Chapter 1250 - Natural Undead (Part 2) (1/2)
”It's only when they give up on themselves completely and let the hunger consume them that they turn into Eldritchs. Only then do I turn my back on them forever. My adoptive children like you, instead, had no choice.
”The beast life force is my first and only gift to those like you. I give you all a chance, yet everyone just throws it away.” Mogar showed Lith the images of his fight with the Abomination that had taken over the body of the Dryad back at the academy.
”That thing was like me?” Lith asked.
”No, it was nothing like you. He came from another place as well but after destroying his first body, he found himself a more powerful husk. You wielded your powers like a shield rather than a sword and created life instead of taking it.”
Mogar showed Lith images of how his household and village had thrived with the passing of the years since his arrival.
”I'm no hero. Everything I did, I did it for myself.” Lith said.
”Just like every one of my children. There are no heroes nor villains in real life. Everyone only cares about survival, remember? Your words, not mine.” Mogar-Elina said.
Lith pondered the revelation until a question came to his mind.
”Is this the reason why during breakthroughs and tribulations I emit two pillars of light instead of one like Emperor Beasts?” He asked, receiving a nod in reply.
”Let me guess, the black light is due to my Abomination side trying to turn me into an Eldritch while the silver it's you trying to pull me in the path you have chosen for me, correct?”
”Wrong. I told you, there is no destiny, only possible choices.” Mogar said. ”During all of your tribulations, I'm called as a witness, not to decide in your stead. Whether you'll become just another Eldritch or something entirely new depends only on you.”
”Or you could just come with me.” Carl said. ”This new life has given you much power, but it's nothing compared to the suffering that it has inflicted upon you.”
He patted Lith's shoulder, reverting him to his original form as Derek McCoy.
”Life on Earth was harsh, yet this is the pain that you experienced in over 26 years.”
Lith relived his first life in less than a second as the scars that his father, the years of bullying, and the relentless training had left on him resurfaced one after the other.
”I'll skip the gunshot to the head because you did it to yourself.” Carl patted him on the shoulder again, turning Lith into his short-lived alien form. He experienced only the pangs of huger until a gaping wound opened on his chest.
”It was brutal, but at least it lasted less than 2 days. This is what Mogar did to you in barely 19 years.” Carl patted Lith for the last time, turning him into his current self.
Lith experienced the years of hunger, the beating from Orpal's friends, and the fear of facing the beasts of the Trawn woods. When he reached the part where he had joined the academy, Lith was already covered in cuts, bruises, and wounds.
”Just because light magic makes the scars disappear, it doesn't mean that they never happened.” Between the fight with the Talons, the plant Puppeteer, and Balkor's Valor, Lith's body turned into a bloody pulp.