Supreme Magus

Chapter 4068: Broken Legacy (Part 1)

"I understand your plan for yourself, the Council, and the war against Meln." The baby girl grabbed Lith’s finger, and a warm smile formed on his face. "What I don’t understand is what you plan to do when all of this is over.

"If you achieve Dragonhood and survive the battle against the Upyrs, what are you going to do next?"

"I have no idea." Ajatar replied.

***

After the meal, Ajatar returned to the tower with Faluel. They put his notes inside the Library, which organized them by the section of the Drake’s life force they described.

The tower floor also allowed the two Lesser Divine Beasts to review every page as if they knew it by heart.

"You did a magnificent job, old friend." Faluel assumed her seven-headed form to mull over multiple pages at once and split the burden of the Eyes of Menadion. "You only need another session to verify this data, and you’ll have unlocked half of your Dragon life force."

"Believe it or not, it’s still lacking." Ajatar sighed. "When I was in the gene-tank and studied my body with Dragon Eyes, there were lots of things that felt off."

"That’s why you planned the second run. To make sure you aren’t missing anything." Faluel said.

"At least two runs, you mean." Ajatar replied. "I won’t stop until I’m 95% certain I’m on the right path."

"What about the remaining 5%?" Faluel asked.

"It’s all those tiny details I’m not even sure they are actually variables or just the natural shape of my life force." He said. "Testing them would take longer than the Council election will last and maybe even cost me my sanity."

"How good are Dragon Eyes?" Faluel failed to control her curiosity, even if it meant poking at her friend’s wounds.

"So good that the Eyes of Menadion can’t compare." Ajatar groaned. "Especially with the Yggdrasill wood boosting my mental capabilities."

"Really?" Faluel knew it was premature, but she added finding a piece of the World Tree to her list of priorities. "How so?"

"The Eyes of Menadion analyzes something, and then it’s up to you to study its readings and understand how it works. The Yggdrasill wood now speeds up both processes, but they are still independent from each other.

"Dragon Eyes, instead, analyze something and tell you how it works. Even better, the deeper your understanding, the faster the Dragon Eyes work, which in turn allows you to understand more in a loop that ends only when you have mastered the subject.

"It’s a single process that Yggdrasill wood enhances on both ends. Assuming you know what you are looking at, of course. Otherwise, you could be perched on the World Tree itself and still understand nothing."

"Sounds good enough to me." Faluel replied. "As for your research, I can’t find any flaw in it. It’s perfect. Let’s go see Lith before he resumes his training."

***

"It’s good." Lith compared Ajatar’s notes with the readings of the Infirmary. "But you’ve missed a few things that in the long run would turn you into a Fallen Dragon."

"Thanks. Say no more." If the Drake was disappointed, it didn’t show. "I want to find the problems myself. I’ll see you at dinner."

Ajatar went back to his lab and reviewed everything from scratch. Aran and Leria were already there, waiting for him. They tried reading the parts that the Drake had written in Tyris’ language for Lith, but it was too complex for them.

"I don’t get it." Aran asked. "If my Big Brother already has the answer, why don’t you ask him to tell you?"

"Because Dragon Eyes’ effectiveness depends on your understanding, Aran." Ajatar replied while his mind sifted through the papers. "The Infirmary would tell me what and where the problem is, not how I missed it or how to spot a similar phenomenon."

"But that would still be enough to advance your research." Leria pointed out.

"You’re wrong, Hatchling. If I did that, it wouldn’t be my research anymore, but the Infirmary’s. I would skip the hard parts without effort and learn nothing from the experience.

"I would be no different from one of those pampered nobles who gets everything handed to them on a silver platter. I would mistake the Infirmary’s skills for my own and be dependent on it in case I want to help another Lesser Dragon."

"Can’t you learn what you missed by studying your life force after you’ve become a Dragon?" Aran asked.

"No, because those imperfections would be gone forever." Ajatar shook his head. "There would be nothing left for the Infirmary to detect or my Dragon Eyes to decipher. It’s now or never."

While Ajatar studied, Aran and Leria practiced their magic with Abominus and Onyx. When the Drake finally took a break, it was clear from his sour expression that he was still at square one.

"Why did you stop? There’s a lot of time until dinner." Leria asked.

"I’m too angry and frustrated." Ajatar replied. "At this point, it would be torture, not research."

"Do you want us to ask Big Brother to teach you Light Mastery?" Aran said, fiddling with his clothes.

"Wow. Do I look that sad?" Ajatar asked.

"Yes." The children nodded in unison.

"Thanks, but no thanks." Ajatar laughed. "I don’t have the time to learn such a complex discipline, and it wouldn’t be fair to Lith. He shouldn’t be pressured to share his secrets with me.

"What do you say if instead we practice magic together and exchange a few pointers?"

"But we know only the basics, and our parents forbid us from practicing offensive spells." Leria said. "What little we know must be really boring to you."

"Not at all." Ajatar shook his head. "At your age, I was nowhere close to Awakening. You can show me what I missed as a Hatchling, and in exchange, I can teach you a few of my tricks. It’s a win-win situation. Feel free to invite your friends."

***

The kids taught Ajatar chore magic as they had learned it from Lith and Protector, and Ajatar taught them chore magic as the Drake bloodline imparted it to its younglings.

The three methods diverged only in small, subtle details that arose from the circumstances under which they had been developed. Lith was a self-taught, but had integrated his knowledge with Silverwing’s book first and the White Griffon’s teachings later.

Protector had learned about complex magic from Lith and Faluel, but lacked the finesse in manipulating the flow of mana that Lith had acquired after learning Light Mastery and creating his own branch of magic, Void Magic.

On the other hand, his origins as a Ry gave him a deep understanding of the fire and air elements, and the legacy of his pack ran deep. Magical beasts could use only two elements, and to survivein the wilds, they had to learn to do everything with them.

Lilia and Leran ran circles around the others when it came to air and fire. Even Ajatar learned a few things from the young Skolls.

As for the Drake bloodline legacy, it was ancient and deep, dating back to Leegaain himself. It was the richest of the three, but with a few gaps here and there.