They sat on the sand next to each other, with Solus leaning on Lith's shoulder and with his arm wrapped around her shoulder to keep her from losing her balance.
'Gods, I had completely forgotten how everything feels much more vivid compared to my energy body. It makes wonders for my taste buds but it also makes me feel awkward when people touch me, especially Lith.' She tried to look down at her abdomen, but her shapely bosom eclipsed it.
'I wonder how I look like according to human and Awakened standards. I mean, I'm not a stunner like Friya, but Tista confirmed to me that I have a sweet ass and Lith said that my breast felt amazing.' She giggled at the memory and her cheeks flushed.
'Yep, it's almost a D cup.' Lith replied.
'How long has our mind link returned?' Even her thoughts stuttered as her face turned to a bright shade of purple.
'Long enough.'
'Gods, this is the worst day of my life!' Solus said.
***
A few days later, Solus had become capable of eating on her own and of interacting with others without endangering their lives. Yet her movements were still clumsy and every attempt to run ended with her tumbling after the second step.
Things were much harder for her compared to the time when she had taken human form in Kolga. Once rest and food had replenished her blue mana core, she had become even stronger.
That and her body mass made it hard for Solus to perform even the simplest task.
A second of distraction was all that it took to turn her fork into a crumpled lump of metal or to make her open a crater where she walked. Gravity fusion controlled her weight, but it didn't help her to control her body.
'This would go much better if we fused our minds As we did in Kolga. It wouldn't give you my muscle memory but at least you could experience first-hand how I deal with these problems.' Lith said while helping Solus with her rehabilitation.
He performed simple movements that she mirrored with the help of their mind link, using it to feel whenever she lost control of her strength or failed to properly shift her center of gravity.
'Over my dead body!' She replied with a fury that baffled him. 'I mean, thanks, but no thanks. I'd rather put some more effort than lose what little I have left of my privacy.'
Solus wanted to avoid at all costs that Lith learned about her rebellious phase and the things that according to Silverwing and Baba Yaga she had done. Also, Solus had now many thoughts that she was more than happy to hide.
Her old energy body had no hormones, no physiological or emotional needs, and everything felt as if she was wrapped in plastic wrap. All of her senses were now heightened and after being single for so long, she had trouble controlling her reaction when meeting attractive people, especially Awakened.
'Ready for the big one?' Lith asked while holding her left hand.
'I'm ready.' Solus took the half-crafted Sage Staff out of her pocket dimension and made the tower disappear.
Her knees buckled as vigor left her body, forcing Solus to lean on the staff and on Lith just to not collapse on the ground. She took a series of deep breaths, using the staff to draw the world energy she needed to not disappear and the physical contact with Lith to stabilize her life force.
The moment her legs steadied, Solus took a step forward and Lith followed her.
'How does it feel being human without the tower?' He asked, opening a Warp Steps that led them away from the mana geyser so that the amount of world energy in the air was no different from Lutia.
'Like I have a mountain on my back and I'm thigh-deep in a tar pit, but it gets easier every time.' She said, grunting with effort just to put one foot in front of the other. 'Thanks for spending your time with me.
'I know that you would rather practice Demon Grasp or Forgemastering instead of playing babysitter.'
Due to their bond, Lith was the only one who could share with her as much information she needed without poisoning her cracked core. Also, without him and the staff, Solus was incapable of keeping her human form.
'Please, you have spent the last fifteen years taking care of me, helping me with my studies, my career, and with all the crazy stuff that happened. This is nothing compared to that.' Lith replied.
Solus's lips formed a small smile as she kept walking, clinging to his hands in the only way she had to express her gratitude without losing her focus. She was already so weak that even talking via their mind link sapped her strength.
Her Awakened body barely felt the heat from the desert's sun, yet she sweated bullets.
They walked for a little less than fifteen minutes before her body started to crumble. Unlike her energy form, forcefully losing her flesh was an excruciating experience as if someone was cutting her into pieces.
Lith Warped them back to the Heavenly Plume village, where the abundant world energy relieved most of her pain. Once the tower was back in place, Solus felt reborn.
"I'm going to take a long bath and then an even longer nap." She said amid pants. "Please, don't disturb me unless there's an emergency."
"Will do." Lith nodded.
"How did it go?" Friya asked right after Solus disappeared inside the tower.
"Solus has already regained her old muscle memory, but it's useless to her. Because of her mass, she has to learn everything from scratch, or the next time she hugs someone out of joy she will crush them to death.
"The silver lining is that thanks to the Sage Staff she can move away from a geyser and that the time her body lasts is getting longer by the day. My guess is the blue core is a big deal for her as well and that she has yet to adjust to her new condition." Lith said.
"How long did it take you to get used to your wyrmling body?"
"Months. I gained it before joining the military but I got my first set of wings only after meeting you in Zantia."
"Ouch. If there's anything I can do to help, just let me know." Friya said.
"Tell that to Solus, not me. She still feels terrible for hurting my mother and walks on eggshells every time a normal person approaches her, especially the kids. She could use an Awakened friend that can survive one of her accidental love taps."
"What about Tista?"
"She's too busy with Grandma's training. Their schedules- What the fuck?" The army amulet drew Lith's consciousness and cut him short. "How the heck did Brinja manage to contact me? I'm sorry, but I have to take this call, it must be important."
"Hello, Lith. I hope I didn't interrupt anything." The 3D hologram of Lady Distar popped out of the blue gemstone the moment Lith pressed the blinking rune.
She was 22 years old, about 1.63 meters (5'3") tall with silky blonde hair that looked like a golden waterfall.
AN: Please read the Author's thoughts below.
