Supreme Magus

"In the past, it took many of us just to drive Dawn away and a Fringe to contain her, yet Verhen stands here before us, unscathed. On top of that, I can't find a reasonable explanation for how he destroyed the Black Star or defeated the last remnants of the forever accursed Odi."

The simple word filled the Treant with so much hatred that his foliage turned red.

"Awakened Verhen accomplished the very same things that usually require either an army or a Guardian to do. The presence of allies, be they human or Werepeople, isn't enough to explain any of this.

"In order to determine which faction is more suited to handle our new asset, we must first understand his true nature. Otherwise, we might groom a threat that would take several precious lives to put down."

Lotho expressed the worries that all factions actually harbored. Humans and beasts had no rush to answer those questions only because they were certain that they would learn Lith's secrets in due time.

The master-apprentice relationship would allow his mentor and their allies to harness such knowledge to their advantage.

Lith sighed in relief when none of the undead mentioned Solus. The plants' representative seemed to be his only real opponent since Inxialot was more worried about the time he spent away from his lab than about Lith's destiny.

'I don't think that it would be wise talking about my world tribulations. I noticed the grimaces all members of the Council did when Raagu mentioned their inability to become Guardians or to achieve the so-called white core.

'Also, based on the interest they shown even for my Skinwalker armor, I bet that, if they knew that I possess Menadion's Legacy and with it the ability to tap into mana geyser, this trial's topic would turn from "Who takes care of Lith" to "I call dibs on the mage tower" in the blink of an eye.' He thought.

"To quote one of my esteemed Professors, just because an idiot can't do it, it doesn't mean that something is impossible." Lith repeated the accursed Manohar's words, making many stomachs churn.

"Without their precious Mana Reactor, the Odi were barely a threat. Their inability to use magic above tier three and their conceitedness allowed me to resist long enough for Quylla Ernas to destroy the Reactor.

"It took just a handful of humans and a single Awakened to exterminate them. Ask him if you don't believe me." Lith pointed at Leegaain who he recognized only thanks to Faluel's instructions.

"The Black Dragon witnessed everything."

"Is it true?" The other four judges asked in unison after turning toward Leegaain.

"Yes. I had been summoned to intervene in the case Awakened Verhen failed." The Guardian snorted in annoyance. He didn't like to be manipulated.

"What about Dawn?" Lotho said. "She's not the kind of opponent that leaves openings and you had no allies. There's no way a human could escape from her clutches."

"That's true." Faluel replied, stepping forward again. "A human couldn't, but one of us could."

She waved at Raagu, Feela, and then to Xenagrosh, conjuring the only thing that could make a room filled with semi-immortal beings shut up.

Curiosity.

"Lith, show this court why you belong among us beasts, if you please."

Hearing his cue, Lith shapeshifted into his hybrid form, starting from his hands. The mystical handcuffs restricting him became useless and he easily shattered them open by using fusion magic.

Razor-sharp claws replaced Lith's nails and talons grew on his toes and heel, making his feet resemble those of a bird of prey.

New limbs came out of his back, with a short tail full of bone spikes growing out of his spine, as well as a set of black membranous wings that erupted from his shoulder blades.

They stretched wide, covering the spectator's field of view for a second before starting to flap and bring him to the eye level of the judges despite the hunched position that flying without magic required.

The wings were twisted and unnatural, like the hands of a giant swatting the air below him. Lith's face was now a black slate, apparently without a mouth or nose. Two small curved horns came out of his temples while his three eyes looked at those present.

The silence turned into an uproar as everyone stood up to take a better look at the unknown creature in front of them, even Leegaain. He exploited the ensuing chaos to study with Soul Vision both hybrids in the room.

To his eye technique, Solus was a short young woman wearing a golden roman toga and sandals. It was an attire outdated for centuries, that Leegaain recognized as the clothes that Menadion's apprentices used in the privacy of their own rooms.

Her figure was wrapped in two kinds of chains. One was big, thick, and made of life. It connected her to Lith through their respective mana cores, hearts, and minds. The second kind of chains was grey and thin, yet they weighed Solus down, forcing her to kneel.

Of the six original grey chains, four were broken and were slowly fading away. Two more remained and sucked her vigor, keeping her from achieving her true potential. The energy coming from the first chain was amplified by her body and was slowly eroding the grey fetters.

As for Lith, to Soul Vision he appeared to have grown bigger than ever, with two sets of wings instead of just one and with all seven eyes opened, each one of a different color.

"This is impossible! Shapeshifting is just a branch of light magic and the shackles are supposed to negate all kinds of spells. Jiza, explain!" Raagu was trying to make sense of what her eyes showed her.

"Verhen is a human, I checked it myself. His life force is cracked, but that's it. I even performed Blood Resonance on his parents to confirm his bloodline and I can swear upon my name that they are both human as well." Jiza replied, refusing to believe she could have made such a huge blunder.

Blood Resonance was a discipline created by Headmaster Duke Marth that was the magical equivalent of a paternity test. Nobles used it to make sure their spouses had not been unfaithful or to expose the existence of bastard sons whereas mages used them to trace hereditary diseases and Awakened to identify their descendants.

Using the creation of a fake mage was embarrassing, but Awakened always put practicality above something as insignificant as pride.

"How did you escape from Dawn?" Faluel asked.

Lith opened the scales covering his mouth and released a small burst of blue Origin Flames, doubling the uproar.

Everyone turned towards Leegaain, demanding an answer from him.

"I'm not the father. Thanks for asking." He said while blushing a little in embarrassment.

No one believed him, not even Xenagrosh.

'What the heck has Dad done this time? I remember this smell. It's the mix of human, beast, and Eldritch Abomination scent I found on the scene of Jarok's death. It's no surprise that a simple Rock Worm and an Empowered Abomination were no match for my lil bro.

'The Master was right all along in wanting to bring Lith into our fold. He might be the key to the perfect Abomination hybrid.' The more her draconic sense of smell confirmed her hypothesis, the more Xenagrosh felt hope grow in her heart.