Supreme Magus

Chapter 3929: Runic Patterns (Part 2)

"With each transformation you undergo, the Chaos from the Eldritch side and the Decay from the troll side harmonize faster, and the threads of the human aspect suffer less damage." Baba Yaga said.

"The process is slow but steady. Keep up like this, and the human aspect might be able to conduct Decay as well as Chaos. If that happens, the boundary between your life forces will get thinner and you might reach the next level."

"Then I have bad news." Zoreth replied. "No matter how many times we do this, I feel absolutely nothing. If not for the fact that I grow taller, I wouldn’t even notice the transformation.

"We’ve been working for hours, yet I don’t have an inkling of how my humanoid life force works. It’s not that I can’t tap into it, I can’t so much as recognize it from the rest." She clenched her four hands in frustration.

"Maybe this is part of the curse of being an Abomination." Zoreth said after a while. "Maybe I can’t feel my life force because Mogar cut me out of it, just like it did with the world energy."

"Don’t be silly, child." Baba Yaga replied. "Becoming an Eldritch cost you the connection with Mogar, not with yourself. You’ve never lost the ability to cast spells or use your own skills.

"Shapeshifting into your humanoid form is no different from conjuring your Origin Flames. It comes from within. If you didn’t have the potential to assume this form, I wouldn’t have been able to trigger your transformation so easily.

"Your issue with shapeshifting is twofold. You have never done something like this before, and the Master’s work meshed together your life forces in a stable, but muddled form."

"What do you mean?" Zoreth asked.

"I mean that you already know how to shapeshift, or you would have never recovered your original human form." The Red Mother replied. "Yet that’s just Body Sculpting. You took the appearance you wanted, not the one you were supposed to.

"Also, until a few days ago, your life forces were so tightly intertwined that you couldn’t tell where your Eldritch side ended and your troll side began. Even worse, you hadn’t noticed the presence of your human aspect in your Eldritch side.

"After the treatment, your life forces are better defined, but they still lack the harmony of a perfect hybrid and are packed together to keep them stable. You can’t feel your humanoid aspect only because you fail to distinguish it from your Dragon aspect.

"Lith, instead, could tell the components of his life force since the day he became a Tiamat. He didn’t learn how to call upon them until he met Aalejah, but he had no doubt which part belonged to which life force and learned how to call upon his different sides easily."

"Is my situation hopeless until I fix my life forces further?" Zoreth asked.

"That would certainly make things easier, but there is another solution. One you won’t like." Baba Yaga said.

"Try me." The Shadow Dragon shrugged.

"Keep your humanoid form long enough to learn how it moves, feels, and manipulates mana." The Red Mother replied. "Use it in your daily activities until moving in this form becomes second nature to you."

"You are right, I don’t like it." Zoreth groaned. "Byt sure will, though. That said, do you think I can assume my full Eldritch form like Lith does?"

"It’s possible, but I don’t recommend it."

"Why?" Zoreth blinked in confusion.

"Because Eldritches are born to destroy." Baba Yaga said. "Lith feels discomfort in his Eldritch form even though it’s perfectly integrated with his Tiamat life force. You would experience more than discomfort.

"Your life forces would be torn apart and you’d be back in the Infirmary or dead in the blink of an eye."

"I believe you." Zoreth raised her hands in surrender. "No troll form either, I suppose."

"I don’t think you have that at all." The Red Mother said. "Your troll and human life forces are partially fused together and can’t be separated without killing you. That’s why you have this nameless form.

"Moreover, even if your life force reaches perfection, I doubt you’ll ever be like Lith. The three aspects of his life force are stable on their own, whereas your troll side is still Fallen, and your Eldritch side is cut off from Mogar.

"If you want to recover your living essence and Spirit Magic, the three facets of your life force must become one. I believe that what waits for you at the end of your path is a brand-new life form, not a perfect hybrid."

"I see." Zoreth nodded and gave Baba Yaga a deep bow. "Thank you for everything you’ve done for me and for sharing your wisdom with me. I promise that I’ll treasure your gifts and never abuse them. I won’t betray your trust or bring shame to your name."

"Don’t thank me, child. I didn’t do this for you. I did it for your wife. It’s Bytra you should thank." The Red Mother shook her head.

"Bytra? I thought you didn’t like her." Zoreth replied.

"I didn’t." Baba Yaga corrected the Shadow Dragon. "And I still have my doubts. Yet I’ve seen the pain in Bytra’s eyes and couldn’t let her suffer the same pain as Ripha. No one deserves that.

"Also, I was afraid of what your wife might become after losing you. I’ve given her a reason to live and you a second chance. Don’t waste it, child."

***

When Baba Yaga and Zoreth reached the Dining Hall of the Palace, the Shadow Dragon was still in her humanoid form.

Bytra did her best to hide her enthusiasm and failed.

"Zoreth?" Elina stared at her for a long while, refusing to believe her own eyes.

"You look..." Raaz cleared his throat. "Different."

"You look..." Filia and Frey hesitated to speak. "Stunning."

Yet their words didn’t match their tone.

"You look amazing!" Zinya stood up and walked to embrace her friend. "Don’t get me wrong, this is a nice makeover, but you didn’t need it."

"You look funny." Aran said, drawing all eyes to himself. "You are flashier, sure, but I prefer your human form. You’re prettier that way."

"You think?" Zoreth smiled from the heart.

"Yeah." Aran nodded. "Don’t get me wrong, you still look good, but you look cold and distant. The Aunt Zor I know is warm and kind."

"Agreed." Frey said, and Filia nodded. "I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to offend you."

"Come here, you adorable little rascals!" Having four arms proved a valuable tool for multi-hugging. "Thank you. This is the best compliment anyone ever gave me."

"Hey, what about me?" Bytra asked.

"That’s my question, Byt." Zoreth snorted, frowning at the Raiju for a second before returning her attention to the kids. "I’m sorry, guys, but it turns out I’m a klutz at shapeshifting.

"I can’t take this form without Yaga’s help, so I need to experience it as much as I can before I leave the Blood Desert."

Tezka looked at Xenagrosh’s new form in amazement, wondering if he would have to face similar struggles once he reached her level.