Supreme Magus novel Chapter 3706

Chapter 3706: A Name’s Weight (Part 1)

"You, on the other hand, deserve compensation." Feela said. "We’ll see what we can do. Anything else?"

"Make them suffer." Lith replied. "Death is the easy way out."

"On that, we agree." Lotho opened a Spirit Steps, carrying his newfound serfs home.

"We’ll keep you updated." Raagu said before disappearing through a dimensional gate with her prisoners.

Now that he was alone and his mission accomplished, Lith exhaled sharply and let go of the Life Maelstrom.

The sudden weakness made him fall to his knees, but he asked neither his Golems nor Demons for help. He kept them ready to step in, in case someone planned to be the icing on the cake of that terrible day.

’I can see why Griffons don’t go around always overcharged.’ He panted heavily as his strained muscles relaxed. ’Even in its balanced form, Life Maelstrom puts a heavy burden on the body if kept active for too long.

’Harnessing this power without destroying everything I touch takes a considerable focus, and my body feels like I’ve just finished a marathon.’

Every movement now felt slower and every one of his limbs heavier, yet it also felt like someone had taken a mountain off his back. Lith waited until the weakness faded and he got used to his normal strength again.

"Ladies and gentlemen, time to go home." Lith sighed, there was no enthusiasm in his voice. "Time to face my retribution."

***

A few Warp Steps later, Lith reached the Verhen Mansion. He had been true to his word and entrusted Valeron the Second to Kamila, Solus, and Elina after explaining to them what had happened with a mind link.

The restored link with the tower had recharged the Golems and given him the strength to empower the Demons inside his Void Sigils before he left to stalk his prey.

The little boy had stopped crying after entrusting his Life Maelstrom to Lith, but he could still hear Valeron’s desperate wails ringing inside his head.

"Are you alright?" Kamila asked.

"Are you hurt?" Solus said.

"Is it over?" Elina stepped forward with the other two women, but Lith raised his hand for silence and stopped them in their tracks.

"Has Valeron gotten any better while I was away?" Lith asked, reverting to his human form.

He had only two eyes now, but they were more than enough to express his sadness.

"It’s hard to say." Kamila wrung her hands. "For what it’s worth, Valeron hasn’t cried since you brought him here. He’s so shocked and confused by what happened that he spaced out most of the time, no matter what we did or said to reassure him.

"The few times he snapped out of it, he always asked two things. ’Did you know’, and ’is Lith alright’."

"Lith." The Tiamat echoed his own name, feeling a sting to his heart. "Valeron hasn’t called me by my name for a long while now. He always calls me dad."

"Don’t take it to heart," Solus said. "Valeron’s whole world collapsed just a few minutes ago. He’s a smart baby, but still a baby. He’s hurt, scared, and confused."

"And he has every reason to." Lith took a deep breath. "Did you talk to him?"

"Lith, explain." Valeron extended his small arm, covering it in Dragon Scales. "Explain again."

"Okay, Valeron." Lith thought he was respecting the baby’s feelings but, to Valeron, his own name was akin to a slap to the face.

As if the word "son" had just been a pretense and had been discarded the moment it no longer served its purpose.

"I’ll start from the beginning and be clearer this time." Lith continued, unaware of Valeron’s turmoil. "I’m sorry for before, but I couldn’t risk you struggling out of my grasp and falling in the middle of the fight."

Valeron grabbed Lith’s scaled hand and was glad to see how sincere his worry had been.

"This might be long and confusing, so if you get tired, just tell me and we’ll take a break." Lith said.

"Start." Valeron nodded in reply.

Lith showed him how he had met Jormun inside the Golden Griffon for the first time while working as a Ranger. This time, Lith even replayed their first non-conversation since back then neither of them understood what the other was saying.

After learning Dragontongue, most of their encounter sounded as silly as a bard’s tale. Then, Lith showed Valeron his first encounter with the Headmaster of the Golden Griffon, Sevenus Hystar.

A man that Valeron knew and didn’t like one bit.

Valeron saw how Hystar had tried to trap Lith and how Jormun, his real father, had helped the Ranger to escape from the death trap. The two men still didn’t speak the same language, but they thanked each other.

Lith for the rescue and Jormun for guiding him to the exit.