"I never wanted for you to see me in my fallen state, forcing you to hunt me and put me down like a rabid beast. Thatâs why I never answered your calls before and I wouldnât have contacted you if I wasnât desperate.
"Guess what, oh mighty Leegaain, the only thing you were right about me is that I should have chosen the dragon side of the family from the beginning!"
Xenagrosh shapeshifted into her Shadow Dragon form, flaunting a size that rivaled with that of her father. Her right hand was covered by Bytraâs Sky Piercer claws, which pulsed with the same fury that possessed their master.
Leegaainâs eyes moved from his daughter to the familiar design of the weapon she was wielding, finally understanding the meaning of Mogarâs words during Lithâs last tribulation.
The threat they were facing was beyond that of the usual madman aiming for eternal life. Whoever this Master was, he had somehow managed to upset the balance as Leegaain knew it.
The Dragon-Eldritch hybrid in front of him was proof of that.
"What do you need my help for, dear?" He asked. His voice was calm now and there was no judgment in his eyes. Xenagrosh was so shocked that she returned to her human form without even realizing it.
For the first time in her adult life, Leegaain was speaking to her like a father instead of a Guardian.
"I-" Xenagrosh was several centuries old. She had seen Mogar change in ways she deemed impossible, she had fought the most powerful creatures that roamed the planet without batting an eye, yet she couldnât stop herself from stuttering.
Hating Leegaain the Guardian was easy. Hating the father who had read her bedtime stories when she was little, who had taught her almost everything she knew about magic, was another story entirely.
She felt incredibly stupid for revealing her envy towards the Magic Empress to him, for yelling like a petulant child while flaunting her hybrid form as if it was a new toy. She had emitted such a powerful energy signature that Leegaain would probably be able to track her if he wanted to.
"Iâm feeling so lost, Dad." She fell on her knees, crying. "I started this because I wanted more power. Because I wanted to become powerful enough to show to this stupid planet that it made a mistake by abandoning me!"
For a magical beast, turning into an Emperor Beast meant that Mogar had accepted them. That was the reason why they would receive its help to shed their old form and be granted a painless evolution.
For Abominations, turning into an Eldritch was the lowest point. It meant that Mogar had completely cut them off from the natural order of things, relegating them to a state lower than the Fallen races.
They could at least still evolve, whereas an Eldritch was the end of the line.
"Yet after spending so much time with the Master, after I stopped living like a beast, thinking only about eating, surviving, and becoming stronger, I realized that power is not what I really want.
"What I truly wished for was to be freed from my hunger, to enjoy little things like smelling a flower without it wilting at my touch. Now Iâm so close to getting back everything that I lost, but no matter how much I struggle, I canât overcome this new wall and Iâm scared of screwing things again." She sobbed, making Leegaainâs heart tighten.
"Whatâs the matter, sweetie pie?"
Then Xenagrosh told him everything about her twin core and her inability to Awaken or to access to any of her old abilities.
"Do you know whatâs wrong with me, Dad? I tried all the breathing techniques I learned over the years, yet all Iâve achieved is the feeling that if I make one wrong move, my new core will overload and my new body will be lost." She said.
"And youâre right. The Masterâs crazy experiment has simply created bodies and cores capable of withstanding the Chaos energy that normally ravages an Abominationâs physical form, but it didnât cure your status as an Eldritch.
"Iâm sorry, Zoreth, but youâve been deluding yourself, you are still far from being normal.
"The Troll core is incapable of processing the darkness energy just like the black core is incapable of processing the light element, which creates a symbiotic relationship that allows you to maintain your human form, but thatâs it.
"Both of them are still fallen cores, so they cannot Awaken. Any attempt on a fallen core will make it burst and fall prey of the black core, killing you on the spot. I donât think you can survive anymore without the troll core. Youâve changed too much." Leegaain said.
"Wow, fallen cores? Do they really exist?" Xenagrosh wiped her tears while Leegaain nodded.
"I canât believe it. I live together with the most ancient beings on Mogar, Guardians excluded, and no one was able to understand what was wrong with us. Yet you solved it all just by looking at my hologram. Can you cure me, Dad?"
"Honestly, and I donât say this often, I donât know. Youâre a new life form so it would take me some time just to understand what youâve become, but Iâm fairly optimistic about your condition." Leegaain said while thinking about Lith.
The anomaly was an Abomination hybrid as well, yet he hadnât fallen, had been able to Awaken by himself, and was living a full life, even walking the path to Guardianhood.
âIf I could get to study how his mana core and life force works, I could cure my little girl. Yet I canât afford to let her know about his existence. As long as Zoreth associates herself with the Master, sheâs a liability to the balance.â He thought.
"Really? Do you think you can help us?" Xenagrosh said, her eyes were full of hope.
"The others? Maybe. I need to see them to be sure. You? Absolutely, but first you have to tell me the Masterâs identity and where I can find the Eldritchs. I can barter such information with the other Guardians in exchange for your safety, but I canât make any promises about the others." Leegaain replied.
"Are you really asking me to betray my family and the only person who ever gave a damn about me since the day I fell?" Xenagroshâs hope vanished, replaced by her usual determination.
"They are not your family! They are worse than undead. Eldritchs are crazed beasts that destroy everything they touch. Each one of them has made more victims than the entire vampire race! As for the Master, heâs not any better than an Eldritch.
"The number of living beings sacrificed for his mad experiments is in the millions. He canât be allowed to exist. Mogar canât afford another Arthan Griffon."
"Then what about me? Iâm an Eldritch too, what makes me so different from the other Abominations? If it wasnât for me, the Master would have never learned about the secrets of Awakening, nor about Arthanâs madness!" Xenagrosh said.
"By the Great Mother! Youâre my baby girl, thatâs the damn difference! I protect countless lives every single day. Humans, beasts, undead, plants, and the only thing they have in common is that I donât give a ratâs ass about them.
"I can afford to be egotistical from time to time, especially when my family is involved. Come back home and I promise you that I will do all I can to save you."