'Maybe the creature we formed was a fusion of my hybrid form and yours. With the tower's mass, there's no telling how big I might become.' Lith thought.
'Yeah, but it's also a bit creepy. It also doesn't explain why since you gained the blue core, you temporarily grow in size on your own during each breakthrough. It might be related to your world tribulations or to your life forces merging.
'Do we want to talk about it with Faluel?' Solus said.
'Not in front of the others. Scarlett might have told her about my world tribulation since according to Protector, she spectated and even discussed it with Tyris. If that's the case, she's just respecting my privacy. But if not, it's big news.' Lith replied.
'By my maker! You just got rid of your secrets just to add a new one?' Solus said with a groan.
'Fine, you win.' Lith shared with everyone the description of what happened to him during a breakthrough or a world tribulation.
'After all, Quylla, Phloria, and Protector already witnessed it. If Mogar wanted me to be discreet about my tribulations, she could have sent me a note when she talked with Solus.' Lith thought.
"I'm glad that you finally told me about your tribulations. As for the changes you experience during your breakthroughs, I have no explanation for it, but I'm certain that they are unrelated to your chances of becoming a Guardian.
"Only time will tell if your growing life forces will also require more mass." Faluel said with a warm smile and without a shred of surprise.
'Fuck me sideways! How much did exactly Scarlett tell Faluel about me?' Lith though.
"I'm even happier to see you opening up with your friends." Faluel waved her hand to all those present, Nalrond included. "If I were you, however, I will not share it with any other Awakened.
"Not that they would try to harm you since making an enemy out of a possible Guardian is not a wise choice. Also, any attempt on your life would anger the Beast and Human Council big time, but the other factions might consider you a threat.
"It's better if they keep considering you just a human-beast hybrid. This way you can avoid making enemies inside the Council."
"So that's why in Kulah you already had four wings, the long tail, and all seven eyes opened!" Phloria needed to sit down and the others quickly followed her lead.
"Hybrid, Awakened, and even Guardian? And here I thought that my life was messed up." Friya said.
"Sadly, I have to agree." Lith sighed.
"Yeah, I wouldn't want to be in his shoes either." Faluel said. "The moment Lith fails a world tribulation, his crippled life force will be the least of his problems. I've lost a few friends that way."
"Do you mean that…" Lith needed to sit down as well.
"Yes. They all died."
"Fuck me sideways." Lith slammed his head against the hardwood desk. Suddenly being the Lord of Destruction sounded like a curse rather than a blessing.
"There's no need to be so glum. In the last few centuries, a lot of beasts have incurred into tribulations, none of them has become a Guardian, but very few of them died for it." Faluel tried to cheer him up.
"Meaning?"
"A world tribulation happens only when your will and Mogar's are in perfect synch, just like your union with Solus. It's a very rare event since usually Mogar doesn't wish for anything. Living a quiet life usually implies avoiding further tribulations." Faluel said.
"Now, let's get back to our lesson. Friya, Quylla, you will work with me. Nalrond and Phloria, both of you can use true magic so you're paired up. Solus, you will work with Lith.
"Your lack of a body and your natural ability to shapeshift your stone form regardless of your life force makes it impossible for you to practice on your own. Yet you know Lith's life force as the back of your hand and your bond will allow you to experience the pain from any mistake you might make."
Faluel patted the stone doll's head that was now Solus's appearance to reassure her.
"What do you mean, pain?" Friya asked.
"Today, you will learn how to change only the most external details, like the length of your hair, the shape of your nose, and your face. Do not attempt to alter your height, your organs, and most of all, do not even get close to your brain.
"One of the most important differences between fake and true mages is that the latter can weave spells with their minds, whereas the former needs to speak and form hand signs.
"That means that any mistake with the hands, voice, or even the tongue will leave the fake mage blocked in an imperfect body with no way to fix it. True mages, instead, as long as their brain is not affected, can always cast spells and correct their mistakes.
"It's the reason why learning how to Shapeshift is so dangerous for fake mages and relatively easy for those like Awakened or the children of Emperor Beasts who can use true magic.
"Before we start, we have to address a problem first. Lith, Phloria, and Solus. Come here." Faluel beckoned to them. "Based on what you told me, your breathing technique, Invigoration, doesn't allow you to see life forces, correct?"
"Correct. Solus and I worked on it since the fifth year of academy, but we never managed to fix the issue." Lith said.
"That's why self-Awakened often need a mentor." Faluel stood on her tip-toes and ruffled his hair as if he was a child. "Show me how it works and I'll tell you what you are doing wrong."
'There's no harm doing it.' Lith thought. 'Faluel's breathing technique has been passed down for generations, so it's bound to be better than mine.'
Lith did as instructed, showing and telling her how he performed Invigoration. Nalrond, Friya, and Quylla exploited the opportunity to learn it as well, but not having a shred of Awakening in them, they failed.
Faluel, instead, learned it on the first try. Then the Hydra used Invigoration on herself to understand its strengths and limitations.
"It's an excellent technique for something made by a child." Faluel had no idea Lith had always been an adult nor how much thought he had put in all of his creations.
"Thanks. Lith and I worked a lot on it over the years." Solus knew that Phloria could spot Lith's lies, but her own face was literally a stone mask.
"Let me guess, you created it with in mind the goal to study and understand the changes in your body." Faluel said.
"Exactly. Back then I had no idea what a core was nor what its color meant. It's only thanks to Invigoration that I understood what being an Awakened meant." Lith said.
"That's the problem. You see, another common misconception is to think of life force as something small, hidden inside the body. Yet the truth is that the life force is neither small nor hidden.
"Life force is what shapes the entirety of your bodies, both internally and externally. You created Invigoration as a spyglass that allows you to see a single pine needle, but at the same time, it gives you tunnel vision and keeps you from seeing the pine tree.
"You need to change how Invigoration distributes the world energy through your body and stop focusing on the details. As it is, Invigoration allows you to collect and put together small bits of information, but it fails at perceiving the bigger picture."
