"Every time a Hydra gains a new head, we need time to learn how to see, think, and speak properly without it conflicting with our other heads.

"The same stands for your eyes. You're not used to see with three of them, so right now the blue eye only serves as a medium for the elemental energy. As for the other two, it just takes practice. I'll teach you a meditation technique that should help you with it."

The Hydra taught Lith how to feel the connection with the single elements rather than with the world energy as a whole. Once he grasped the basics, Faluel had him revert to his human form.

"Are you really not going to teach me how to dominate spells?" Lith asked.

"Don't you have enough on your plate already to venture into a new field of magic?" Faluel rebuked him. "We'll think about that later, now I'm more interested in listening to your answer."

"My answer to what?"

"To my predictable offer for an apprenticeship, of course." She said with a warm smile.

"It depends on many things. Like, do I have to take your tests like Protector did? How much do you know about runes and how long would my apprenticeship last?"

"Since I'm offering to take you under my care, there would be no admittance tests, but plenty of assignments to prove your mettle. As for the runes, I told you that I come from a long line of Forgemasters.

"My family doesn't trade its secrets with other Awakened, beasts or not, but we share our discoveries among ourselves. Our legacy is better than that of Royal Forgemaster, but unlike them, don't expect me to share it completely with you.

"You would be an apprentice, not a member of the family. I would teach you everything you need to be plenty capable of working on your own, but that's it."

Faluel's words were a punch in the stomach for Lith. He was basically at a crossroads where he had to pick whether to join the Hydra to obtain an incomplete knowledge or the Royal Forgemasters' ranks for a full education.

It wasn't an easy choice, especially since at least Faluel was sincere and she would teach him what she had promised with no strings attached, whereas the Royals might require from him demonstrations of loyalty before letting him learn the best techniques.

On top of that, becoming a Royal Forgemaster was a commitment for life, something that Lith couldn't take lightly.

"Don't worry about time." Faluel snapped him out of his reverie. "I'll keep you as an apprentice as long as it takes. It could take months as well as years, but beware. While humans demand loyalty, Awakened require wisdom.

"Fail even one of my tests and I'll kick you out."

"Seriously?" Lith was flabbergasted. The difference between the Hydra and the army was getting thinner by the second.

"Seriously." She nodded. "I didn't Awaken most of my children, nor did I teach them anything but the basics. Do you have any idea what kind of damage can one of us do with the wrong knowledge?

"I'm honestly amazed by how mature you are despite your young age."

Faluel had no idea Lith was currently in his third life and he was glad to keep things that way. He then activated Death Vision out of curiosity, to see if such a powerful creature had any weak point he could exploit.

Yet aside from a very slow aging process, Faluel appeared to be just fine.

"And that's why I brought you here." The Hydra said. "I can't let the humans get their hands on a valuable Awakened that might be one of us, plus they must never learn either about Dominance or your Origin Flames.

"If you manage to master them, to learn how to use them to purify instead of just destroy, I'm willing to trade with you according to the services you can provide me."

"My flames in exchange for what, exactly?"

"That's on you." She shrugged. "Knowledge, artifacts, gold, materials. Just state your price and we'll bargain from there."

"Wait. Didn't you just say that you wouldn't share your secrets with me as your apprentice? Why would you give them to me for just my flames?" It was all too good to be true, Lith was certain that there was a catch.

"Indeed. Yet do you expect that any of my suppliers don't ask for proper compensation? I'm well aware that any Awakened that buys an artifact from me can study its runes and pseudo core, but my Forgemastering techniques aren't so easily reproduced.

"My family had millennia to learn how to protect its secrets. Also, you're overestimating yourself. If you want gold, I'll give you mountains of it, but if you want knowledge, it takes more than a few breaths of fire to get some.

"Not to mention that you have no idea how to use your flames and that I can't help you with that. Nor I'm willing to, unless you become my faithful apprentice." Faluel was again sincere and her words made a lot of sense.

Just like Lith would give Orion a Skinwalker armor in exchange for a decent blade, trading goods and trading knowledge were worlds apart. Both of them would need a lot of work to hope and steal the other's secrets.

"I'll let you know once I'm done with the army, or at least as soon as I master Origin Flames." Lith replied. He had learned much more than he had hoped to, yet much less than he would have liked to.

"One last question. I'm practicing runes on my own and there's something I'm struggling with. How do I make them invisible?"

Faluel's eyes lighted with interest at those words. The Wyrmling was even more promising than she had thought. Just by his words, she was able to understand that Lith had gained access to both old and modern runes.

It was an amazing feat that put him in front of the greatest hurdle for a self-taught Runesmith.

'What an interesting fellow. I'm really curious to see how he will develop. There's no harm in giving him a hand on such a trivial…'

"What does a human do here, mother?" A deep voice derailed her train of thought. "I hope he's just your lunch because if he's your new plaything, I'll be truly disappointed. First a dog and now a vermin? Not even you should stoop this low."

"Lith, allow me to introduce you to one of the reasons why Emperor Beasts and humans are not so different. This is my one of my sons, Sedra. I never Awakened nor taught him any of the family secrets. Guess why." Faluel's serene face was suddenly twisted in annoyance and her voice oozed sarcasm.

"Sedra, this is Lith. He is a self-Awakened that I'm willing to take in as my apprentice, hence he has already bested you twice."

Sedra looked at Lith as if a steaming pile of shit had found its way on his favorite couch, whereas Lith looked at the young Hydra with Life and Death Vision before losing interest.

"The pleasure is all yours, Sedra. Can you answer my question, please?" Lith asked.

"You have no idea how to engrave runes, correct?" Faluel ignored her son as well, focusing on how deep Lith's ignorance was about the art of Runesmithing.