"I'll let Feela know." Scarlett turned around to leave, but Sedra stopped her.

"Aunt Scarlett, please, don't abandon me here."

"You dug your own grave, child, I can only hope you find it comfortable." She said with a stone face and a flat voice.

Scarlett's heart actually ached at the idea of his death. Sedra was indeed stupid, but all she could see while looking at him was the hatchling that followed her everywhere and believed to go unnoticed while hiding under her own mane.

Yet showing any concern for him would only make Xedros raise his price. Sedra tried to speak again, but Scarlett shoved a handbook in his mouth.

"Those are the laws that regulate the relationship between a master and their apprentice. Study them as if your life depends on it, because it surely does." Scarlett said before leaving for good.

***

Lustria county, Faluel's lair.

After the meeting with Lith was over, the Hydra summoned Friya to discuss her future. There was only so much that Faluel could teach her before the bond between them became too deep.

Friya wasn't like Lith, who the Hydra helped out of friendship and curiosity, nor like Quylla whose unparallel talent for light magic had helped Faluel to deepen her understanding of the elements.

'I wish one of my children had her talent and honest passion for magic.' The more Faluel got to know her, the more she regretted Quylla being a human. 'Instead of just teaching her small stuff, I would make her my assistant and heir, securing the Hydra bloodline for the next generation.'

"Master Faluel, I'm here as you requested." Friya entered through a dimensional array and gave the Hydra a deep bow, interrupting her train of thought.

"Please, sit down. We have much to discuss." Faluel pointed at her the comfortable armchair where Lith had been until a few minutes before.

Friya looked at the chairs, the tea table, and the pastries before swallowing a lump of saliva. She had been expecting another long and boring lesson about Forgemastering, not the perfect setup to get the boot.

"Did I do anything wrong?" Friya's legs refused to move, fearing that once she sat down her apprenticeship would be over.

"Nothing of the sort." Faluel gave Friya a warm smile that failed to reassure her.

Friya went to her chair, feeling as if the ground under her feet shook more with each step.

"The reason I asked you to come over is that I taught you all I could without compromising the secrets behind my core techniques.

"Nalrond is still teaching me Light Mastery, Lith is about to step into the next phase of his apprenticeship, and Quylla has proven her usefulness by helping me improve many of my spells.

"I still need all of them and I plan to help them develop their talents whereas I don't know what to do about you." Faluel said.

"I did everything you asked!" Friya jumped up, unable to stay seated. "During the last few months, I've learned more about Forgemastery than most students of the academy in one year.

"I've shown you my ability with both pure Spirit Magic and mixing it with the other elements. I even helped you to improve the dimensional arrays of your lair! What more could I have possibly done?"

A wave of Faluel's hand made the chair move forward, hitting Friya's knees from behind and forcing her to sit down again.

"You are just forgetting the part where you don't like Forgemastering much and you have reached your limit with the Spirit Magic you can use with just your wand. You have my thanks for the arrays, but as the recent attack has demonstrated, dimensional magic is easily disabled." Faluel replied.

"I really admire your talents and that's why I brought you here. I don't see you progressing much further without becoming an Awakened nor do I feel right about making you my Harbinger.

"You are a young, capable woman who should spend her time discovering what she likes and what she wants to do about her life. Becoming a Harbinger is a lifelong commitment that I don't think you are ready to take.

"You should return to your home and take your time to plan your future. Do not rush things. Ask your father to find you a master who can teach you offensive spells that would complement your dimensional abilities, travel Mogar on your own, take part in the Court's life, your possibilities are endless."

"Are you kicking me out?" Friya managed to say without making her voice quiver.

"No, I'm telling you that we've reached a crossroad. One way leads you to freedom, to a long and maybe not happy life where you can do whatever you want. The other, instead, lead you to either become my Harbinger or to lose your life the moment you realize you made the wrong choice and you want to back out." Faluel replied.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that I'm not making you my Harbinger anytime soon. You are free to stay here and receive my teachings, but your development is limited by your non Awakened state.

"On top of that, due to the nature of our contract, you would be stuck with all the responsibilities that the position implies without any of the power. Tier four true Forgemastering is identical to that used by fake mages, but my tier five belongs to the Hydra bloodline.

"The moment I teach you any of that, your fate is sealed." Faluel said.

"I understand and I thank you for your concern, Master Faluel, but I've decided to stay. My father is a busy man and the only way to become his apprentice would be to either join the Knight's Guard or become a Royal Forgemaster." Friya said.

"Both are lifelong commitments toward a Kingdom that has failed its most loyal subjects too many times to be trusted. Life in the Royal Court is not for me. Just the idea of lying and scheming every day of my life makes me want to puke.

"As for finding another master, after seeing what Awakened can do, the higher I would get the more I would regret not having taken the chance to tap into my full potential.

"I'm tired of feeling useless. When my mother and Yurial were dying between my arms, I would have given everything to be as good as Lith and be capable of saving them both. Down in Belin mines, I could save my life only at the price of abandoning my sisters.

"When the undead attacked Lith's house, he didn't even consider calling me for help because I'm weak. I didn't tell him, but those words hurt me more than any wound ever did.

"I know that being weak is not a crime, but it's more than I can take. If Deirus attacks my family again, I want to be able to make the difference. I could never live with myself if I were to lose someone I love again just because I don't have the strength or skill to save them.

"That moron, Morok, told my sister Quylla some of the wisest words I ever heard. A long life is pointless if you don't have something to live for. I prefer a short life where I do what I think is right rather than spending what time I have left filled with regrets."