"Until I can beget an offspring again and recover my Spirit Magic, I’m not leaving my benefactor’s side. It’s not only a matter of gratitude, but also the only way to keep the Summoner clan safe.
"My research is far from foolproof, and if things go wrong, I could easily go back to the monster I was. I won’t put my descendants in danger because of my hubris again." Tezka said.
"Then let me stay by your side as your assistant." Lylka said. "I volunteered to come here, and I’m also willing to help you however I can. Whether you need something or to study a living Fylgja, I can-"
"No." Tezka’s voice became stone cold, and he stared at her with flinty eyes. "Maybe you didn’t listen to me earlier, kid, but I mean what I say. You don’t know me, and I don’t know you. Neither of us should trust a stranger with the clan’s survival."
Lylka was stunned by such a firm refusal, but she could understand it.
’There’s no telling what kind of powerful magic Lord Tezka has developed for his research.’ She thought. ’It would be foolish of him to share everything he has worked for millennia with me just on my word.’
She naively refused to consider that Forbidden Magic might be involved, and her enthusiasm blinded her. She had met neither Patriarch Tezka nor Tezka the Suneater.
She had only heard stories about his previous incarnations and regarded them as mythical rather than historical figures.
Lylka saw Tezka’s current incarnation, the one who stood before her, not as a person, but as the key for the Fylgja bloodline to return to its former glory. The Summoner clan had gone from being the ruling power of Garlen to a mere member of the Awakened Council.
Moving to Zima hadn’t changed much. Ever since the Fylgjas had bartered the secrets of dimensional magic in exchange for protection, they had faded into irrelevance.
If not for Heaven’s Vault and the secret of the dimensional crystals, they would be regarded as a minor Emperor Beast Bloodline.
’With Lord Tezka’s help, we could rise to lead Zima’s Council. Any Council.’ Lylka thought. ’Even if we can’t become like him, we only need his future children to inherit his abilities to become as powerful as a Divine Beast bloodline.
’We would get our own turf and no one, no matter if beasts, plants, humans, or undead, would challenge our rule.’
The longer she held Tezka’s hand, the better she could feel the boundless mana that flowed through his body. She had long since reached the bright violet core, yet she felt like a small stream meeting the vastness of the ocean.
Invigoration failed to gauge the depth of his power, and a single one of the many mana currents that flowed under his seemingly placid surface could swallow her whole.
"Is there anything I can do to change your mind?" She asked. "Anything at all?"
"No, there is not." The music ended, and Tezka took a step back. "You can do me a favor, though. Go back to Zima and tell everyone that I’m sorry. That I’ve never forgotten about the clan, and one day I’ll make it up to you.
"Also, warn them never to trust me until I recover my Spirit Tail. Can you do that for me?"
"I can." Lylka gave him a curtsy, bumping into Friya.
"I’m sorry. I hope I’m not interrupting anything." She said.
"Don’t worry, we were just done." Tezka replied.
"Can I have the next dance, then?" Friya extended her hand, making both Fylgjas raise an eyebrow in surprise.


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