'Gods, I dreamed about this moment for years. I made plans and preparations, and yet everything went horribly wrong. I can't even ask them for an explanation without making matters even worse.
'I'd better start eating as well. At least nothing can ruin the taste of my first meal with my family.' Yet Solus was once again wrong.
Her arm refused to lift and when she put more energy into it, her right hand darted up like a bullet, punching a hole in the table and sending her meal splattering everywhere.
The sound of plates shattering and of cutlery clinking on the floor was the last straw.
"I'm so sorry." She started to cry uncontrollably, almost falling off her chair. "The day has barely started and I've already ruined it. I wish I didn't get this stupid lump of flesh back."
"You didn't ruin anything, Solus." Raaz swallowed his food with a gulp that would have made a boa constrictor proud. "It's just that you took us by surprise and the initial confusion made it hard for us to understand what was happening.
"I mean, you are a wonderful young lady and the two of you have been together for so long-"
"What he's trying to say is that we are happy you are finally yourself again." Elina shut Raaz up before he choked on his own foot and wiped Solus's tears away with a napkin. "You did nothing wrong and I apologize if I made you feel anything less than loved and welcome."
As Elina hugged Solus and consoled her, she had to stay completely still, afraid to hurt Elina.
"Don't worry about the table. Things can always be fixed." A snap of Salaark's finger fixed the hole and cleaned the mess, sending an order to the kitchen for another serving.
"I blame Lith for the horrible conversation starter." Senton said.
"He always tries to act cool and mysterious but it always ends with an awkward situation. I'm sorry for having been a jerk, Solus. Welcome home."
He stood up, giving Solus a peck on the head before helping her to blow her nose.
"Is there something wrong with your body, sweetie?" Rena caressed Solus's cheek, noticing that she was still trembling, frozen in place like a puppy during a thunderstorm. "You always move around so gracefully and yet now you can't even lift a fork."
"Beats me." Solus shrugged, sending Elina who was still hugging her flying away and landing butt first onto the floor. "Oh gods, I'm so sorry. Are you alright?"
"Peachy." Elina lied through her teeth without letting her smile falter from the pain.
"It doesn't make sense." Friya said while healing Elina's wounds with the excuse to help her to stand up. "Lith showed me the events of Kolga and you weren't this strong back then.
"On top of that, you practiced walking and moving until you managed to fight properly. Eating breakfast shouldn't be an issue yet you seem to be back to square one, if not even right back into the game box."
"I wish I knew." In all of her dreams, Solus had imagined herself being able to hold hands, to hug the people she cared for, and to live like one of them. Not to be a loose cannon.
After hurting Elina, she was now too focused on staying still to think about anything else.
"The Forbidden Sun only restored her human body. There was not enough energy to form the tower as well. Also, it has already passed over a year." Lith replied. "Her body must be numb from the lack of exercise.
"Also, don't forget that back then our mind link worked. Solus learned so quickly because of it."
"Excellent idea!" Tista extended a tendril of mana towards Solus, but Salaark dispelled it.
"Don't. She has so little mana that even a mind link would poison her. Lith is the only one who can safely establish a telepathic connection with Solus, but he didn't. Why?"
"Because I assumed that her body cut off even our mind link to protect itself." He replied. "Maybe it's because her core is too weak even for that or maybe it's because at this stage, my influence might affect her personality.
"I decided to trust Menadion and give Solus the time she needs to recover."
"What if your bond is broken forever?" Tista asked, making Solus turn as pale as a ghost.
"It's very unlikely. The tower is still mine and Solus's body mass is the proof that she is still a hybrid." His stomach grumbled, quickly followed by Solus's.
Between the delicious smell from the table and the emotional rollercoaster, she had worked up the appetite of a Dragon.
"Eating is the best way to regain mana and I'm dizzy from hunger. Time to shut up and dig in." Lith sat in front of Solus, opening his seven eyes even though he was still in human form.
"I can't eat by mys-" The cutlery in front of Solus started to move due to Lith's Spirit Magic. He used two eyes to check on his own meal while the others spoon-fed Solus, cut the food for her, and cleaned her mouth with a napkin when necessary.
Solus found it sweet and caring of him, yet it also made her feel like a drooling toddler.
After the meal, Lith conjured a floating chair with Light Mastery to move Solus around without arousing any more misunderstandings. The construct cracked several times under her weight, making her blush.
"How does the world feel to your real body?" Lith asked after moving away from the crowd and putting her feet in the sand.
"The sun blinds me, the heat is making me sweat, and my feet feel like they are inside burning sandpaper." She replied. "Don't get me started about my hair. It always ends up in my face or gets stuck into something."
"This bad?" With a wave of his hand, Lith arranged Solus's hair into a tress that still reached the small of her back.
"Are you kidding me? I'm loving it." She smiled for the first time since the breakfast disaster. "I can't wait to get back on my feet and get even more annoyed by the small things that my energy body kept me from experiencing."
"What's the first thing you want to do after you become able to walk?"
"I want to visit Lutia. Then I want to go see Quylla and Phloria. I want to eat with you at your favorite restaurants. I want to buy myself a dress after trying it out in the fitting room." She said with dreaming eyes. "I just want to live."
"What about working out a little bit?" Lith pinched her soft belly that bulged out way more than she liked.
"By my Mom! After how horrible this morning was couldn't you cut me some slack?"
"Hey, I'm looking out for you." Lith kept teasing her. "Awakened can get fat and if you keep eating like you did today, soon Aran will ask you when the baby is due."
"You son of a gun!" Solus laughed. "I've changed my mind. The first thing I do when I get back on my feet will be to kick your ass.. Exercise and revenge, two birds with one stone."
