"On the other hand, the more I learn about Origin Flames, the more the Eyes help me to deepen my understanding." Xenagrosh said.
'So, if Jakra also has Dragon Eyes, he still needed centuries to master Origin Flames!' Solus was flabbergasted.
"The first thing you need to understand about Origin Flames, little brother, is that they are not just energy, but a part of your own body." The Shadow Dragon said.
"I'm sorry, but isn't that the same for magic? I mastered all elements, yet I still suck at Origin Flames." Lith replied.
"No, it's not the same. Magic is a part of you, but you can consider it as an extension of your mind. It requires imagination and willpower whereas Origin Flames are an extension of your body.
"They don't use mana, only your own life force and the world energy. The reason why controlling them is so hard is that unlike mana, controlling your life force once it's outside your body is akin to trying to move the blood that you spilled.
"It's just impossible."
Her word actually encouraged Lith since he had already proven to be capable of moving a limb severed from his body and his Phoenix side had the ability to control his blood even after it had been spilled on the ground.
"For starters, keep close to your target and then, instead of emitting a burst of flames, breathe them out slowly. Like this." Xenagrosh took a lump of rock out of her pocket dimension while she exhaled a soft stream of fire.
Much to Lith's and Solus's surprise, the Origin Flames slithered out of her maw in the form of a snake that coiled around the rock without affecting it. Once she ran out of breath, the snake disappeared and the rock turned out to be unscathed.
"As long as you keep the connection with the Flames, it's easier to control them. They are a phantom limb that you can flex, move around, and that can even feel akin to fingertips." She said.
"You can't possibly remember the position and size of all the impurities inside a block of metal and destroying them bit by bit consumes too much energy. You must learn to use your Flames as if they are a diagnostic spell.
"It's the only way to know when to stop the purification process and to avoid hurting your allies when you use Origin Flames as a means of attack. Come on, try."
Thanks to all the practice with Faluel, Lith needed but a couple of tries to learn how to feel through the flames while they were still attached to his body. He could simply adjust their power, intensity, and piercing ability as they twirled in the air.
Lith would give them a simple order at first and then add more complex instructions as the Flames propagated through their target. Back in Faluel's lair, he had been forced to input into his Flames a full set of commands that he had to formulate in the split second he emitted them.
Compared to that, Xenagrosh's method was child's play.
"Okay, that's enough for today." She said while forcing the Tiamat to stop.
"I have barely started! I didn't even give the trick with the rock a go." Lith said in annoyance. He hated to be interrupted when he felt to be close to a breakthrough.
"You promised me." Xenagrosh's tone didn't leave space for discussion. "Now sit down and drink this."
She handed Lith a powerful Dragon-sized tonic as he suddenly felt his knees buckling and his head spin.
"What's happening to me?" He stuttered every single word, needing help to drink the tonic without spilling it on the ground.
"I told you how dangerous this method is. Every second that you prolonged your flames, every new order you imparted them, cost you more and more life force. They may have looked like a single breath of Origin Flames but they were actually as expensive as dozens of them at the same time." Xenagrosh explained.
'Fuck me sideways, she is right!' Solus said now that she had finished studying the Origin Flames and focused her attention on Lith's life force. 'If she hadn't stopped you in time, it would have taken days to recover.
'To make matters worse, it might have even worsened the cracks in your life force.'
'Is it that bad?' Lith asked.
'Actually, it's worse.' Solus replied. 'One more second and you would have ended up like after the battle with the Odi. Unless you want to spend days resting, let's follow Xenagrosh's order.'
The Shadow Dragon handed him two more tonics and only after Lith gulped them down did she allow him to stand up.
"That's why Kigan and I almost died several times until we understood that while we studied our Flames, we needed someone to keep an eye on our condition. Using Origin Flames as a scalpel instead of as a blunt instrument is very demanding for a beginner."
"Generating a continuous stream of Origin Flames is akin to making an entire arm out of world energy. You need to make the flesh and the bones out of it whereas the blood that allows it to thrive is your own life force.
"The longer the arm moves and the more intense its exercise is, the more blood it requires. In other words, every single second of this kind of training drains your life force. If you are not careful, your cracked life force might sustain more permanent damage." Xenagrosh said.
"I understand now, big sis. Thanks for stopping me." Lith hugged her both as a sign of gratitude and because he had trouble standing on his own. "Isn't there another and safer method I could use?"
"If there is one, I don't know it." She sighed. "I renounced to my Dragon side as soon as I came of age and I've regained it only recently. Kigan, instead, was a black sheep of his family. He abandoned the nest early and never received Salaark's training."
Lith needed to sit down and rest for a few more minutes before recovering his strength. Even breathing techniques like his Abyssal Gaze couldn't help him to relieve the effects of life force exhaustion but his Tiamat physique recovered much faster than a human's.
On top of that, Xenagrosh had stopped Lith before he reached his limits so the moment the tonics entered his bloodstream, he regained most of his energy.
"If we're done with practicing Origin Flames for today, what's next on our agenda? Lunch?" Lith took out a full picnic set out of his pocket dimension.
He had waited a long time to thank Xenagrosh for saving his life and his family from Night's attack. Yet after receiving her lessons and experiencing the care she treated him outside of the battlefield, Lith felt his debt only grow bigger.
For the first time in his life, he was really the little brother, relying on an older sibling for guidance without being asked anything in return. Offering Xenagrosh a good meal was the least he could do.
"Yes, but not here and not now." She was amazed by the Dragon-sized servings and even more by their delicious smell. "I promised Sinmara that I would bring you to her and to you that I would introduce you to some of your siblings."
