"By the gods, Mom, shut up and let me do the talking!" Nok rolled over his back, exposing the soft fur of his belly to look as harmless as he could before explaining the whole story from the beginning.
"So you adopted Nyka once you understood that she had been reborn as an entirely new person." Elina said.
"Correct." Kalla nodded. "Do you mind offering me something to eat? Nurturing the crystal on my neck takes a lot of energy and being clobbered doesn't help. Also, the kids have a lot of things to say to each other and I don't want to embarrass them further with my presence."
"Sure. Follow me to the kitchen. I'm sure we have many things to talk about." Elina said while making way to the pantry.
"Food? Kitchen?" Nok's stomach rumbled from all those emotions and the strict diet. "I think I'll join you. I'm not interested in girls' talk."
The three of them walked away while the girls went to Solus's room, taking a bath in the hot springs that Salaark had given to each one of her guests in the place of a bathtub.
Tista told Nyka about how after reaching the blue core she had become a Wyrmling as well and how she had been struggling with her newfound double nature. Then, it was Solus's turn to share with her friend everything that had happened since the events in Lightkeep.
"Wow!" The Vampire said with a face that didn't match her words. "You girls are boring. After all this time, all you have to talk about is work? I wonder who among us is really dead and who is alive!"
Nyka then told them about how after moving to Lightkeep she had met lots of people, both living and undead, spending most of her free time at social events.
"I have a boyfriend now." She said, puffing her chest out with pride.
"Is he nice?" Tista was sick and tired of the handsome yet obnoxious men she had met in the Awakened community.
"Is it serious?" Solus asked.
"Respectively yes and no." Nyka replied, conjuring a life-sized image of her boyfriend from the gurgling water.
It took the semblance of a man with the features typical of the Griffon Kingdom. He was as tall as Nyka and had a kind yet sad look in his eyes.
"Ikaros is a nice guy, but I don't think our relationship will last." Nyka shrugged. "He's a thrall waiting to be turned into a Banshee and I bet that once it happens, he will be too busy learning how to control his powers and hunger to care about me.
"On top of that, I don't mind a Banshee's flirty attitude in a friend, but if it was my boyfriend, I'd kick his ass before dumping him."
"Then why are you dating him?" Solus asked.
"Because I have to start from somewhere and I'm tired of being alone. What about you two? Did you meet someone interesting?" Nyka said.
"No." Solus replied.
"I wish." Tista groaned.
"How is it even possible? Tista, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever met and you, Solus, finally have your body back while Lith is single. Why didn't you ask him already to get his magical sword inside your enchanted cave and drive out the evil Dragon?" Nyka asked, making Solus turn to a bright shade of purple.
"What the heck is the Dragon supposed to be in this metaphor?" Tista laughed at Solus's expense while she plunged into the water to hide her face.
"I have no idea. It just sounded fitting." Nyka replied and Tista laughed harder.
"You've got nothing to laugh about, young Lady. At least Solus has only been back in the game for less than one month and she still has lots of limitations. What's your excuse?"
"I got plenty. I live in the shadow of my brother, there's a madman targeting our friends-"
"That's bullshit and you know it. I mean the real reason." Nyka cut her short.
"First, I had trouble finding a boyfriend because they only cared either about my body or getting close to Lith." Tista sighed. "I had placed my hopes in the Awakened community, but after our bloodline became of public dominion, they treat me like a breeding ground.
"I've just gone from being surrounded by gold diggers to baby diggers. I'm sick and tired of being approached by people that want something from me instead of just being interested in me. How the heck did Lith find someone like Kamila?"
"By getting his ass out there and taking risks!" Nyka said. "I can't believe that I, the youngest of the group, have to teach you the ropes."
Tista hid in the water as well, dipping up to her mouth.
"Speaking of risks, Solus, you've know Lith for a long time and you two even fused more than once. Have you tried walking in his room wearing nothing but a smile? I'm sure it-"
"How's Vladion's investigation going?" Solus said, eager to change the topic.
"Not well. Ever since you guys left Lightkeep, he has been rarely at home. He stayed only long enough to Awaken me and teach me the basics of Blood Magic. Then he sent me to the academy and went out in search for the copycat." Nyka said.
"The last time I heard from him, he said to be close to the solution."
***
Valeron, Knight's Guard Headquarters.
After Quylla's staged death and filing for divorce, it had taken a long while for Lord Ernas to go back to a semblance of normality.
Time had failed to heal the wounds that Jirni, the person Orion had always thought that he would spend his whole life with, had inflicted upon him by breaching his trust in such a cruel way.
Alcohol had only made it worse and so did loneliness. Yet with all the troubles that plagued the Kingdom, the Royals had soon needed his help and Orion's sense of duty managed to give him the strength to escape his slow spiraling into depression.
He spent so much time working to keep his mind busy that he hadn't seen his children in weeks. When Phloria walked into his office at the Knight's Guard, he didn't even notice it was her.
"About time. I'm almost done with the paperwork. What's our next assignment?" He barely raised his eyes enough to look at the newcomer's boots and assumed that it was his secretary.
"What about lunch with a beautiful lady?"
"How many times do I have to tell you that I'm not interested in blind dates, Drowald? Stop trying to fix me- My little Flower!" He stood up from his chair and went to give his daughter a proper welcome.
"Hi, Dad." Phloria chuckled. "What about that lunch?"
"I'm in a bit of a tight schedule, but I think I can squeeze the time for a quick meal." Orion looked at her with pride.
Phloria was supposed to have already reached her prime yet he could feel just by her handshake that she had grown stronger from the last time they had met.. She had also become cuter, but to his fatherly eyes, she had always been the most beautiful girl on Mogar so the change only made her fit better to the image Orion had of her.
"Salaark's palace is the most beautiful place I have ever seen, but I can't stand the thought of living here. Lutia is the place where I was born, where I met your mother, and where I hope that in a very distant future I'll die surrounded by the love of my grandkids." Raaz said.
"Don't worry, Dad." Lith returned the embrace. "Rena gave you four grandkids and I'm certain that with a bit of effort Tista can give you just as many."
"Don't get smart with me, son, or the next time your mother gives you the speech I'll side with her instead of you." Raaz said with an amiable tone while patting Lith's back.
"You wouldn't dare." Lith looked him in the eyes while swallowing a lump of saliva.
"Welcome back, Solus. We all missed you a lot." Raaz dodged the question, sending a cold shiver down his son's back.
"Thanks, Dad. I missed you, too." She would have liked to come out of the stone ring and greet him properly, but she couldn't.
"Son, if you don't mind, I'd like to go back to Lutia to instruct my farmhands about the sowing. With the ongoing famine, I'm thinking about focusing on strong crops that might sell for less but ensure a bountiful harvest in case of bad weather." Raaz didn't ask her questions, but he worried for her nonetheless.
After living with Lith and his lies for so long, Raaz knew that something was probably wrong with Solus and for some reason, she was hiding it from him.
"Quantity over quality. It's a good idea." Lith nodded. "Do you mind if I come with you? I miss our village and I'm eager to check if everything is alright."
"Of course you can be my bodyguard." Raaz laughed. "Now stop wasting time with your old man and go clean yourself up. We'll continue this talk after dinner."
Lith Warped to the mana geyser inside Salaark's palace, allowing Solus to assume her tower form.
"Fuck me sideways." He said once the transformation was over.
The building was full of cracks and some of the windows were broken. The magical aura that usually gave the tower a majestic appearance despite its incomplete form was gone as well, making it look like just a bunch of ruins.
"What's wrong with the tower?" Lith's question received no answer. "Solus, are you okay?"
He rushed inside, going straight to her room. The door was locked, making him sigh with relief and worry to death at the same time. Only Solus's will could keep him out so she had to still have her body but there had to be a good reason if she didn't want to let him see her.
"Do you need help? Is there anything I can do for you or do you want me to leave?" He asked while knocking on the door.
"Please, come in." She said with a deep sigh.
The door opened, revealing Solus wearing a knee-length sleeveless summer dress. Usually Solus looked great in sky-blue, but now all Lith could see were the bruises on her arms and the deep wounds on her legs bleeding on the carpet.
Even her face was black and blue.
"It seems that the damage on my human body reflects on the tower." She said with an apologetic tone as if it was her fault.
Lith hugged her tightly, trying to use light magic first and then Invigoration to heal her, yet nothing worked.
"How can you still be this hurt? We fought Quaron and Syrook days ago. You were supposed to have fully recovered. This has never happened before." Lith said.
"Because I never fought in my human body before." She returned the embrace, feeling his warmth soothing her spirit while the direct contact accelerated her healing.
"During our walks in the Desert I started to fade when I lacked energy, not because of the damage I took. After Zeska, I discovered that even though I can recover my magical power once I return in my ring, the same doesn't happen to my body."
Lith gently caressed her long hair, trying to make heads or tails of that situation. He could feel her wounds due to their bond, but what hurt him the most was the fact that she had dealt with such pain alone for so long.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't want you to worry." Solus replied. "I guessed that only a mana geyser could heal me and I was certain that if you knew, you would have freaked out until you got me on one."
"Can you blame me for that?" Lith's voice would have cracked if not for the joy of seeing her injuries heal at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The bleedings had stopped while the violet of the bruises was turning into a healthy pink.
"I can't, but the fate of your family depended on your success. I wanted you focused on the mission, not on a problem you couldn't do anything about." She shook her head.
"You are family, dummy, not a problem."
Solus just smiled as they remained like that in silence, even after all of her wounds were gone. The tower had recovered along with her and now there was no trace left of the damages.
"I don't mind getting a bit hurt if it means that I get you to spoil me instead of working me to the bone like usual." Solus rubbed her face on his chest, appreciating Lith's good smell.
"If you want a break, just ask. I don't want to see you hurt ever again." Lith replied with a snarl. "The only silver lining is that we learned something new about your condition and that you slimmed down a bit."
He pinched Solus's side to emphasize the point.
"What?" The memories of the people of Zeska assuming she was pregnant made her blush.
"Well, now that you have a real body you also need nutrients to heal. Why do you think I'm so fit? Between training and sparring, I burn a lot of calories."
"Yeah, and "luckily" I have stored a lot of nutrients." She said after pushing him away.
Lith had ruined the moment for her and Solus's voice oozed so much sarcasm that he could almost hear the air quotes.
"Indeed. Chubby Solus best Solus." Lith ignored her outrage and held her again.
"I'm not chubby! I-" Between the honest joy in his voice and the pleasant feelings that she experienced, Solus's rage disappeared. "I'm hungry."
Her grumbling stomach matched her words.
"Of course you are hungry. As we always say to our patients, healing requires a lot of energy." Lith let her go, giving Solus a chocolate chips muffin that she wolfed down.
"You don't understand. I've never been hungry before." She said with a big smile and more crumbs on her face than on her dress.
"It means that either you really need to exercise more or that you got one step closer to a normal human body!" Lith opened his arms, but this time she punched his shoulder.
"Enough teasing me, you jerk!" She got up from her bed and walked briskly out of the tower.
She wasn't actually mad at him, just worried about a recurring feminine problem that she had perfect theoretical knowledge about but no practical memory.
