Supreme Magus

"I didn't lie earlier. I'm really doing this for the kids." Haug Hushed them again, saying something that he would have rather kept for himself. "I don't like how the Council treats their disciples and the rogue Awakened whereas I admire the fake mages' schooling system.

"That's why I'm going to share my legacy with the entire community so that no one will ever end like Tartania's friends. So that instead of growing apart like egotistical jerks, the Awakened will grow closer like a community."

"All of your legacy?" Lith raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"Yes. It doesn't amount to much since I'm the first and the last of my Awakened bloodline, but I'm willing to share everything except for the secret of the violet core." Haug nodded.

"Why not the violet?" Lith asked.

"Because, just like the secret of Awakening, I consider it a cap that Mogar placed upon us to avoid that great power could fall in the hands of those who don't deserve it. Yet I'm willing to share it with you if it can make you accept my job offer." Haug replied.

"Why are you so fixated with me? You could have asked countless other persons." Lith said.

"Not at all. You're the golden boy, the offspring of two Guardians, and the most renowned disciple of Faluel, who opened the first Awakened academy. You're the only one among the Awakened youths that has the skills to accomplish this task without having to fear a backlash from the Council.

"If I just give my legacy away, the only thing that I'd achieve is to pass for a senile old fool that went mad after losing his only apprentice. To make my gesture a significant statement, I need to show the old coots that I was right about the threat at hand and give the young Awakened a role model." Haug said.

"Send me the details and once I'm back home, I'll discuss the matter with Faluel. It's the best thing I can promise you. Take it or leave it." Lith placed his Council amulet on the counter and the two exchanged runes.

"I'll take it." Haug nodded. "I wish you a pleasant stay." At a snap of his fingers, the Open sign turned around to show Closed on the outside and the door of the Travelling Tavern disappeared.

After that, the customers dropped their disguise for good as Lith and Kamila walked to their table. The woman with the scaly face wasn't a shapeshifted Emperor Beast. She belonged to a new humanoid race born from mixing human and beast blood over the decades.

The Vampire who had made a toast to Kamila earlier was sitting with a mixed group of all races and yet none of them seemed to consider the undead like a threat. They took turns filling his glass with their blood, making him c.o.c.ktails by mixing together more than one kind of blood.

Tartania, the lone Awakened woman, ate her lost friends' favorite foods, sobbing from time to time when the flavor made the memories of the good times they had spent together resurface

The ambiance was pleasant, the food great, and no one bothered Lith and Kamila anymore. On the one hand, Lith wanted to find out Lark's killer, and seeing so many different kinds of people go along made him feel less of a monster.

On the other hand, the idea of going away from home and sticking his nose in someone else's mess gave everything a sour taste. Kamila tried and failed to make small talk, too worried to hide her feelings.

They ate quickly and left, wondering what to do next.

"What the f.u.c.k?" They said in unison after walking through the door and turning back to throw Haug one last mean look.

The Tavern was gone, replaced by an abandoned building whose door and windows had been barred with wooden planks. Judging from the dust and the rotten wood, no one had opened it for years.

When they tried asking the passersby about the Tavern, no one had any recollection of it and looked at them as if they were crazy.

"I guess now we know that Haug didn't name his establishment just for alliteration's sake. His legacy sounds like something that Friya would love." Lith said.

***

The following morning, Lith went to Faluel's lair where he practiced Spirit Magic with the others until he received a message from Haug. Much to his surprise, it contained all the information pertaining to the mission except the location of the undead city where he was supposed to go.

Thanks to the mind link, it didn't take Lith much to share with everyone the events of the previous night.

"I don't know much about undead except how to kill them." Faluel said. "I agree with Haug's intentions, yet he couldn't have executed them any worse. The disappearance of newborn undead might be the first step of a greater scheme.

"On top of that, it has serious political implications. As Haug said, the Council and the Undead Courts are at war, but only the undead who live in the human society take part in the Courts.

"There is a huge neutral faction that never meddled with us Sunwalkers and it's their children that have been going missing. If they think that the Council or the three great Countries are behind the kidnappings, they might side with the Courts and give them a second wind."

"Wait." Phloria stopped her. "When you say newborn, do you mean hybrid children like those we saw living in Baba Yaga's hut or just recently turned undead?"

"That's an excellent question to which I have no answer. I'm going to call in an expert to figure this out." Faluel said while making a call and activating the Warp Array of her lair.

"Thank you for calling me. Another breath of Acc.u.mulation and I would've gone insane." Kalla the Wight trotted in the middle of the cave, followed by her son Nok and by Scarlett the Scorpicore who carried on her back Nyka's stiff figure.

"Can I have something to eat? All that magical practice made me hungry." Nok asked.

"You'll eat once you're done with your exercises, lardass!" Scarlett snarled as she set up the arrays that would protect Nyka from the abundant light element of daylight and allow her to move as if it was night.

"Your sister at least trained hard during my absence whereas you didn't strengthen anything but your maw."

Lith looked at Kalla with Life Vision, discovering that her core had turned to a lighter shade of blue, but it was still of a deep color.

"Don't be so mean with him in front of his friends." The Wight scolded the Scorpicore. "It's not Nok's fault if he lacked guidance and became morbidly obese. It only happened because I've been an absent mother."

"Mom!" If Byks could blush, Nok would have turned so red that people might have mistaken him for a giant bear-shaped tomato. "I'm not obese, I'm majestic!"

"I'm pretty sure that majestic still has a positive meaning, dear." Kalla shook her head, completely missing his drift. "Also, if your weight issue wasn't bad enough, I'm ashamed of you having so many cubs already and not providing for them."