First, the Guardian of Mana had waited until Scarlett had left his turf to start her apprenticeship with Fenagar.
The Fenrir taught newly appointed Guardians how to discover and master their bloodline abilities and then the Leviathan would teach them how to better use them for the magical research.
Salaark and Tyris were respectively the second last and final mentor in their initiation journey. Once a newborn Guardian had learned what their abilities were and how to use them, the Overlord would teach them how to tap into their full potential during the Forgemastering process.
As for Tyris, her role was to help them to reconnect with their old life and come to terms with their new condition. Many Guardians fell into despair because they felt they didn’t belong among mortals anymore while others would believe themselves gods.
Both would end up raving mad in the span of a few centuries and need either an intervention from the other Guardians or to be put down. As much as Roghar hated to admit it, her role was the most important.
Even he had lost his way during his youth and had survived only thanks to the mercy of the First Guardian first and then to her teachings.
Now that the Sekhmet had gotten out of his hair and without the risk that she might alert the other Guardians of his plans he had no need to act nice anymore. Yet even after Scarlett’s departure, he had needed more time to thoroughly prepare.
Even a scuffle between Guardians was a disaster-level event. Roghar wanted to succeed on the first attempt and quickly, or things would get ugly. If he were to fight Leegaain or Salaark, defeating them would have been pointless if Tyris arrived.
Then, he had to wait for a moment when Lith was far away from the Kingdom and enough from Salaark and her nest. Back during Lith’s first visit, the Overlord had assigned him Phoenixes as detail and the Fenrir couldn’t risk them summoning Salaark with the Call of the Blood.
Now, however, Lith was outside of Tyris’ reach, at the fringes of Salaark’s domain and breathing technique. Most importantly, he was alone.
It was the perfect opportunity for Roghar to sweep in, take his prized specimen, and get out before anyone noticed. Once back on his turf, the Fenrir was confident in taking down even the damn Griffon.
The Fenrir didn’t put Leegaain in his eyes. The old lizard was weaker than him, both physically and magically. Salaark was considered the strongest of the six original Guardians but now she wasn’t his match.
Being past mid-pregnancy, she was bound to avoid a physical battle to not endanger the baby.
Once it came down to magic, Roghar would win by a landslide. Not only was he the Guardian of Mana, but thanks to Doom Tide he could also take the world energy away. Without it, Salaark would have no way to stop him and would be forced to retreat.
The real problem was Tyris who he had to avoid at all costs.
Guardians were usually paired as natural enemies, like it happened for Fenagar and Leegaain or Salaark and Zagran. Opposite elements that balanced each other. Griffons, however, seemed more like Fenrirs’ natural predators.
Their wings gave them aerial dominance and superior maneuverability over their earthbound rival. Their bodies possessed a physical strength unparalleled even by Phoenixes and Garudas, making close-quarter combat suicidal for a Fenrir.
Sure, Roghar had superior magical prowess, but it didn’t mean much when the enemy could just even the field by infusing their spells with Life Maelstrom. Just thinking that name made the wolf Guardian clench his teeth.
Doom Tide was supposed to be his ace in the hole. The ability that Mogar had bestowed upon his kind to snuff out those pesky Origin Flames and counter the other Guardians’ bloodline abilities.
Yet it didn’t work on Life Maelstrom because it didn’t rely on external world energy, but on that stored inside a Griffon’s body, where it was safe and protected from the effects of Doom Tide.
Roghar had learned it the hard way the day that Tyris had banished him from Garlen. He had removed the world energy to win thanks to the gap in their Spirit Magic prowess just for her to empower her body with Life Maelstrom and punch him away.
Using Doom Tide against a Griffon only further tipped the scale in their favor.
“What the fuck was Mogar thinking when they created such a broken ability?” Roghar snarled as his massive body escaped the planet’s gravitational pull.
This way, he could exploit Mogar’s rotational speed under him to cover the distance that separated the Fenrir from Lith in minutes instead of hours and even escape detection from the other Guardians.
Their turf extended up to the sky whereas space was a no-man’s-land.
***
Meanwhile, back on the beach.
While Lith had already set up the deckchairs and the sun umbrella, Kamila looked outside the cottage’s door as if she was about to walk in her underwear through the bustling streets of Belius instead of a deserted beach.
Only after using a binocular to make sure that no one was around did she find the courage to step through the door.
“Wow, you look amazing.” Lith couldn’t take his eyes off the red bikini emphasizing her pale skin.
“Thanks, you too.” Kamila had to admit that seeing her husband moving around half-naked was really exciting.
The heat of the sun was tempered by the fresh breeze coming from the ocean and once she was certain that no one would suddenly pop out and see her, Kamila managed to relax.
“Maybe I was wrong about this.” She said while walking in the water to give her feet relief from the scorching sand. “This place is really nice. I think I will like living here for a while.”
“Yeah, but don’t forget that this is the Desert.” Lith handed her a water canteen and cast a light magic spell on her.
“It’s hot and dry so you are going to sweat a lot and not even notice. Remember to keep yourself hydrated.”
“Thanks.” She took a sip, realizing how thirsty she was and gulping a lot more. “Will I get double-colored as well?”
“You mean tan lines? Yes. Exposed parts become darker and the rest stays as it is. That’s how sunbathing works.” Lith shrugged.
“Isn’t there a way to avoid it? It will give me an awkward look whenever I wear a dress.” She asked.
“You can always get naked.” Lith replied with a perverted smile. “Besides, why awkward? I clearly remember you calling my tan lines sexy because they highlighted the playground.”
“The bikini stays. As I said, I want a relaxing vacation, not a sex marathon.” She glossed over her double standards. “Also, with my pale skin, it shouldn’t be an issue. I’ll probably not get much of a tan.”
“Don’t underestimate the talents of your magical husband and his dreams of having a bronze-skinned wife.” Lith said.
“Wait a minute, that earlier spell wasn’t Body Sculpting, right?”
“No. I promised you that I would never use such a spell on you without your consent. It was just tier one light magic to enhance your metabolism and avoid sunburns.” He replied.
“And?” She could tell from his cocky attitude that there was more to it.
