Supreme Magus

Chapter 3829: Three (Part 2)

"Mana core: Awakened and intact. Life force: uncategorized. Life force composition: 50% human, 50% Rezar. No life force defect detected. No wound detected. Perfect health. No further action is recommended." The light of the containment field flashed green, and the Infirmary let Nalrond step away from the crystal tank.

"Uncategorized?"

"An Agni is a new species." Friya replied. "How do you expect the Infirmary to classify someone who didn’t exist until a few months ago?"

"Good question." Ryla nodded. "By the way, how come Lith doesn’t know how his own lab works?"

"Because the Infirmary is a work in progress." Solus raked her brain for a plausible explanation. "We have put all our knowledge into it, but we have never thought about how the Infirmary would interpret it.

"I mean, we know Tyrants, Balors, Fomors, and Tiamats are evolved humans, but we never put a clean label on them."

"Wait a second." Kamila put Elysia near the tank, and the baby girl pressed her hands against the crystal.

"Mana core: Awakened and intact. Life force: 50% rank 0 human, 50% Tiamat. Tiamat Life force composition: 25% rank 3 human, 25% uncategorized Eldritch, 25% Dragon, 25% Phoenix. No life force defect detected. No wound detected. Perfect health. No further action is recommended."

"Tee!" Elysia puffed her chest out with pride and put her open hand in front of Garrik.

"Congratulations, Ely!" Garrik laughed and took the baby girl in his arms. "But that’s five. Three is like this."

He showed her his right hand with the little and ring fingers curled.

"Tee?" Elysia mimicked the gesture.

"Yes, three." Garrik nodded.

"Tee!" Elysia shoved the right number of fingers in his face, making the young boy laugh again.

"I can’t believe no one thought about doing this before." Kamila put her hands on the crystal and waited for the response.

"Warning, two subjects detected." She read. "Subject 1, mother. Mana core: Awakened and intact. Life force: 100% human. I guess people like me must be the baseline since there’s no mention of rank."

She ignored the rest.

When Raldarak’s readings came out, they were identical to Elysia’s.

"Tee!" The baby girl repeated with pride.

"Mom?" Valeron the Second asked.

"Of course, sweetie." Kamila swallowed hard and crossed her fingers.

"Mana core: Awakened and intact. Life force: Uncategorized. Life force composition: 25% human, 25% Griffon, 50% Dragon. No life force defect detected. No wound detected. Perfect health. No further action is recommended." She read for him.

"No three?" Valeron felt guilty for being different from his siblings, as if somehow it were his fault.

"No, sweetie, you are like me. Don’t you like Mommy?" Kamila asked.

"Mommy!" The baby boy hugged her, happy not to be alone.

"So-y, Wah." Elysia closed her fingers, feeling terrible for hurting her brother’s feelings.

"Sorry for what?" Lith Warped back with Raaz in tow.

"Nothing." Kamila cleared her throat. "We just discovered that the Infirmary can distinguish between a pregnant woman and her children."

"Sorry, Dad. I dragged you here for nothing." Lith said.

"Don’t worry, son. I’m happy to help you however I can." Raaz was glad Lith had come to him instead of Elina.

He would never admit it out loud, but he was quite jealous that most of his children always asked their mother for help.

"What about me?" Morok placed his hands on the crystal tank and discovered that he was categorized as a rank 2 human, like a Fomor. "Babe?"

"Why not?" Quylla followed suit, and the Infirmary recognized three subjects.

One human mother and two hybrid babies whose life force was half rank 0 and the other half rank 2.

"What do you mean, subject 1, mother. Evolutionary rate 0%?" She snarled at the insensitive artifact. "Why did you feel the need to specify the rank 0 only to me?"

"For clarity." Menadion chuckled. "So that there was no confusion between you and your twins."

"Makes sense, but it’s rude nonetheless." Quylla crossed her arms and glared at the display, which remained uncaring about her mood.

"Make way, plebs." Tista stepped forward. "Let me show you how it’s done."

"Mana core: Awakened and intact. Life force: 100% Not a Tiamat. Life force composition: 50% rank 3 human, 25% Dragon, 25% Phoenix. No life force defect detected. No wound detected. Perfect health. Neener-neener. Lith!"

"Guilty as charged." Lith laughed in her face. "In my defence, you weren’t categorized either, big sis, so I filled the blanks."

"Change that to 100% Hekate! Now!" She snarled, and he complied.

"Someone is cranky today." Lith chuckled. "Jokes aside, make no mention of the human ranks to Aran and Leria, or we’ll never hear the end of this."

"You have my word." Everyone nodded and shuddered at the thought of throwing more fuel on the fire of their rivalry.

"Ryla, you go next." Solus pointed at the glass case.

"Mana core: dormant and compromised. Life force: 100% rank 2 human Fomor, but unstable. Overall: 100% evolved human. 80% of the life force is defective. No wound detected. Perfect health.

"Warning: condition is congenital and permanent. Intervention required. No therapy available. Insufficient data." The light of the containment field turned red, but Ryla smiled nonetheless.

"One-fifth of my life force is healthy! Thank you so much, Quylla." The Fomor hugged her as tightly and delicately as she could.

"It’s too early to thank me, Ryla. We have no idea how much of that 20% is me and how much is Glemos’ doing."

Everybody remained still and quiet until Ryla let go of Quylla and lifted Garrik in her arms.

"See, sweetie? Your mom is better already!"

"We’ll get better together, Mom." Garrik nodded.

"Well, here goes nothing. Wish me luck." Friya took a deep breath and stepped forward.

"Warning, three subjects detected." She read. "Subject 1... Three? This must be a mistake! I’m not-"

"Subject 1, mother. Mana core: Awakened and intact. Life force: uncategorized." Quylla read out loud and cut her sister short. "Life force composition: 50% human, 50% Hydra. We know this part, move on to the babies!"

With utmost cruelty, the Infirmary complied.

"Subject 2 and 3, sons. Identical twins with identical readings as follows. You’re pregnant with two boys!" Quylla and the rest of the room cheered so hard that the walls trembled.

Friya, however, fell to her knees while Nalrond turned pale as a ghost, his blank stare fixated on the tower’s wall.

"Mana core: dormant and intact. Life force: uncategorized hybrid. Life force composition: 50% human, 50% uncategorized. No life force defects detected. No wound detected. Perfect health. No further action is recommended. They’re healthy!"

"Twins?" Friya echoed, looking at her slim figure and then at the bloated form of her sister.

"I’m a first-time parent! I can’t start with two babies!" Nalrond paced the room like a trapped animal, clawing his face.

"How dare you complain?" Friya snarled. "I’m the one who’s going to carry them for nine months!"

"And I’m the one who’s going to take care of the three of you for nine months!" Nalrond snarled back. "Look at Morok. Does his job look easy to you?"

"It’s not easy at all." Quylla sighed. "But if Morok and I make it work, you and Friya can make it work. Also, having twins is the least of your worries right now, sis."

"Because of the threat of the Gernoff?" Friya asked.