"Thanks for everything you did for me, Faluel." Lith shook her hand.
The Hydra had accurately predicted how the trial would unfold, making her plan work like a charm.
At least until that moment.
"Don't thank me, yet. I've got no idea what they'll put you against and if you fail, all of this will be for nothing. Humans are stricter than beasts and after revealing your abilities, you need the Council more than ever. Whatever happens, accept the results of the trial." She said.
"She's right." Jiza had never left Lith's side, making sure that no one exploited the chaos of the debate to try something funny. "If you fail and then refuse to acknowledge Raagu as your master, your life will become a nightmare the moment you step out of that door."
"Revealing your true hybrid nature was a double-edged sword. Now that everyone knows how precious you are, they'll spare no dirty moves to force you to submit if you go back to being a rogue Awakened.
"That said, I know that Awakened humans have given you more trouble than help during your journey, but I hope you don't resent us all for that.
"Beasts are no better than humans. You'll find as many bad people among their ranks as among our own. The only reason why you faced mostly Awakened human criminals is that you lived in human society.
"Awakened are tightly bound to their race of origin. We live among our kin and task our descendants with taking care of business, whereas beasts mostly work as mercenaries and hate being forced to hide their nature.
"Even if you succeed in your trial, once you are done with your apprenticeship, you'll keep meeting more humans than beasts as long as you reside inside cities. Don't burn bridges that you may need later."
Lith gave her a small bow and then spent the time before the test talking with Solus.
'Glad to have you back. I need all the help I can get to not let our plans get screwed up in case Raagu doesn't agree with Awakening Phloria.' He thought.
'The monster-Abomination's words were interesting, but there's something you need to know. Aside from young people like you and Athung, every one of those present has either a bright blue core or a bright purple core.' Solus said.
'Meaning?'
'Don't you find it odd that even old looking Awakened have a bright blue core? I mean, sure, you Awakened from birth and had an easier time adapting your body to the mana core's growth, but how can it take people centuries to reach the stage right above yours?
'It doesn't make sense. Especially considering that all Awakened we met had either a cyan or a blue core. Unless…' Solus said.
'Unless getting a purple core requires to meet some hidden conditions.' Lith completed the phrase for her. 'Doesn't this also mean that fake mages are potentially even stronger mages than Awakened?
'People like Manohar naturally grow with a purple core, whereas Awakened are capped to blue unless they find a way to overcome their limits.'
'If we're right, then the cap plus the fact that even Faluel can't Awaken people with a bright blue core like Quylla, limits the Awakened's progress with magic. Whatever is needed to get a violet core, I don't think it can be taught.' Solus said.
'There are way fewer purple cores than I expected. Moreover, based on what Faluel told us, Awakened without a magical bloodline always have a master, so there's no way they wouldn't pass down the technique in the case something happens to them.'
"Everything is set. Please, follow us." Leegaain opened several Warp Gates at once, allowing all those present to reach what looked like an underground arena.
The place reminded Lith of the Colosseum and to Xenagrosh of the amphitheater where Bytra had come to terms with her pasts.
"The rules are simple. Once you reach the battlefield, the arrays will seal the space around you and your opponent will arrive. Dimensional magic works inside the arena, so you can retrieve and use all of your equipment.
"After all, your sword is a gift from Faluel, and some of your creations are certainly derived from the help she gave you. The Council allows their use because they are proof of what beasts have done for you.
"If you fail despite that, they can only blame themselves. Don't worry about death. We'll let you fight until your last breath, but the moment your opponent is about to deal you a lethal blow, I'll personally stop him and declare your defeat.
"You have one minute to prepare your spells. Starting from now."
Lith took all of his equipment out of his pocket dimension and started to weave his spells.
'The good news is that I can go all out. Origin Flames, War, my special rings, everything goes.' Lith thought.
'What about the bad news?' Solus asked.
'For once, no bad news. Do you think I should pull off a Silverwing's Hexagram, like against the Vampire in Othre? One minute isn't enough for me alone to do it, but there are two of us and I don't care pretending I'm a genius Warden.
'My life is safe, but what about you, Phloria, Kamila, and the others? Raagu might forbid me to visit them or restrict my actions as long as I'm her apprentice. Also, I'm not going to let Velan Deirus have his way with the Ernas.'
'It's worth a shot.' Solus telepathically nodded.
Faluel knew about her existence and was willing to take Solus as her apprentice, whereas they couldn't afford the risk to check if Raagu was as open-minded as the Hydra. Solus's future rested on the outcome of that battle as well.
Leegaain was nice enough to give them more than just one minute. He assumed that Lith and Solus could use a bit of time to calm down and strategize.
"Begin!" His voice created a golden translucent dome that enclosed the arena and Warped Lith's opponent on the opposite side of the battlefield.
"Oh, shit." Lith had never seen something that big.
To be precise, he had never seen the creature that was standing in front of him, not even in books. The beast looked like a lion, but it had a brown body and a deep green mane.
Its height at the withers reached 7 meters (23 feet) and its violet eyes shone with intelligence.
Unbeknownst to Lith, the creature was a Meneos, a monster as rare and hard to kill as a Grendel.
Its species was almost extinct due to how dangerous they were. The only few remaining specimens left could be found only in the most isolated places of Mogar or in Leegaain's biomes.
'I guess they took Raagu's words into account while choosing our opponent.' Solus thought. 'Most creatures this size we faced were our friends rather than enemies.'
Lith activated Silverwing's Hexagram, making sure to encompass both himself and the Meneos. He kept his breathing steady and was ready to counter any spell the beast could throw at him.
At the sight of the array, the lips of the creature curled up in what looked awfully like a smile. Then, it charged forward as fast as a lightning bolt, taking Lith and Solus by surprise.
