"I must have been a horrible role model for you if you ended up abandoning your offspring without a shred of remorse." Kalla started sobbing black tears, making Nok froze in place as everyone threw reproachful glares at him.

"Don't listen to her. Byks are still bears and male bears don't help in raising the cubs. Heck, I never met my own father." Nok said while Scarlett had finished the array, allowing Nyka to stir from her slumber.

"That's true, but I believed to have taught you better than just stuff your belly all day long and mate like a rabbit. You're a magical beast. You're supposed to be better than your ancestors, not just their empowered version." Kalla kept sobbing, destroying with her tears all the handkerchiefs that Faluel handed to her.

"You're a hypocrite, big brother." Nyka pointed an accusatory finger at him. "You kept me away from potential mates while you bred like there's no tomorrow!"

"A seven years old Byk is not the same as a six years old Vampire. We grow faster!" Nok said.

"And Vampires don't grow at all. In theory, once I learned how to read, write and talk, I was already an a.d.u.l.t." Nyka rebuked.

"As much as this conversation amuses me, I'd like to know why the heck we came here." Scarlett stopped their bickering and helped Kalla to blow her nose with a hard-light handkerchief, the only thing that could withstand the darkness magic that comprised her body.

Lith explained everything again before passing to them his Council amulet where Haug's message was still displayed.

"Those that went missing are people who have recently been turned into undead." Kalla said. "Hybrid children are a rarity due to undead's low fertility and they are treasured dearly by the community. Only a madman would miss the chance to truly extend their bloodline."

"Then what about those in Baba Yaga's tower?" Friya asked.

"As I said, madmen." Kalla snorted in disgust. "I know this city where you are supposed to go, Lightkeep. It's part of the Eclipsed Lands, the underground network of metropolises that the undead built over the centuries to thrive away from Sunwalkers."

"Eclipsed Lands?" Tista asked while handing Nyka a cup filled with her blood. It wasn't as tasty as Lith's but the Vampire accepted it with gratitude.

"As you can easily imagine, the surface world is just a fraction of Mogar. Below, there are hundreds of kilometers of rock that extend in every direction. Baba Yaga never meant for her children to mingle with humans nor to rule over them." Kalla said.

"Undead were supposed to live in the Eclipsed Lands, safe from the threat of the sun and far away from the prejudice of the living. It's up to Baba Yaga and her three Hors.e.m.e.n to find a way to fix the undead's flaws.

"Only once they are done with their task will the undead join the other three races as equals. Until then, they will always be dependent on the living for any major breakthrough."

"If Dawn is supposed to make feeding pass over knowledge along with life force, Night to remove the weakness to darkness magic, and Dusk to make them capable of using Spirit and Light Magic, doesn't that mean that the undead's weakness to the sun is intentional?" Quylla said.

"Precisely." Kalla nodded. "Baba Yaga never wanted to create a master race nor to threaten the other species. Undead are predatory by nature and without a weakness to balance their extraordinary powers, they would extinguish all forms of life.

"Being turned into an undead is supposed to be a growing step, while the individual becomes stronger in both mind and body. A chance to amass knowledge and power to keep the misfortunes of their first life from happening again.

"All of Baba Yaga's children are supposed to achieve the full red blood core and become alive again. Undeath has never been intended to be a permanent state so much as a means of salvation." The Wight said.

"What do you think that Lith should do? Is it safe for him to go to Lightkeep?" Nalrond asked.

"I think he should accept. This Haug fellow is way beyond his depth, but the bounty at hand can't be underestimated, and the same stands for the implications of the events he described to Lith." Kalla became a living mass of shadows as she pondered her next move.

"What do you mean?" Lith said.

"I mean that Haug's legacy can help a lot of people, me included, hence it's quite convenient to me if you take the job. On top of that, don't forget we're helping a powerful and rich undead community. If we solve their problem, they'll reward us handsomely.

"I could get my white crystal, if not even a way to safely achieve Lichhood or at least Awaken Nyka." Greed lit Kalla's eyes, making her muzzle resemble Lith.

"I meant the implications you mentioned!" Lith said with a scoff. "And what do you mean, we?"

"Oh, that. First let me answer Nalrond's second question, Scourge. Going alone is suicide. Even the inhabitants of the Eclipsed Lands know about your exploit as a mass murderer of undead. You need my help and Nyka's if you don't want to be attacked on sight." Kalla replied.

"I've already been to Lightkeep and they know me. Having a Vampire that cares and vouches for you makes an enormous difference. As for your question about the hidden implications of this mission, after all the lessons I gave you guys about the undead, the answer should be pretty obvious."

"What's supposed to be obvious, Mom?" Nyka tilted her head in confusion. Not even she had any idea what the Wight was talking about.

"That we're probably dealing with some kind of Forbidden Magic." Kalla rolled her eyes in annoyance while Nyka choked on her drink and everyone else flinched.

"Did you listen to a word I said? Undead are naturally immune to mana poisoning and are capable of converting any kind of life force into their own with varying degrees of efficiency. Compatibility is a road that goes both ways.

"It makes them not only universal acceptors of mana and life force, but also universal donors. Newborns are easy to capture and have the highest conversion rate since their blood cores take some time to become picky about food."

"Are you serious?" Faluel asked.

"Of course I am. I told you, they start with a black core like Abominations. During her first days, Nyka could draw nourishment from beasts, plants, and humans alike without wasting a single drop of energy. She was so cute when-"

"Not that!" Faluel clawed her own head in frustration while Kalla stood on her hind legs and mimicked the gesture of cradling Nyka with the forelegs as if she was an infant instead of an a.d.u.l.t. "I meant the Forbidden Magic part."

"Again, yes, I am. I've long pondered if doing something similar to increase my chances at Lichhood but I decided against it after having my baby girl. I-"

"One more word and I'll have to report you to the Council. Please, shut up and let me think." Faluel cut Kalla short, again.

"There's nothing to think about. Lith, Nyka, Solus, Scarlett, and I will depart as soon as we're done with the preparations." The Wight shook her head.