"I'm sorry, but my method to reach the violet core is a family legacy." Faluel said. "As much as I like you and consider you a friend, Nalrond, I can't betray the Hydra bloodline and expose its secrets. I hope you understand."
"No need to apologize." He smiled at her to show his sincerity. "I'm not even your disciple and even though we have helped each other in the past, you owe me nothing. Rather, I'm in your debt for hiding my existence from the Council and supporting me all this time.
"Even if you can't share with me your bloodline technique, you are lending me your Hands, your heads for the Eyes, and your great expertise in healing magic. If I survive, it will be in no small part thanks to you."
"Thank you." The Hydra shook his hand, hoping that everything would go well.
"Kalla's lab log. Rezar's experiment. Final addendum before the procedure. The specimen is healthy, arbitrarily optimistic, and emotional." The Wight said inside her recorder.
"Even though I don't believe there is a correlation between the mood of the subject and his odds of survival, it seems to ease the mind of my colleagues from the worry of his imminent potential demise.
"The subject is now staring at me. His unblinking gaze suggests deep thought process, difficulty processing visual images, or sudden brain damage."
"Do you have to be here?" Nalrond asked.
"Of course not." Kalla moved to a different corner.
"I meant in my room. With me. While I get ready for the procedure."
"I don't have to but I want to." Kalla spoke like she was talking to a small child. "The subject is sighing, showing minor signs of emotional distress, probably due to the approaching of the scheduled procedure.
"He is the last of his species and in the case of his passing, his tribe's legacy would be lost with him. A tragic eventuality that makes his sacrifice in the name of science admirable. Even though he might be only remembered for his failure, he won't be forgotten.
"He is now briskly walking toward the door, probably to finish saying his farew-" As Kalla followed him, she was hit on the nose by the door that Nalrond slammed on his way out.
She had managed to upset him with her rude words and the worst part was that everything the Wight had said was true. More than the concrete chance of losing his life, it was the idea of leaving no legacy behind that scared him.
His obsession with finding a cure for his condition had prevented him from having a child. Even worse, his unwillingness to share the secrets of his people with someone outside the Rezar bloodline had caused him to never train a proper heir or even have a disciple.
'If I were to die today, nothing would be left of me but the memory of a bitter man who achieved nothing his whole life. I would be forgotten in a single generation and with me my entire tribe.' Nalrond's mouth said his goodbyes to Selia, Protector, and their kids, but his mind was elsewhere.
'The only person alive who'd have more than generic knowledge of my people is Acala, cursed be his name!' On the back of his head, a small voice pointed out that the Rezar culture would actually survive since Dawn was its original founder.
Yet the thought that everything that mattered to him would remain in the hands of the two people he hated the most made Nalrond so angry that if he focused on it for too long, his will to undergo the procedure wavered.
"Don't worry too much." Selia gave him her best motherly smile, trying to appear serene and give him confidence. "When Lith saved this wolfhead, he didn't have a fraction of his current skills and tools.
"Compared to fixing a broken core with his bare hands, this is going to be a walk in the park."
"You are right. Thank you, Selia." Nalrond hugged the huntress.
He knew that her words contained only a partial truth. Back then Lith had been at 100% of his strength and had permanently sacrificed part of his life force to save someone he loved.
Now Lith's maximum power was unstable due to the cracks and there was no way he would risk anything for someone he didn't even consider a friend.
"Selia is right." Protector nodded, interrupting his woodwork. "Also, even if the worst were to happen, you will never be forgotten. You may have kept your guard raised with us adults but you did a poor job with the kids."
He let inside Lilia and Leran, who had been fed the cover story of Nalrond going on a sudden trip away to justify his possible disappearance.
"Good luck, Uncle Nalrond." They said while handing him small wooden figurines depicting his human half on the front and the Rezar on the back.
They were good luck charms that the members of his tribe gave in the past to those who went to speak with Mogar in the Mindscape or attempted to fuse their life forces. Most of them died, but Nalrond had altered the story to not scare the kids, telling them it ended with a "long journey", just like his own.
The figurines were crudely made, the front looked like a murderous mannequin while the back resembled more a dog than a Rezar. Knowing the true ending of the story the gifts would have been creepy if they weren't just perfect.
They looked exactly like those that the children of Nalrond's tribe once had given to their family members as birthday presents. Not even Rezar kids knew the true meaning of the figurines and in time, their blunder had altered the meaning of the tradition.
"Thank you, kids." Nalrond hugged Lilia and Leran, feeling at home for a moment. "I promise that I'll be back as soon as I can."
Fenrir tugged at his pants, handing him a piece of wood. It wasn't carved. She wasn't allowed to use sharp objects. Even her claws were for self-defense only. Yet she loved her uncle and wanted to give him something just like her siblings.
"Thank you, little one." Nalrond put the wood piece in his pocket with the figurines before lifting her.
"I'm not little anymore! I'm a big sister now." She pouted, pointing at Solkar who was asleep in his crib.
"You sure are." Nalrond chuckled, thinking of how every time she insisted on taking care of the baby, someone had to take care of them both.
After that, the only people left were the ones involved with the procedure, who kept things brief to not get emotional right before the action, and Morok.
"Twins, uh." Even a week after receiving the news, he was still dumbstruck.
"Yeah. Congratulations, man. For the umpteenth time now." Nalrond sighed.
It was the only topic Morok talked about and for once no one had the heart to interrupt him when he bragged about it. Jirni and Orion shared his sentiment, their opinion on the Tyrant had been upended by a single feat.
"For once, I've beaten Lith, but I guess this much had to be expected." Morok said.
