“I’m sorry, but there’s something that doesn’t add up.” Solus said from inside the ring. Bytra was still hugging Lith and was too close for comfort for Solus to come out.
“I can do everything Lith does. I don’t have his eyes but I can cast Mjolnir as well.” She couldn’t tell them that she used Domination as well to make the process easier.
‘Maybe my bond with Lith is helping me to evolve as well. After all, I didn’t have six streaks as Elphyn.’ Solus thought.
“Interesting.” Zoreth said. “Is it as easy for you as it is for him?”
“No. It’s harder but still manageable.” Solus replied.
“Excellent.” Bytra nodded. “It means that our theory about the elements is correct. They can coexist if properly mastered. Your eyes at the moment work as a crutch but they must have some other power that I’m certain you will discover with time.”
“I’m already glad to have learned that my human side is not useless, I can wait for a… second! Your Shadow Dragon form has four eyes. Is that the reason why you were so sure about your evolved human theory?” Lith asked Zoreth.
“Nailed in one.” She chuckled, making her second pair of eyes appear.
“What do they do?”
“I wish I knew.” She sighed. “I can feel their power, yet I have no idea how to tap into it.”
Zoreth didn’t know about Domination and had no one to teach her whereas Lith had already started to use his eyes’ elemental powers thanks to Faluel’s lessons.
The two Abominations’ eyes turned black as the Master communicated to them that he was now ready and asked them to open the dimensional pathway with him.
“Dad is coming. Solus, stay in the ring or he will ask you why you are here. On top of that, if you get sick again and have to return to your ring, he’ll discover you are fused with an artifact and maybe even figure your identity as Elphyn Menadion.” Bytra said.
“Thanks.” Solus replied, always shocked whenever the same person who had mercilessly put an end to her old life showed so much care for her new one.
Zoreth and Bytra conjured their own black pillars and soon a third one appeared. Zogar Vastor walked through the Chaos Gate, yet Lith would have never recognized him if not for the warning.
He wore the Dominator armor that covered him from head to toe. Also, he was now 1.78 meters (5’10”) tall and had a slender figure. The Master cared about keeping his identity a secret and his daughters had told him how Theseus had no love for him.
“Lith. Girls.” He gave them a polite bow of the head. His voice sounded exactly like Manohar’s. “Well, well, well. What do we have here? It seems that something went wrong with your experiment, boy.”
“I’m not a boy! I’m millennia old!” Theseus snarled at the fatherly tone that such a monster dared to use with him.
“Correction. Your memories are millennia old. You are two years and something old.” Vastor replied, making everyone chuckle at the Bastet’s expense. “Be glad that I call you boy instead of child.”
Theseus grunted but said nothing.
It was already the second time that he fumbled with words and not everyone seemed to be as understanding as Dolgus. His memories as Paquut made him used to people being too scared to talk back to him so he had never really learned how to quip.
“This is odd. And with odd I mean a mess.” The Master was still looking at the Bastet from a distance, noticing the irregular patches of skin and the violent conflict between the different life forces.
“This is all wrong. You are incapable of shapeshifting into any form, your hunger is barely lessened, and now you need to both eat food and absorb life force.”
“How do you know all that?” Theseus was flabbergasted. It had taken him several trial-and-error experiments to learn what Vastor had understood from a glance.
“I studied Paquut and I made you, boy. Or better, I made your other half. Which confuses me since a kobold core was supposed to be the perfect fit for your unique black core.” The Master said.
“What Kobold?” That day surprises seemed to never end. “I’m not half gnoll, I’m half Meneos.”
His head turned into that of a lion covered in brown fur and with an emerald mane of the same color as Theseus’ eyes.
“Great Mother almighty!” The members of the Organization said in unison.
“What’s so great about that?” Lith and Solus knew what a Meneos was because it was a peculiar kind of monster that lived in Leegaain’s biomes.
The Council had ordered Lith to fight one back when the human and the beast Council were arguing about who should be his mentor, Faluel or Raagu.
“You don’t understand, my boy.” Vastor replied. “Meneoses are the stuff of legends. Very few are still alive and they are very hard to come by. My hypothesis is that the kobold-Paquut fought and lost against one of them.
“Then, his powerful Abomination life force must have conquered the new body and that’s how you came to be, Theseus. It’s no wonder that your original lost to you. He had no chances against a Meneos.”
“I still don’t get it.” Theseus and Lith said in unison.
“You will, believe me. This is actually a blessing in disguise. Everything you have suffered until now is nothing compared to what you’ll gain once I’m done fixing your life force.
“Bytra, put your hand on my right shoulder. Lith, on my left. This is going to be one of my best lessons ever.” Vastor had reverted to his demeanor as a Professor of the White Griffon academy, making Solus squeal with joy.
“I’m not your thing.” Theseus slapped away the Master’s extended hands. “Whatever you are going to do, you should at least ask for my permission.”
“What I’m doing you is a favor, boy. You should just thank me.” Vastor replied.
“Thank you for what? For playing with my life? For fixing a mess you have created? You made me against my will so I owe you nothing. You, instead, owe me a lot. I went through a lot of shit because of you so the least you can do is say please and thank you, father.” Theseus said.
The last word was filled with spite and sarcasm, yet it still struck Vastor harder than a punch to the guts.
“You are right, son. I’m sorry.” He said, making the Bastet gawk. “I’m sorry for playing god with your life, but I’m trying to be better. Will you allow me to fix my own mess, please?”
Theseus was at a loss for words so he just nodded.
The Master placed his left hand on the Theseus’ head and the right above the mana core before activating his breathing technique, Beyonder’s Eye.
‘Bytra, this will be of great help for your research.’ He said with a mind link as the details of the body and mana core of the hybrid started to appear in front of his students. ‘Meneoses have the unique ability to draw world energy simply by touching the ground.
