"I wish I shared your confidence." The Master replied. "You had a brilliant idea, Tezka, but I think you are biting more than you can chew. Tell him, Theseus."
"For the hundredth time, I’m not a Healer!" The Bastet-Meneos replied. "Paquut was a butcher. A cruel monster that twisted the life forces of his victims for a laugh. I just inherited his knowledge."
"Still, Paquut experimented on life forces as very few others in Mogar’s history did." Tezka pointed out. "Keeping alive his victims required finesse. He learned how much all kinds of life forces can take without breaking, which makes you our second-best expert after the Master."
"And I agree with him." Theseus said. "You are taking this too far, Tezka, and on a path only you seem to see at that."
"Because it’s my Fylgja life force." Tezka replied. "I studied it for countless hours while I tried to achieve the white core and prolong my life for as long as I could. Back then, I didn’t even know what I lacked and what I could improve, but now I do.
"I have studied the life force of the Divine Beasts in the Organization and even the life force of a Guardian." The mention of the experiments the hybrids had performed on his mother while they held Ileza captive made Theseus bristle.
"What once made no sense is now so obvious that I can’t believe it took me so long to figure it out. Yet I’m not ashamed to admit that it wouldn’t have been still enough without Xenagrosh. You gave me the final piece of the puzzle."
The Shadow Dragon had been true to her word and had never revealed anything about the tower or the means that Baba Yaga had employed to save her life. She had only allowed the Master and the members of the Organization to study the changes in her life force.
According to Tezka, that was enough for him to figure out a cure for himself and maybe for the rest of the hybrids as well.
"I hope you are right." Zoreth lied through her teeth.
She was more afraid of what Tezka’s success might bring than of the potential deadly consequences of his failure.
’We are already unmatched as we are. Why isn’t it enough?’ She inwardly asked.
"You all know your roles." The clones fused into the real Tezka as they advanced towards the Madness. "Zogar, Theseus, I don’t care what you think. As long as I don’t ask you to intervene or I lose consciousness, do not interfere with my work.
"We can only do things my way and know why I succeed or fail, or make a collective mess and clutch at straws afterwards. I want you here because if I’m wrong, you are the only ones who can restore my life force, even if it falls apart.
I need your trust. Is that clear?"
"Crystal." The Master nodded.
"I still disagree with this, but I’ll do as you say." The Bastet crossed his arms.
"Bytra, I need full control of the Madness. Give me your Absolution, please. The original, not a copy." Tezka extended his hand, and the Fourth Ruler of the Flames gave her hammer to him without hesitation.
"I will speak to you during the procedure." The Suneater looked around the room, meeting the eyes of his fellow hybrids. "I’ll explain my theory as I put it into practice, and I’ll prove to you that I’m right. Zogar, if you please."


VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABEL
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Supreme Magus