Trapped inside Nova Prison, Knightfall rejoiced when the Tower Spell disappeared but his happiness was short-lived.
He was sucked by Sham Black Hole as well, watching helplessly as the clouds started to come down swirling. Lith and Solus balanced the gravity and the dimensional spells together, keeping them active until they felt that they could no longer contain the monster they had created.
They threw Sham Black Hole away and conjured a multi-layered barrier around the point of impact. Inside the darkness of the spell lay tons of air kept under high pressure that would violently expand the moment the gravity was released.
The resulting explosion made the ground quake and it would have raised a mushroom cloud if not for the hybrid pouring all their strength into the barriers.
Spinning domes comprised of earth, air, and light sealed off the detonation by making the shockwaves rebound back and forth, focusing the destructive power of the released pressure on the living legacies.
As the dust settled, the Distortion Field array disappeared. Knightfall was too busy keeping himself together to waste precious mana and without the magical formation, the bond between the tower and its masters was fully restored.
Direct contact was no longer needed to access the full scope of the tower’s powers and due to the Watchtower, the space was theirs to command.
Ready for the finishing blow, the colossus shrank to human size. It was the form that Lith and Solus knew best and with which they could perfectly coordinate their movements.
“How?” Tista asked from a very far away safe distance. “How did you know that this would have happened?”
They had spectated the fight from much closer until the Annihilations had started flying. At that point, the Horseman had dragged the Red Demon even farther away, and this time Tista had opposed no resistance.
“Actually, I didn’t.” Dawn shrugged. “I was just playing it safe. At least until I witnessed Solith using the Hands of Menadion. That’s when everything became clear and I knew that we were too close for comfort.”
“Stop calling them like that! Also, what are you talking about?” Tista did her best to act confused but she swallowed twice.
“Please, don’t insult my intelligence.” The Horseman sighed in annoyance. “I’ve spent months wondering what kind of cursed object Solus could be and why I’ve never heard anything about her during my life.
“Too many things didn’t add up. She has a body of her own, and she can get away from her host without breaking their bond yet only for a limited time. Plus there is her complete lack of unique powers and weak-ass core.
“No mage, and I mean not even a mad one, would bother using Forbidden Magic to create a living legacy with a mana core inferior to the bright violet core. Unless of course, they didn’t create anything nor did they use Forbidden Magic.
“I’ve seen the pieces of the set of Menadion countless times in my mother’s archives and I’ve helped her in her attempts to recreate them so we both know what I’m talking about.
“Hands, Eyes, Mouth, Ears, and Fury.” Dawn pointed at five artifacts comprised of gold-veined white marble. “Solus’ real name is Elphyn Menadion and her artifact half is the lost tower of Menadion. Am I right, Mom?”
With the Distortion Field array gone, Dawn’s bond with Baba Yaga was restored and it hadn’t taken long for the ancient white core to reach them.
“You are, dear.” Baba Yaga was in her Mother form, her flaming red hair whipping behind her due to the gusts of wind that escaped from the barriers. “I’m sorry for hiding the truth from you.”
“Don’t apologize.” The Horseman shook her head. “I never met the First Ruler of the Flames but I know how much you cared for her and her daughter. After my fight with Verhen and everything that Night did to him, you had every right to be cautious.
“You couldn’t afford the risk of further fueling my sister’s obsession. Also, it wasn’t your decision to make. You did the right thing by respecting their wish for privacy.”
“Thanks, dear.” The Mother nodded. “To be completely honest, I had no idea who Solus was when you met her. I discovered the truth about her only much later when-“
“When are you going to stop yapping and start helping?” Tista cut her short.
“Help?” Baba Yaga looked at the Red Demon in amazement. “The Destroyer needs no help. Not in his perfect form. Look at them.”
She waved her hands at the colossal figure shrinking like it was a majestic work of art standing in front of people too dumb to appreciate it.
“Menadion achieved my dream before me without even trying. The perfect fusion between host, Horseman, and their tower. A being capable of surpassing the white core!”
“What are you- Great Mother almighty!” A simple surveillance spell from Baba Yaga’s tower had conjured a mirror on whose surface they could witness the events near the crater despite the great distance separating them.
The aura of the hybrid kept growing even away from the mana geyser, its edges flaring from time to time. When that happened, the bright violet turned clearer until only a pristine white remained.
“You can say that.” The Red Mother nodded as the flares grew in frequency.
“Is my brother really stepping into the white core like Thrud?” Tista asked.
“What a silly question, child. Of course not.” Baba Yaga shook her head. “Reaching the white core needs enlightenment whereas all your brother has is bloodlust and hatred.
“Those fools hurt Solus who is his beating heart. They almost took him away from his wife and unborn daughter. Right now, Lith has no care for the secrets of magic. The only thing he can think about is returning the pain he suffered one hundred-fold.”
“Then how is that possible?” The fringes of the hybrid’s aura had turned white and were staying that way.
“It’s actually easy if you think about it. That’s a being with a bright violet core of his own, plus a bright blue core and a tower core, correct?” The Mother asked.
“Correct.” Tista and Dawn nodded in unison.
“Then how come is he still alive? One body, one core. That’s the rule for all the races who haven’t fallen. Even Guardians only have one core and so do I. More and we would just explode because unable to contain such raging power.”
She let her words linger for a second before continuing.
“The fusion bestowed upon them a life force capable of harnessing that power. The multiple cores don’t clash with each other not only because they share the same energy signature, otherwise all werepeople could do the same.
“No, the secret is that there are actually still three bodies and it’s only the energy that’s shared. That’s why when you neared the perfect bond with Acala you could manifest a body of your own, dear.” Baba Yaga turned toward Dawn.
“Had you two perfected it, you would have reached a similar form. Yet if you two had a bright violet, what color would your core have?”
“White?” Dawn asked in amazement.
“You wish.” Baba Yaga scoffed.
