"There's no need. Do you remember the mana crystals I left in the tea room and the promise I made to your sister?" Lith asked.
Kamila nodded, yet she wasn't reassured by his words. Lith was too serious, he was clearly hiding something from her.
"I kept my word. I used the array to know when she was in danger and unleash a spell that reflected on Fallmug all he did to Zinya. He didn't harm a single hair of hers."
"That's- great news. If everything is fine, then why the long face?" She asked.
"Kami, what I did is a crime. A blatant abuse of power made it worse by the fact that I left him alive. Now, I'm confessing my crime to you and entrusting you with the knowledge about a secret spell of mine at the same time.
"Do you understand how serious this is?" His words wiped the smile from her face.
"I understand." She said after a moment of hesitation.
"You committed a crime to protect my sister and you're asking me if I can live with it, right? You're asking me if you can entrust your secrets to Kamila the girlfriend without Yehval the handler revealing them out of duty."
Lith nodded, putting their relationship to the test for the first time. Just like he did with his academy's mates when he revealed to them his inhuman physical prowess. To him, it was a critical moment.
He had not told her all the truth so that if Kamila proved to be unworthy, he would risk nothing. A spell like the one he had described was out of a fairy tale, even a first year student would laugh at such a story.
Zinya had heard nothing while Fallmug's story would be completely different from Kamila's and even less believable. Not even Manohar could cover the distance from Lutia to Xylita in a matter of seconds.
"Thank you." Kamila's voice was happy but broken. Small tears streamed down her face.
"Even though I have plenty of friends, I spent all my life alone because when push comes to shove, my burden was my own. When people heard about my problems, they would pity me and say a lot of nice words, but no one would do anything.
"Thank you for saving Zinya at all costs. Thank you for taking to heart a problem that's not even yours and putting your career at risk for me." She sobbed, but she never stopped looking in his eyes.
"Most of all, thank you for trusting me so much. I don't care about my career. I'll do anything to protect your secret just like you did for me." She hugged him, hiding her face on his shoulder, trembling like a puppy scared by a clap of thunder.
"You're welcome." Lith replied, holding her tight.
"As I already told you before, being in a relationship means solving together problems that you wouldn't have alone. This means that sooner or later you'll get dragged into the mess that my life is. Are you up for that?" He asked.
"Yes, I am." She said with all her heart. Yet Lith didn't shapeshift nor told her anything else. He just wiped the tears and the snot from her face before giving her a short, soft kiss.
'Now she's too clouded by her emotions. I have to wait until she is cool headed again. Only then I will see her true reaction.' Lith thought. Words were meaningless to him, only actions mattered.
"Tomorrow I'm going to speak with Professor Vastor about your sister and probably I'll have her admitted at the White Griffon Hospital for the procedure. Do you want to come with me?" He held her face between his hands, gently caressing it.
"I wish I could, but I have to work. I shouldn't even be here." She sniffed.
"I'll try to be there for the intervention. Please, keep me posted."
Lith nodded in reply.
"Do you want to get out for dinner or do you want to stay at home?" He asked.
"I want to stay with you." Was her reply. She refused to both release him from her embrace or stand up from his legs. Kamila felt like his arms were her castle and his heart was her sky. She wanted that moment to last forever.
"Are you sure that nothing happened to Zinya?" She asked.
"Absolutely. Not only did the spell protect her, but it also gave me a full check up of her condition. No harm came to her after our visit." Lith's voice was so confident that it made Kamila's worries disappear.
Lith had a hard time preparing dinner while never letting her go, managing to do it solely thanks to spirit magic and fire vision. When he attempted to spoon-feed her, she couldn't repress her chuckle anymore.
"You're the least romantic man I've ever known. Couldn't this wait a few hours?"
"Maybe you are right, but I'm hungry and so are you. I can't feel the romance in the air with all this noise." Both of their stomachs had grumbled for a while before Lith started to cook.
"I know. Stupid stomach. Always ruins everything." It grumbled harder since she had refused the spoon and the smell of the food was delicious.
"You're too good a cook. It's all your fault if I get fat." The first bite was enough to make Kamila realize that between her long day at work and all those emotions, she had worked quite an appetite.
"Hands off my plate, woman!" Lith rebuked her merrily as she exploited being on his legs to eat from both plates.
"Make me." She said while feeding him.
***
The next morning Lith hadn't slept much, again, but he was definitely happy about his past night. Kamila had refused to let him go even during the morning shower, giving to his day a really pleasant start.
'One thing is for sure. If you two keep up like this, Kamila will lose weight fast.'
'Solus, that's dirty!' Lith rebuked her.
'Hello, pot. My name is kettle and I'm black.' She sneered.
He left Belius for the White Griffon academy, where Professor Zogar Vastor and Quylla were waiting for him.
"Lith, my boy. It's so good to see you again. It would be much better if you didn't visit or call only when you need something, though. I know we are both busy men, but it's kind of rude anyway."
"That's exactly what I told him, Professor." Quylla nodded.
"I apologize to both of you." Lith said, having a hard time to repress a sigh of annoyance.
"I've consulted all the material Quylla sent me and I'd like to hear your opinion about the different approaches I devised."
"Hold your horses, Lith. No competent Healer would give their opinion based on a hologram, no matter how good it is. We need to see the patient. I've taken the liberty of setting the Gate's coordinates to Xylita already." Vastor stood up abruptly.
How he managed to do it without wobbling despite his egg-shaped body was still a mystery to Lith. When they reached the Sarta household, the servants quaked in their boots, not daring to say anything.
One mage was terrifying, but three at once were the stuff nightmares were made of.
