It took him but a second to snap out of it, kneeling to her level while pushing the Camellia away.
“Are you insane? Everyone knows that I’m not human. The Royals have the bat, the ball, and make the rules, whatever they sayF goes, goes. You, instead, would be branded as a traitor.
“You’ll lose your job, you’ll never meet Zinya again, and everyone will consider you a freak who chose to marry a monster. You have made too many sacrifices and went through too many dangers to throw everything away on a whim.
“My family has already lost everything because of me. I can’t bear the thought of you following us in our misery.” Lith said.
“You are right. It’s my life and I’m free to do whatever I want with it.” Kamila replied, offering him the Camellia again. “I’m aware of the consequences that my choice entails but I came here anyway.
“As for Zinya, I met with her before going to the capitol and she gave me her blessing. Back at the Flying Griffon, I told you that I don’t care if you are a human, a vengeful spirit, or a Demon from the Abyss.
“I love you, Lith Verhen. I want to be part of your life and your family, no matter the cost. Now please, answer my question, because I don’t think I’ll have the courage to propose for a third time.
“Will you marry me?”
Lith touched the Camellia and saw with Invigoration that it had never lost its imprint. Every single day that Kamila recharged it with her mana left a trace, like one drop of water that after accumulating for years had formed a lake.
He couldn’t believe that after over four months, after everything that Kamila had learned about him, she had never lost her faith in him, no matter what the rest of Mogar thought or how they branded him.
That a brilliant, amazing woman still found something worth loving in that pile of danger and suffering that his life was. Kamila’s love wasn’t out of a mystical bond, blood, or common interest.
It was pure and unconditional.
Just like at the Flying Griffon, he could tell from her heartbeat, scent, and perspiration that she was completely honest. It wasn’t a trick, mind manipulation, or a ruse to exploit his feelings.
The only emotions that Kamila exuded were excitement for the situation and fear of being rejected.
Moved by her feelings, Lith stopped caring about what was the right or the most convenient thing to do and focused solely on his own happiness.
“Yes, I will. I love you, Kamila Yehval.” He took the Camellia from her hands, before wrapping his arms around her and kissing her.
The four wings popped out of his back, enveloping her as well. They formed a cocoon that wasn’t meant to trap her, but to protect her. It was Lith’s arms that hugged Kamila, but it was Derek’s wings that wrapped around her.
The innermost part of the Void had stopped resisting the integration with the other life forces.
Then, as joy spread throughout his body, Lith felt his mana core stirring once again. All the energy that until that moment had been used to keep the Void in check was now free to burst out.
By believing in something more than cold logic, by accepting something nonsensical as love and reciprocating it, Lith had also given himself a chance to be complete.
The chain of grief and pain that he still carried since the day of Carl’s death shattered, moving into Kamila’s body without her even noticing.
It was then that Lith instinctively knew that he wouldn’t reincarnate anymore. That he had found his tether to life beyond life itself.
A silver pillar descended from the sky and a black one rose from the depth of Mogar as his core broke through to the violet. This time the two pillars didn’t clash against each other, but merged into one.
The silver and the black shifted one into the other non-stop, in a dance that reminded him of how pure Davross reacted to light.
Oddly enough, the pillar of light that usually kept everyone away during a breakthrough didn’t affect Kamila.
Before he could say anything, Lith felt his consciousness being pulled away from his body, finding himself back in the Mindscape like during his tribulation in Kolga.
The incarnation of Mogar was there, waiting for him. She looked like Elina when she was twenty and wore the same clothes that his mother did when she had given birth to him.
The only difference between Mogar and the real Elina was the hair. Mogar’s bore the six streaks of the elements and a seventh that Lith couldn’t focus, no matter how much he tried.
“I’ve waited nineteen years for this moment, my son. I was starting to lose hope.” She said with a faint smile. “Now I can finally tell you the words that I kept for myself during all this time.
“Welcome home, Lith.” Mogar embraced him and more chains transferred from him to her.
“What do you mean home? The Desert isn’t my birthplace and this isn’t my house, just a hotel suite.” He replied.
“Foolish child.” Mogar chuckled. “A house is not a home, nor is it a specific place. A home is where you want to be, not where you have to be. You won’t reincarnate again after your death because that’s the choice you made.
“It was never a matter of fate or an external will. Always remember that the most important things in life depend solely on you, just like your core.”
Lith could feel that as the deep violet turned into a lighter shade, several new vortexes formed and Awakened, turning into new auxiliary cores. The breakthrough didn’t stop there nor did the energy he had accumulated to that point go to waste.
New vortexes appeared, proving to him that not only had he reached the light violet, but he had also moved his first steps toward the bright violet already.
“Finally!” Lith laughed with euphoria as the world energy filled him to the brim, giving him new power and mass. “This means that now I’m just like any other Awakened. That I’ll reach the violet and beyond like anyone else, right?”
“Maybe.” Mogar replied, curling her lips into an impish smile before fading away.
“Fuuuuuuuuuuuuu…” Lith screamed in the Mindscape.
“…uuuck!” And continued even after returning to his own body, shocking everyone present since they couldn’t hear the first part of his curse and thought that for some reason he was in pain.
Once Lith was done swearing, he looked down on his body and noticed that he had shapeshifted into his full-size Tiamat form. It was now 25 meters (82) feet tall, covered in black scales thicker than ever streaked with red veins all over.
The membranous wing on his right hip was upside down no longer. It was now covered in red-veined black feathers, just like its twin. Lith could feel them resonating with his eyes just like Tista had described him while practicing the Cursed Flames.
Several new small horns came out of the crown of his head, almost forming a perfect circle. He could feel that his entire body had become stronger and sturdier than before, the boundary between flesh and energy had become thinner again.
Then, Lith used Abyssal Gaze to study his life force, discovering that the changes in his physical appearance were just the reflection of a deeper change in his life essence.
