"When I met Lith I was in a bad place…" Nalrond said.
"Like the corner where Mom grounds us until we reflect on our actions?" Leria asked. Her mind was too young for metaphors so she took everything literally.
"Kind of. After we dealt with Dawn, I needed some time to think if I really wanted to join my tribe in their journey. I tried living among humans, but I didn't fit. They treated me like the stranger I was, making me feel even more lonely than ever.
"Then I tried to live among beasts, but it didn't go much better. Magical beasts felt even more alien to me than humans, while Emperor Beasts were friendly, but had no time to spare for me. They all treated me like an oddity.
"It was only when I came here that you made me feel…"
"Special. Like us." Leran shapeshifted his right hand into red fur and claws.
"Exactly." Nalrond raised his left hand and did the same, placing his palm against Leran's. "I felt like I belonged."
"People are mean, uncle Nalrond." Leria shapeshifted only her arms, making them long enough hug his waist. "Mom tells us all the time that we must never listen to mean people."
"You've finally learned to control yourself. Good job, kids." Lith's hand turned into scales and claws before ruffling Leria's hair.
"See, Mom? Uncle Lith is special as well. Why are you the only one that can't change?" Leran asked.
"Because." Was her reply. "I'll explain it to you when you're older. Now go and play outside with your new toys. Nalrond?"
"On it." The Rezar snapped his fingers, making all plates, cutlery, and cups reach the trash bin in an orderly fashion before popping out of existence. At the same time, a cage of light overlapped with the fence surrounding the house.
"See what I mean?" Selia's smile went from ear to ear. "No more washing nor breaking anything. Also, I can finally let the children go out without supervision."
Lilia and Leria retrieved their new toys the moment breakfast was over. They hugged their parents and uncles before going outside, showing Lith how much their manners had improved.
"Now that the kids are gone, I want to apologize for what I said and done to you down in those caves." Nalrond said with a sigh, his eyes filled with regret. "I owe you a great deal for sparing my life and giving me a chance.
"A chance that, in my ignorance, I squandered. To make it up to you, Lith, I could teach you Light Mastery. I heard from Protector that you already are a powerful healer, so it shouldn't take…"
"Hold your dragons." Lith was thrilled at his offer, but there was annoyance in Selia's eyes and embarrassment in Ryman's. Something was off. "Squandered how?"
Nalrond lowered his gaze, staring at the table for a few seconds before answering.
"When I first arrived here, I was stubbornly clinging to my theory that you were nothing but Solus's puppet so I used her name to introduce myself to Selia."
"You what?" Lith inwardly cursed, knowing that the Rezar's offer was too good to come with no strings attached.
"The more I explained things to her, the more Selia wanted to kick me out. Luckily, Ryman returned home in time to clear the misunderstanding. You can guess the rest." Nalrond said. "For what is worth, I'm really sorry."
"Now that the cat is out of the bag, why don't you introduce me to your girlfriend?" Selia asked.
"You already know Kami."
"I mean the one literally at your fingertips." She replied.
"Selia, this is Solus, my first and best friend ever. Solus, this is Selia, the one who ripped us off time and time again when we were little." Lith theatrically placed his open palm in front of Selia. "Feel free to talk to the hand."
"Hi, Selia. I'd say nice to meet you, but I know you since forever." Solus said before the huntress could rebuke Lith for his sass.
"Since we got to this point, we should do things properly. Selia, Ryman, can you leave the house for a bit?" Lith asked.
Even though she had been expecting something like that to happen, Selia was still too shocked to reply. She stared at Lith's ring as if it could eat her face at any moment. Solus's voice was completely different from the recorded phrases Lith imbued in the toys he made.
It was full of emotions and vibrant, like that of a person.
"Sure we can. Do you mind keeping an eye on the children, Nalrond?" Ryman said.
"No problem. I've been there already, so I'm not going to miss much." The Rezar had guessed Lith's intentions, yet he was far from the truth. Back in the Snake Tongue mountains, he had only seen what Lith wanted to show him.
Lith opened a Warp Steps leading to the mana geyser in the Trawn woods while feeling the turmoil in Solus's mind. It was a mix of excitement and fear of rejection.
'Don't worry about it. She'll love you.' Lith thought.
Solus jumped off his finger, being careful to not shapeshift into her spider form out of habit. She knew how human minds worked and she didn't want Selia to perceive her as anything less than human.
She turned to liquid and dug into the ground unseen. The tower emerged a split second later, now a three-story building with the second floor almost restored. Sadly, almost wasn't enough to even clear the debris leading to the new level.
"Good gods!" Selia and Ryman said in unison while holding their hands out of fright.
Selia had seen plenty of marvels since she had started her relationship with Ryman, but a building over ten meters (33 feet) high and with a base larger than her house popping out of thin air was something that only happened in myths.
Protector, instead, was shocked seeing how much it had grown compared to the last memory he shared with Lith. Also, unlike Selia, he could perceive the massive amount of energy that coursed throughout the building, making it look like a fortress.
"Please, come in." Lith said.
To make matters worse for his guests, from the moment the tower had appeared Lith seemed to have grown as well. His stature was unchanged, but his presence was much more overbearing as if he could squash them like bugs.
Lith had no hostility toward them, so the feeling of dread lasted only for a second.
Only once they stepped in, did Solus appear.
"Oh, gods! It's much bigger on the inside." Selia watched in amazement at the solid staircases in white stone leading to the adjacent floors and the many doors on the walls.
"It is. The ground floor is designed for the living quarters. Bedrooms, living room, kitchen, and stuff like that. The basement is for my labs and the first floor, well, it's easier if I show you. Before I give you a tour, allow me to introduce you to Solus again." Lith said.
"Hi, Selia. Hi, Ryman." Solus came out of her bedroom. She was in her luminous human form and wore a set of hunter clothes that closely resembled Selia's. It consisted of a leather hunting jacket over a green shirt, green cargo pants, and brown hunting boots.
Solus avoided floating to not scare her guest, which emphasized her diminutive stature. With her 1.54 meter (5'1") she was a good head shorter than Selia and barely reached Ryman's chest.
