Supreme Magus novel Chapter 1951

Chapter 1951: Bait And Switch (part 1)

Theseus felt a sense of kinship toward Bytra. He had found someone who was exactly like him, who could truly understand what he was going through. He was about to ask the Riaju if she suffered from blood madness as well when she turned toward Dolgus, shaking her head.

“Please, I don’t deserve your apologies nor your praise.” Bytra said, leaving both men confused. “Ever since I gained the full memories of my original, I inherited not only the burden of her crimes, but also her greatness.

“Korgh was a genius who let her envy and ambition consume her until they turned her into a monster. What she did was terrible and she gained a lot from it. I can’t undo her actions more than I can forget the source of the knowledge she bestowed upon me.

“For most of my short life, I suffered from fits of blood madness because every time I put Korgh’s knowledge into practice, I was also reminded of how she had gained it and the suffering she had caused.

“Only after meeting Solus and accepting my responsibilities as Korgh’s heir did I finally find peace. I’m not doing this because I’m a hero, but because it’s the right thing to do.

“If I just enjoyed the fruits of Korgh’s crimes without even trying to make amends to her victims, I would be no better than her, and I would deserve your fury.”

“That’s ridiculous. You are guiltless. The crimes of your biological mother cannot fall upon you. You had no choice in the matters you blame yourself for.” The Griffon replied.

“No, she’s right.” Theseus stood up, walking in front of Solus. “All of you gained your powers through hard work and sacrifice. It’s your achievement, something you deserve and can be proud of.

“People like us, instead, have been granted powers that came at the expense of innocents. In a way, Bytra and I are Forbidden Magic come to life. We took our knowledge from our Originals who in turn took it from whoever was unlucky enough to cross their path.

“Just using their powers for our sake would be egotistical.

As Bytra said, we must try to make amends for our past crimes. This guilt we feel is what makes us truly different from our Originals.”

He took Solus’ face between his hands, applying Body Sculpting to her. The changes were minimal. The shape of her eyes became a little sharper, her mouth fuller, and her hairline advanced a little.

Once he was done, she had become identical to the young Elphyn Menadion in Threin’s paintings, with all the artistic liberties that Solus’ father had taken in depicting her daughter as he saw her.

“Fuck me sideways. If I didn’t see the before and after, I would never recognize you, Solus.” Lith said.

“Thanks.” Theseus replied. “This way, even if things with the Verendi Council go south, you can always go back to your old life, Elphyn. Everyone will go looking for a painting that came to life.”

“This is amazing!” Solus watched at her reflection in a mirror of ice she had conjured. “It’s still me yet at the same time I’m not. How did you do that?”

“Paquut, my original, was an artist as well, but he used people instead of canvas for his works.” Theseus lowered his gaze in shame. “He turned his victims into flesh puppets and then enjoyed their agonizing moans as they starved to death.

“I know things about Body Sculpting that give me nightmares. From how to fix a defective life force to how to make a human statue last for months by forcing their body to cannibalize itself, shrinking over time like a candle.”