Supreme Magus novel Chapter 249

Farg was shocked by the news of the attack, but managed to hold her curiosity. If Lady Tyris was angry, her patience would be very limited. The questions at her disposal were already down by one.

Farg told her everything she had noticed about Lith from her observations during the fight with the Clackers and the academy’s lessons. Tyris listened in silence, nodding from time to time.

"Do you have any questions?" Farg’s report did nothing but confirm what she already knew. Tyris always allowed some questions because often humans needed help realizing details that they had seen but not noticed.

"Many." Farg replied honestly. She was honored to be allowed to sit while her host was pacing around and listening to her report.

"The kid is barely thirteen years old, yet I saw him go toe to toe with evolved monsters and magical beasts. How is that possible? The members of the Corpse are faster and stronger than normal humans, but not like that. We need enchanted equipment to make up for the difference in physical prowess."

"Quite the contrary." Tyris shook her head.

’During our brief encounter, I was only interested in his mana core and neglected to check his body. This is another important piece of the puzzle. It seems humans aren’t the only ones to be slow on the uptake, sometimes.’ She thought.

"It is possible. Your Queen, your King, and the veterans of the Corpse are all like that. It may seem incredible to you now, but only because we have just started your refinement process. In time, you’ll become like that too. If you live that long, of course."

"What?" Farg was stunned, the words escaped her mouth before she could realize to have wasted another question.

"Doesn’t that mean that the kid is a veteran too? Isn’t he too young?"

Tyris smiled at her, happy to see the rookie catching up on her own.

"Yes to both. There are only a few possible explanations. Either he is an Awakened from the birth and that would be as incredible as terrifying, or he is a weak Abomination that possessed the body of an infant. That would be even worse.

"The former scenario would mean a natural talent like I have never seen before and hopefully will never see again. Beings Awakened from birth are incredibly rare, almost a myth even to us Guardians.

"I have never met one alive because when they are born from humankind, they start abusing their powers and get killed by their own kin before they can become a real threat.

"On the contrary, true magic comes natural to beasts, but being too much reliant on their instincts, they lack the wisdom and awareness about the risks the refinement process implies, so they die young too.

"The latter scenario would mean that albeit being incredibly weak, an Abomination managed to evolve into a Puppeteer and then stumbled into a highly compatible body that still lacked any sense of self or distinguishing feature.

"It makes it the perfect match. The body grows alongside the user’s power, making the rejection of the new soul almost impossible. It would give birth to a Puppeteer that can hide in plain sight and without the need of switching bodies.

Needless to say, such a thing is almost impossible"

"It doesn’t make sense!" Farg blurted out again.

"His mana flow is blue, not black. I checked more than once with Life Vision. Yet I saw with my own eyes black tendrils reattach his severed arm. That’s something only Abominations can do.

"Also, I think the kid is utterly insane. One moment he puts his life on the line for his companions, the following he treats them like garbage."

"Excellent point." Tyris sat on her throne.

"That’s why I suspect him being a hybrid, rather than a pure Abomination. A hybrid is born when something goes wrong during the body’s assimilation process. If the Abomination is weaker than the host’s body, it gets assimilated instead. It loses its nature and remains trapped inside it.

"It would explain the wisdom beyond his age, but not why he has helped the Kingdom time and time again.

"As for the madness, if he is as strong as you describe him to be, then it’s normal. If he is a hybrid, his human and Abomination impulses are constantly at odds. It surprises me he has showed so much self restraint.

"If he is an Awakened from birth, instead, there is the possibility that he is afraid of harming them, hence he tries to keep them at a distance. When you get so powerful while still being so young, many have problems controlling their strength.

Consider that for him normal humans are made of paper. All he needs to do is use a little strength to crush them.

"Whatever is his nature, the attachment towards other humans is a good sign for us, because it means he cares for them. If he does, then if the necessity arises they can be used to shackle him."

"My Lady, why not kill him? His corpse may answer all of your questions and he would no longer pose a threat. Two birds with one stone."

"Killing another living being only because I don’t understand them? Who do you take me for? A human?" Tyris scoffed.

"If he was another wannabe tyrant or a monster sucking everything dry on its path, your suggestion would make sense. Yet so far he poses no threat to his kind nor to the beasts, who consider him as one of their own. Even the world has recognized his worth, subjecting him to its cruel tribulations.

"If he fails, he’ll die. If he succeeds the balance will have a new Guardian and I another potential mate. It’s a win-win situation for me.

"Thanks for your hard work, Amyla. You’ll resume your surveillance when the academy reopens. Until then, you’ll continue your normal activities as a member of the Corpse.

"Do not tell anyone about Lith being a natural Awakened, not even to the Royals. They are past their prime and surrounded by strife. It would be easy for them being tempted to coerce him into turning them in real Awakened.