Chapter 3918: Poison and Antidote (Part 1)

The Dread Flames had neutralized the Cursed Elements and reverted them into darkness and light.

Chaos and Decay could no longer devour each other, and the layer of fire surrounding the healthy life force kept the Cursed Elements contained. Baba Yaga’s Lifespinner spell had suffered no damage in the process.

The flames avoided the threads of mana as they smoldered across the Shadow Dragon’s life forces.

"What? How?" Lith asked.

"I don’t know." Baba Yaga shrugged, pondering the question.

"Me neither, but do you mind if we dig in while we think about it?" Zoreth asked. "All these emotions worked me up quite an appetite."

"Sure." Solus nodded, pushing the floating chair near the dining table.

"Are you okay, Auntie?" Falco asked, looking at the sleeping Elysia as if she were a ticking time bomb.

"Better than okay. Look." Zoreth took generous servings of food and ate without needing Bytra’s help. "I’m sorry for scaring you, Falco. Ely didn’t hurt me, and she would never hurt any of you."

The young boy didn’t know what to believe until he noticed how better the Shadow Dragon looked. The pain lines weren’t so deep anymore, and Zoreth’s eyes were lively again.

"She’s right." Rena said. "Look at the cutlery, sweetie. No sparks."

"Thanks, Mom." The triplets sighed in relief and went back to their seats.

’I still don’t get how this happened.’ Lith spoke via a mind link to avoid upsetting the children. ’Elysia is just a baby and has no idea what she’s doing.’

’You don’t either, but you too used the Dread Flames on me to drive the Cursed Elements out of my body when Zoreth damaged the Infirmary and infected me.’ Solus replied.

’I had almost forgotten about that.’ Lith pondered. ’Yet this explains nothing and adds one more question. Why did Elysia react like that, and I didn’t?’

’Because you never touched Zoreth directly.’ Baba Yaga replied. ’You always used your spells from a distance and your breathing technique through the chair or the crystal tank. Also, Elysia and Zoreth used the Dragon Scales... Hold that thought.’

Bytra wore a warm smile, but when Lith looked at her, she shook her head briefly.

’There is no change in the countdown.’ She said once Lith added her to the mind link. ’It didn’t even slow down. The good news is that Zor’s vitals have improved dramatically. She doesn’t need the Red Dragon anymore.’

Her face brimmed with joy that turned into confusion when she noticed that no one seemed surprised.

’We already knew that.’ Kalla said with her usual tact. ’We are all connected to the Infirmary and receive updates in real time.’

’You’re right. Silly me.’ The comment stung, but Bytra let it slide.

’I can’t blame Solus for keeping me out of the tower system.’ She inwardly sighed, keeping her thoughts out of the mind link. ’The last time Menadion trusted the old Bytra with a high clearance level, she killed Elphyn and stole the Fury.

’I know that I’m not my original, but I doubt that Solus will ever trust me. Not after I replicated the Fury, the Mouth, and the Ears behind her back.’

’As I was saying, you didn’t use Dragon Scales on Zoreth, Lith.’ Baba Yaga said. ’Without such a deep connection, your Dread Flames remained dormant.’

’What about Solus?’ He asked.

’Please, your bond with her is much deeper than anything Dragon Scales can do.’ The Red Mother snorted. ’You are like Horseman and host. Your minds and bodies are one.’

The comment drew Kamila’s glare, but Baba Yaga ignored her.

’That said, Leegaain, did you know what was going to happen when you allowed Lith to lift the barrier around Elysia?’

’I did.’ The Guardian replied. ’I didn’t understand what Dread Flames are when I brought Zoreth here, but after witnessing how they reacted to Solus’ wounds, I’ve learned a thing or two.

’What Elysia did proved my working theory and gave me insight into the nature of the Dread Flames.’

’Which is?’ Salaark furrowed her delicate eyebrows.

’Think about it, young sparrow.’ Leegaain replied. ’Lith and Elysia have interacted with Zoreth hundreds of times in the past, yet nothing like this ever happened. Not even when Lith faced Raum.

’That’s because their Dread Flames react only to the presence of an open wound infected with corrupted energy. The trigger isn’t the presence of Cursed Elements but the attempts of Solus’ and Zoreth’s life forces to fight them back.

’In other words, while Origin Flames can purify or destroy based on how they are used, and the blue flames are indiscriminate destruction, the Dread Flames are intended as a cleansing tool.

’I bet that if I asked Lith to bathe Raum’s lab in Dread Flames, he would have released the vengeful souls without the need to bond with the,m and the flow of world energy in the area would already be restored.’

’How can you be so sure?’ The Overlord asked.

’Because that’s what happened with the Trawn Woods when my/his life forces merged after I/Lith regained my/his memories!’ Lith and Kamila said in unison.

’Exactly.’ Leegaain nodded. ’I also think the Dread Flames are the reason Elysia bears stable Cursed Elements in her life force, while Lith only gained a tolerance to them.

’She was born with Dread Flames, which cleansed and nurtured her as she developed. The poison and the antidote constantly flow together inside every fiber of her being, tempering it.’

’I, instead, gained the Dread Flames late in life, when my body was already fully developed.’ Lith said. ’Why did you leave Primordial and Immortal Flames out of your explanation, Grandpa?’

’Because they are just a variation on Origin Flames based on the amount of life force you consume.’ Leegaain replied. ’Your Cursed Flames are also a kind of Origin Flames, but a corrupted one, or Raum would have never been able to use them.’

"I’m glad you are enjoying the food, Zoreth." Elina’s voice interrupted the conversation.

Mind links were very quick, allowing the entire telepathic exchange to take a handful of seconds.

"It’s all thanks to your delicious cooking and our little Tiamats, Elina." Zoreth replied.

"You can say that." Kamila had never felt so hungry in her whole life, and Elysia drank from her bottle even in her sleep.

"Sorry." Valeron the Second said, feeling useless compared to his siblings.

"Don’t say that, sweetie." Zoreth caressed the baby’s head, being careful not to use Dragon Scales. "You didn’t do anything wrong. I’m the one who should apologize for scaring everyone."

The presence of the Guardians and the Shadow Dragon’s joyful mood soon lightened the mood in the room.

’Thank you for your help, Leegaain.’ Baba Yaga said while everyone was busy with their meal. ’I already had a plan to try and fix the damage in Zoreth’s life forces, but it required the Elemental Storage, and it takes too long to recharge it.

’I wasn’t sure we could do it in time, but now I think I can afford to make a few mistakes. If I’m right, using the Dread Flames should lessen the consumption of the Storage enough to perform multiple attempts in the same session.’

A telepathic chime alerted everyone but Bytra that the Infirmary had completed processing the data and had come up with a few experimental treatments.

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