"If the army starts to dig, they won't stop until they find the culprit. That's why most Awakened don't deal with crime. If they get exposed, they would lose centuries of accumulated resources." Faluel said.

"Once you are on your own, however, the humans are bound to try and make you an offer you can't refuse. To switch sides or die. As for the undead, you defeated one of their champions.

"The Horsemen are the pillars that link the Undead Courts to their Councilmembers and now that the Council is considering to offer the Abominations a seat at the table, the undead need to strengthen their position.

"They have no idea how strong the new player is, nor can they afford the old players to get stronger. Since they can't take you in, their aim will be to take you out."

"Isn't the plan of both the humans and the undead against the laws of the Council?" Solus was flabbergasted.

"Indeed it is, but there's always a loophole, and politics is all about exploiting loopholes." Faluel sighed. "I thought about it for a long while, and even though there's no way to predict how things will unfold exactly, I can guess the worst-case scenario and help you prepare for it."

"I feel a huge 'but' incoming." Lith said.

"But to come out of this pinch in one piece and be freed from this nonsense, you'll need me. You'll need us beasts." The Hydra said with a grin. "As I told you when we first met, I'm not going to lie to you. All I offer is the truth and a choice, the rest is up to you."

"Let's hear it." Lith conjured a stone armchair and sat down. There was a lot to discuss.

***

"…and that's how I think we should play it out." Faluel ate a whole roasted cow from a bowl bigger than Lith's house that was filled with several salty snacks.

"I agree with your plan." Lith said after consulting with Solus for a while. There was too much at stake and they couldn't stand against three factions of the Council alone. Not yet.

"It's a wise move, as long as you're willing to pay the price for it." The Hydra nodded.

"It's not just a matter of completing your apprenticeship, so much as being truly recognized as one of us. Even if you fail me but the beasts' Council recognizes your worth as a Healer and Forgemaster, you're set.

"The gods know how close we are to fall behind fake mages. Talented people are now too precious a resource to let them go squandered, but that's also the reason why the only thing worse than a good mage's death is them joining the competition."

"I understand." Lith stood up and moved toward the exit. The few months left of his military service were going to be busy, so he wanted to enjoy his leave to its fullest.

"One last thing. If you don't want the Council to find out about Solus, a cloaking ring isn't enough. You need to be more careful about your crafts." Faluel pointed a claw of her forelegs at the Skinwalker armor.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Do you know why even though Hydra's are considered the least among the lesser Dragons, I hold the same seat in the Council as Xedros the Wyvern, who is considered to be the closest being to a true Dragon?" Faluel said.

Lith had no idea how lesser Dragons were ranked so he just shrugged in reply.

"Because except for Hydras, a good Forgemaster needs a partner to express their full potential. Which means double the fare for the client and double the risks for the smith. Let me give you an example."

One of Faluel's heads conjured the world energy into a Forgemastering circle, a second used Invigoration to provide a constant supply of mana, and a third cast the necessary spells to enchant an amulet.

A few seconds later, a brand-new Council amulet was ready.

"Without a partner, a Forgemaster can only manifest half of their prowess. Half their energy is needed to keep the circle stable and the other half for the crafting. The more powerful the Forgemaster, the more powerful the partner they need.

"Most mages don't like wasting their time just to help you practice, so you need to properly compensate them for their time and for not sharing the secrets of your workings.

"Hydras, instead, can do everything on their own thanks to their multiple heads." Faluel said.

"Okay, but how does this involve me?" Lith asked.

"Awakened are not humans, silly boy. They will never believe that you have bottomless mana because they can gauge your real ability with Life Vision. So far, you never created anything noteworthy, but recently things have changed." Faluel tapped on the Skinwalker.

"Your sister doesn't have the power or the skill to assist you anymore and even if she did, if people start believing that she shares your secrets, it will put her in danger. Whatever creation you have in mind, do not make it public until I take you officially under my wing. If you're forced to employ it, make sure no witness remains."

Lith didn't know the Hydra much, but he liked her logic a lot.

After agreeing with all of her terms, Lith returned home. He had spent quite some time with Faluel and his family was likely to have woken up already. He had a lot of things to prepare and calls to make.

'This is going to be the busiest leave ever.' Lith thought.

'Same old, same old, then.' Solus giggled. 'This has been a great day for me. You've introduced me to a lot of people and I got my own seat as Faluel's apprentice. It will be like at the Academy, but this time we're going to be rivals.'

'This has been a shitty day for me, instead. My family is pissed off at me, Rena's unborn child is ill, and there's an unexpected shitstorm brewing at the horizon.' He didn't share her enthusiasm one bit.

'Come on, don't be a sourpuss, and look at the bright side. You got famous.' She said.

'Yay me.' He sneered. 'Once we arrive, I'm going to check on Rena and then I'm going to sleep until tomorrow. This mess has given me a headache and I want to be at the top of my game for the procedure.'

'Already? There's a lot of time before childbirth. Isn't it better to research the Strangler thoroughly before starting the treatment?' Solus asked.

'That's exactly what I'm going to do. Yet since there is no paper about the Strangler affecting a male nor an established therapy for creatures that young, the best I can do is run simulations after I collect all the information available on the baby.' Lith replied.

Contrary to his expectations, most of his plan to rest was foiled thanks to his family. Raaz and Elina wanted to know about his travels, Rena wanted to spend some time with him to discuss her children's future prospects as mages, the children wanted to play, and Kamila wanted to show Lith how much she had missed him.

'Either I clone myself or I'll need a vacation to recover from the fatigue this vacation is giving me.' He thought. 'Even after sleeping for eight hours, I still feel like crap.'