each other, making the Overlord crave for them at every meal.
"I want to investigate the new power." Roghar complied, being as brief as he could.
"Rejected. Anything else?" Salaark barely rose her eyes from the tray on her table.
"How can you say that? Do you know how long I've waited for an Abomination to turn back from the dead? To conquer the black core and see what a natural undead can do without its fatal imbalance?" Roghar dropped any pretense of courtesy as he made his plea.
"For all your life.." The Mother of all Phoenixes replied. "The better question is, why should I care?"
