Those words almost made Lith choke on his food, just like the killing intent that was suddenly filling the cave.
Faluel found his distress amusing and started giggling like a little girl. Yet now he didn't find her adorable anymore.
"I'm just joking. I've already told you that I'd like to have you as my disciple and that I could really use a constant supply of Origin Flames. If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't have wasted my breath for this long.
"Before I continue, do you have any questions?" Faluel asked.
'Fuck me sideways. This woman is making my head spin right round like a record. She goes from girl next door to killer queen in a split second. I wish Solus was here.' Lith thought.
He then told her about both his fights with Irtu and Thrud, to understand what had actually happened to his spells.
"Irtu was clearly a rare genius. Usually, only Emperor Beasts develop dominance. To achieve that while he was just a Byk is impressive beyond reason. Too bad he was also a psycho. I would have loved to have him as a disciple as well." Faluel sighed.
"As for Thrud Griffon, she's another anomaly on a league of her own, just like you. She has a rainbow core, something as fabled as the legendary white core of immortality…"
"Woah! Hold that thought." Lith cut her short with a time-out gesture that confused Faluel but also earned him another of her smiles that would make almost any straight man ask her for a date.
Almost.
"I thought that her rainbow core was due to the failed expulsion of her impurities since she isn't an Awakened. Are you saying I was wrong? Also, white core of immortality?"
"You keep surprising me, Lith. Not only did you survive the encounter with two geniuses of such caliber, but you also had the time to use Invigoration on Thrud to see her core? That's simply amazing." Faluel's words made Lith want to bite his tongue.
What she had suggested was obviously an impossible feat. He only knew about Thrud's core thanks to Solus's mana sense. Solus was a secret that he had to defend at all costs and not just because of her abilities.
Lith's feelings for her were as messed up as those he still had for Phloria, something that he would never admit, even to himself. As long as she was at his finger, it would mean to risk hurting her.
Yet the memory of almost losing Solus in Kulah still hurt Lith badly, allowing him to put on his best poker face. Pain was an old friend to Lith and a great motivator.
"Thanks for your kind words, but my bravado almost cost me my life. If not for my team and Invigoration, I would not be here today." Lith replied, blushing on cue to fake his embarrassment.
"Don't worry. Luck is part of someone's talent." Faluel replied, toasting to luck. Little she knew that aside from meeting Solus, luck had played a little role in Lith's life.
"To answer your question, yes, you are right. Thrud's rainbow core is the result of Arthan's Madness, but that doesn't make it any less special. It proves that forbidden magic can actually recreate Awakening.
"She obtained an immortal body and a magical power that has yet to be fully put to the test. Some say she is weaker than a purple core, others say she is stronger. More importantly, what if she actually Awakens?
"She might be the first being to ever achieve a white core, something that not even the Awakened undead ever accomplished, not even after millennia."
"Okay, but what is a white core?" Lith asked.
"Mostly a legend." Faluel replied. "According to such lore, a white core grants its master an eternal life and a power second only to Guardians. Some even say that you can force your way into Guardianhood with it, but I call bullcrap.
"My grandfather told me more than once the tale of when he witnessed a Guardian's fall from grace and according to his words, the poor girl had fewer chances of survival than a snowball has against a fireball.
"She lost her powers and turned into dust so fast that he could barely catch a glimpse of her appearance. Hence I doubt you can strongarm Mogar into doing anything."
"Is your grandfather still alive?" Lith's curiosity was piqued.
"Of course he is. Hydras have a very long lifespan and Awakened Hydras live even longer." Faluel nodded.
"By the way, why undead would be interested in a white core? They are already immortal and have infinite time to practice magic. It doesn't make much sense." Since this was one of the few occasions Lith had to gain real knowledge about Awakened, he was willing to let the chatty Hydra go wild.
"You really are curious like a little kid, huh? First, just because someone lives long, it doesn't mean that they can achieve everything. The blue core you possess now is the cap for most Awakened, not everyone reaches the purple core.
"Second, undead Awakened have a much harder time compared to the living to refine their cores. On one hand, their immortal bodies make it impossible for them to die during a breakthrough, but on the other hand, blood cores are faulty.
"They absorb most of the light element, so undead need a damn long time for Accumulation to do its job. Third and last, according to legends, an undead with a white core can revert at will into his original race with no negative side effects, achieving the best of both worlds."
'A power above purple cores and escaping all the side effects undeath has? It seems too good to be true.' Lith's disbelief was strong, but the idea was juicy enough for him to put undeath from the "no way" into the "maybe" pile.
"As I was saying, not only Thrud Griffon possesses a mana core that might be even stronger than a purple core, but she also has access to a precious piece of equipment that allows her to exert dominance over all elements." Alas, Faluel was back on track, messing with Lith's plans.
"All of them? Even mana?" Lith suddenly felt very lucky to still be alive.
"Yes. To make matter worse, she knows about Awakening, she simply has no idea how it works. I believe it's only a matter of time before she finds a way to join our ranks. Believe it or not, the human Council is hunting her down from a lot, but she has slaughtered all those who managed to find her."
"How exactly dominance works?" Lith wasn't interested in Thrud, she was none of his business.
"I'll make it simple. As you should have noticed and practiced by using spirit or high tiered magic, world energy is susceptible to mana, and in turn mana is susceptible to willpower.
"Dominance is nothing more than the ability to force your will into someone else's spell." Faluel said.
"That's it? I can already do that." Lith was suddenly underwhelmed. All that speech had turned out to be a huge waste of time.
"Really? Then send this back at me." Faluel threw a tier one lightning at Lith, who only needed a wave of his hand to make it strike the Hydra instead, who remained unfazed as if it was a breeze rather than electricity.
