Chapter 2556.2: Both Sides (Part 2)
The monsters believed in the miracle because, after such a dark day, they desperately wanted to.
The Hydra quickly fixed the hole in the upper levels and before returning to Zelex, she set several arrays that would cloak the entrance from detection spells and alert the others on the outside in case the infiltration team needed backup.
By the time she was back, Morok was still unconscious between Ryla's arms but a few of his scales had turned from black to white.
Friya nervously turned her head from the collapsed passage to the Tyrant. Her body language was a clear statement of how awkward the situation was to her and how scared she was of her hosts.
'Think that you are doing it for Nalrond and don't focus too much on the fact that if anything goes wrong, we'd go from dinner guests to main dishes in a heartbeat.' With dimensional magic sealed, the moment they got to the heart of Zelex they would have no way out.
Lith was a Divine Beast but even he had chosen to fight at the borders of the city to have a clear retreat path and force the children of Glemos to split their forces. He had done everything he could to avoid being surrounded and yet he hadn't hesitated sending Friya and the others in the maw of the beast.
On the bright side, however, her attitude was exactly what Syrah would expect from a human in that situation, dispelling her doubts about that situation being just a farce.
"Good gods. With friends like you who needs enemies?" Morok stirred, suffering jolts of pain every time his blackened scales touched anything. "Why did you keep shooting at me? The demon was the other guy."
"Forgive me, my lord." Ryla bowed her head. "I felt the affinity between your scales and my wings and I assumed they worked the same way. I never meant to hurt you."
"That's even worse." The Tyrant groaned, trying and failing to stand up. "If this is what happens when you don't even try, I cannot imagine- Wait, what affinity?"
"You don't know?" Br'ey's eyes went wide in surprise.
"Do I look like someone who does?" Morok pointed at his own battered body, whimpering.
"The reason you are recovering so quickly is that your scales are constantly drawing the surrounding world energy akin to my crystal and her wings." The orc shaman said. "The black scales are temporarily overloaded while the white ones contain all elements.
"Once enough of your scales recover, the elements will be split and stored again as it happens to a Fomor's feathers."
"What's a Fomor?" Morok knew the answer already but since he was passed out right after the battle, he had to feign ignorance.
After a second round of explanations, it was the Tyrant's turn to introduce himself.
"My name is Morok Eari, son of Glemos." It took him sheer willpower to not speak his father's name like it was poison and not spit once he was done. "These are my friends, Faluel the Hydra and Friya Herata.
"They both accepted to join me in my quest for revenge due to the threat that the demons pose to all our respective races. That thing was obsessed with those attuned to all elements like us so we decided to join our forces."
Morok gave Friya a fake last name, afraid that the Ernas name might have been on Lith's file that Elder Urma had shown to the senate and that if anyone remembered about it, it could blow their cover.
"So they are not your wives?" Ryla asked with too much enthusiasm for Morok's liking.
"Ew, no!" Clearing the nature of their relationship was fine, the disgusted overtone, not so much, earning Morok murderous glares. "I'm married alright, but my wife is neither a scaly grandma nor a pompous ass. She's the most beautiful woman on Mogar."
"I'm sure that we'll get along, then." Ryla chuckled, looking at the Tyrant with such loving eyes that a cold shiver ran down his spine.
"I feel much better now." Morok jumped back to his feet to escape from the overly tender embrace. "What is this place exactly and what are you doing here?"
"Didn't Lord Glemos tell you anything?" Syrah asked.
"No. My father abandoned me when I was a kid to hide me from the demons." Morok hated lying and even more painting Glemos like a good parent, but he had no choice. "He left a tracking spell inside of my life force that was set off the day of my Awakening.
"When he finally found me, he brought me to a crystal mine. He was talking about something called Harmonizer when the demon arrived. Father managed to make me escape, but it cost him his life."
"What about Typhos and Echidna? They would have never left our lord's side." Br'ey said.
"I know those names, but I never met them." Morok shrugged. "Father told me they were on an errand for him, but he didn't say much. There was just no time. I believe they either escaped or the demon killed them as well."
"They are likely dead." The Hati Queen sighed. "Come with us to your father's mansion, we have much to discuss."
***
Outside the city of Zelex, at the same time.
"Remarkable." Ajatar the Drake said while studying Tista's new form. "There's a chance that your white feathers work akin to a Drake's scales. Based on what you told me, they seem the perfect fusion between the Dragon and Phoenix bloodline."
After faking her death, Tista had shrunk to human size and gone back to the surface while still in her Demon form. She needed time to get used to her new body and learn how to use gravity fusion to not destroy everything in her wake.
Lith and Ajatar could take her mistakes whereas Quylla and Nalrond kept themselves at a safe distance.
"What do you mean?" Tista was relieved noticing that simply by circulating her life force like Salaark had taught her, the white feathers had started to grow back.
"My scales absorb the power of one or more elements from the world energy, giving me a breath attack that sadly has nothing to do with Origin Flames." Ajatar replied. "Phoenixes, instead, usually store their flames inside their feathers and use them as deadly projectiles.
"If I'm right, your feathers store elemental energy like a Drake's scales but can also be thrown like a Phoenix's plumes. Who knows, maybe you can do everything we can do or maybe you can just cast instant spells. Only time and practice will tell."
"Thanks, Ajatar." Tista gave him a small bow.
"Don't mention it, kid, and welcome to the family." The Drake patted her shoulder and through the contact of their scales, they shared many things without saying a word.
Tista felt Ajatar's pride and affection for those he considered like his baby cousins while Ajatar perceived Tista's exhilaration from her new powers mixed with the fear of being more and less than human at the same time.
"Don't worry too much." The Drake said. "Changes are always scary. It's natural to be afraid. The trick to deal with them is to live in the present and not linger in pointless regrets."