"Knowing that you wouldn't risk your life for a long while made me so happy that I prepared all of your favorite foods. Eat to your heart content, there's plenty of seconds." Kamila said.
"About that…" Lith's guilt for ruining her mood twisted his face into a grimace so bad that for a moment Kamila believed to have used spoiled ingredients.
"Please, tell me that it's because of the food." She said once she understood what was about to happen.
"No. It's delicious. The problem is my potential Guardianhood." Lith explained to her everything he had learned about world tribulations.
He didn't want to hide anything but Solus from her, and Kamila had the right to know that he might drop dead the moment he failed a tribulation.
"That's wonderful news." Kamila replied, shocking Lith. "I can't believe I'm dating the future seventh god of Mogar."
"Guardians are not gods and I'm not even sure I'll…"
"Stop right there. I told you to not waste my efforts to prepare our date." Kamila slammed her hand on the table and cut him short. "No pessimism allowed in this house, not tonight. I forbid you to die, hence you shall not. Are we clear?"
"Crystal." Lith chuckled at how amazing she was.
"Good. Now, inmate Verhen, say once again how much you like the food and how good this dress looks on me." She took a pair of handcuffs from under her chair and made it rattle on her palm.
"The food is beyond delicious and the only thing more beautiful than your dress is the woman wearing it, Constable Yehval." Lith understood the theme of the evening and brought Kamila on his lap before kissing her.
"Don't get cocky, prisoner. I've still a lot of orders for you tonight." Kamila said while gently caressing his hair.
***
The following day, Lith met the others in front of Faluel's lair while the sun rose from the horizon, painting the treetops yellow. Solus jumped back on his hand the moment she perceived him approaching.
"Thank the gods you're here. Yesterday I spent a lot of energy and the mana geyser helped me to regain a bit of my strength, but I still need you for the real deal." Solus could feel her mana core recovering by the second, even without the use of Invigoration.
Lith's bright blue core provided her with an amazing amount of nourishment which coupled with all the sleep she had and the world energy absorbed by the tower allowed her for a quick recovery.
Quylla suddenly clung to him in an awkward embrace akin to that of a slumbering bear holding to a tree in the attempt to resist the call of winter hibernation.
"I envy you, Solus. Lith doesn't work for me and I still feel like crap." Her voice slurred and her eyes were half-closed.
"How can you be so tired? We only practiced in the afternoon and we had over eight hours of rest." Lith asked, receiving Quylla's snoring as an answer.
"How can you not be dead tired?" Friya replied. "Academy lessons lasted two hours and we only had three tops a day. Yesterday we had two lessons and we practiced from after lunch to dinner.
"Seven frigging hours of non-stop spellcasting is one hour more than we did at the academy during the entire day!"
"If Faluel keeps up like this, not even I might be able to put up with the workload." Nalrond yawed.
He had two bodies and his meditation techniques to assist his recovery, but his human form was beat nonetheless due to his lack of stamina.
"I'm the one in better shape after a good night's sleep, but my body ached all night as if I fought instead of resting. Is it normal?" Phloria asked.
"Yes. Once an Awakened acquires a blue core, their body becomes able to absorb world energy and circulate life force without the use of any technique. You, however, went from the body of a red cored human to that of a blue cored in one go.
"The unease you felt was probably due to the strain you endured yesterday tempering your body and making its refinement progress further. If you used Invigoration, instead, its rejuvenating effects would have kept your body as it was." Lith said.
"I couldn't have said it better." Faluel opened the door of her lair while checking everyone with Invigoration.
"Nalrond, Quylla, your bodies are too weak. You need physical training as well. Phloria, Lith, good job not using Invigoration to recover. Magic is for an Awakened's body what the flames of a forge are for a blade.
"It tempers your whole being and allows the impurities you still possess to move to your weakest areas. Friya, Solus, the fact that you both are still standing despite your condition demonstrates how promising your talent is."
Faluel touched everyone but the Awakened in the group and used Invigoration to restore solely their vitality.
"Get in, your lesson has already started." Faluel made the desks and chairs appear before forcing everyone to sit down.
"Today I'll tell you about Spirit Magic and then we'll proceed with the practice. Even though non-Awakened can't use it, the knowledge I'll share during this lesson will help you survive in the case you face Awakened enemies and might even help you to come up with better spells.
"First of all, what is Spirit Magic? It's the embodiment of the mana flow that only Awakened possess. Creatures like magical beasts, Emperor Beasts, Abominations, and the other Fallen races all can use magic in its true form, but not Spirit Magic.
"That's because true magic is nothing but the ability to weave the runes that comprise a spell with your mind. The species I mentioned have powerful cores and an affinity to the elements so high that, to them, calling upon the elements requires but a shred of mana.
"Elemental spells need to be cast an amount of energy that even a slumbering core can produce.
"Spirit Magic, instead, is comprised of pure mana. Even in its first magic form, Spirit Magics is more energy expensive than any other element and requires constant focus." Faluel waved her hands in the air, making emerald tendrils of energy come out from her fingers.
"Usually, it's invisible to the naked eye, but Life Vision can detect it and you can feel Spirit Magic with your touch because of its physical nature." The tendrils moved close to the desks, allowing everyone to experience Spirit Magic.
Even though the green mana looked ethereal and they could see through it as if it was a green mist, the tendrils were as hard as steel to the touch. Quylla even put a piece of paper on her tendril and it remained in mid-air, following the shape of the emerald construct.
"At a first glance, its solid-state seems cool, but it's actually one of Spirit Magic weaknesses. Spirit Magic requires a constant flow of mana to be used and because of its nature, it can be easily dispelled.
"The closest comparison to Spirit Magic's complexity, even in its first magic form, is tier five spells. They both need willpower to be shaped, they can be used as long as you have mana, and they require a strong focus.
"Try to use a spell on your respective tendril. Any spell will do." Faluel said.
The students did as instructed and even before their first magic could manifest, the emerald constructs started to crumble.
