Supreme Magus

Chapter 4103: Enemy Within (Part 2)

"I don’t want that choice at all, but it might present itself. So, I need you to think long and hard about this and then give me your answer. In the meantime, I’ll do everything I can to solve the problem on my side, or at least devise a suitable birth control spell.

"If neither is possible, I won’t Awaken you. I won’t risk your life or safety on a gamble. I’ve done many bad things as a mage, but I’d rather die than let anything bad happen to you because of me."

A tense silence fell over the room.

The Master never averted his gaze, and Zinya never stopped mulling over his warnings.

"Thanks, Zogar." She said after a few minutes that felt like centuries. "Thank you for worrying so much about me. You’re right. I needed to know those things, and I take back my answer. I need time to think."

"A wise choice." He nodded. "I won’t resent you if you want to move to the guestroom until then. You need time and space."

"Zogar!" Zinya said in outrage. "How can you suggest that?"

"Let’s be real." He shrugged. "I can’t give you what you want, and I probably won’t be able to until it’s too late. Awakening or not, you are not getting any younger, and it would be egotistical of me to ask you to give up on your dream of becoming a mother."

Zinya was too stunned to reply, but the Master took her silence for his cue to continue.

"Don’t worry, you and the kids can stay here for as long as you want. If you decide to leave, Tezka will follow you. Just because things didn’t work out between us, I won’t let the children-"

"Zogar, are you listening to yourself?" Zinya couldn’t take it anymore, so she grabbed him by the shoulders and cut him short. "How can you talk as if it’s already over? How can you plan your future without us so coldly?"

"Because I know how much you are suffering, Zin, and I’m offering you a solution." The Master replied in the same tone he would use for small talk. "As I said, I can’t give you what you want, and it’s only a matter of time before you get tired of pretending that you’re happy."

Those words hit her like a slap to the face. Not only because they meant that her constant efforts to hide her distress had been for nothing, but also because they struck a nerve that tormented her for a while now.

"You can’t give me what I want?" She asked. "What about me not being able to give you what you want? You never asked anything of me, but I know that your only wish is for me and the kids to be happy.

"Your wish is so simple, yet I can’t even do that right. Back when I was blind, I wanted the strength to leave Fallmug, and you gave it to me. After I gained sight, I wanted my children back, and you gave them to me.

"Then, you helped me invest my assets so that they generated enough annuities to allow me to live without working while I recovered. You’ve saved my children’s lives and mine time and time again.

"Since you married me, you’ve given us everything we dreamed and even things we didn’t even dare dream about. You give, give, give, and yet I keep wanting more. I’m never happy, and I always make you worry.

"I already knew I was a greedy, egotistical person, but after hearing you talk like this, I realized I was wrong. I’m a monster, Zogar." Zinya started to sob. "I’m so sorry for hurting you. For making you feel like nothing you do is ever enough.

"You did everything right, Zogar. I’m the problem. There must be something wrong with me."

"Of course, there is. You’re human." The Master pulled her into an embrace. "Look at me. Talented with magic, obscenely rich, noble, yet it wasn’t enough. I had to inject myself with Abomination tissues to become even more powerful, and here we are.

"We’re a match made in heaven, Zin." His words made her chuckle amid her sniffling.

"I’m sorry for being so ungrateful, Zogar." Zinya said after she managed to calm down a bit. "I really am. Continue with your experiments and don’t worry about me. I promise you I’ll do my best to get over my issues and make you happy."

"And so will I, Zin." The Master said, his resolve steeling. "So will I."

***

Jiera continent, ruined city of Tle’ket, a few days later.

The Indech reveal had dealt a heavy blow to the Upyr recruitment program, but Ajatar disclosing his success in becoming a Divine Beast brought it to its knees. The number of Lesser Divine Beasts still interested in becoming an Upyr could be counted on one hand.

The Emperor Beasts had stopped coming as well, waiting to learn if the procedure could also be applied to those without a Guardian progenitor before making an irrevocable decision.

The only silver lining was that the number of Fae and plant folk had increased. They were the only ones unaffected by both the Indech and the Sapphire Dragon reveals. The plant folk’s natural lust for power made the idea that everyone but their race would get stronger unacceptable.

Everyone in the command room was in a bad mood, even Jorl. He was just better at hiding it.

"I have good news, my liege." Uragar, the Book of Knowledge, said.

"Unless a flock of Divine Beasts joined us, the term good news is an overstatement." Jorl checked the numbers over and over, but they kept being low. "At this rate, Orpal will reach the bright violet before we might not have enough troops for a second attack."

"I mean, good news for us." Uragar closed the door and Hushed the room. "The Black Throne finally answered my message. He’s willing to meet you. We only need to set up a place and a date."

"Meet me?" Jorl furrowed his brow. "Not a chance. The Black Throne may not be a cursed object, but I’m nobody’s fool. You, Salanoth, Akhton, and a few Upyrs must be allowed to accompany me.

"We must be eight, minimum. Enough to cast anti-Guardian spells while someone opens a Steps to retreat to safety. I won’t walk into a trap alone and unprepared. Inform the Black Throne of my conditions for the meeting and set a date for a couple of weeks from now."

"A couple of weeks? Why?" Uragar asked.

"Because we need plausible deniability, you moron." Jorl replied. "Once we know where the Black Throne wants to meet us, we can start scouting the targets in the surrounding area. This way, if Orpal puts someone on our tail, he’ll see nothing relevant and recall him.

"Even if Orpal keeps the tail on us, we’ll have the time to notice and lose it when the moment comes. If we go straight to the Black Throne, our tail would die on our first ’scouting mission’, and Orpal would know we’re up to something."

"Excellent idea." Uragar nodded. "I’ll inform the Black Throne first, and if he agrees to your terms, I’ll inform the others."

"One more thing." Jorl gestured for Uragar to wait.