1863 From the Rubble (Part 1)

"I have an army." Lith's voice was calm as he conjured his Golems, his Demons of the Darkness, of the Fallen, of the Flames, and all those who answered his call.

With every breath he took, the tower filled with new angry Demons yet it also increased the burden on his already battered body.

"Men." Salaark sighed while gently touching Raaz's forehead and then Lith's.

They both fell asleep, their minds finally at peace.

A snap of the Overlord's finger Warped them away, leaving the rest of the family flabbergasted.

"There's no need to worry, I just moved them to their respective bedrooms. Solus, Elina, stay with them and don't leave their side for even one second. Thanks to you, sleep will be a safe haven where their minds will find solace and process their respective traumas more quickly.

"Without you, it would be a nightmarish land where the events of today repeat themselves in a loop, aggravating their mental condition." Another snap of her fingers sent the two women away.

"Tista, I can feel that your trauma is quite severe as well. Do you want me to call Crevan, Bodya, or Aerth? Any of them and of my children will be glad to keep you company for the night, in whatever way you like."

"I'm not going to sleep with any of them!" Tista replied, her Red Demon becoming redder.

"There's nothing to be ashamed of, big sis." Aran hugged her. "I always sleep with Onyx and when I have a bad dream, I sleep with Mom and Dad."

'That's a different kind of "sleeping with", little imp.' Tista thought. 'You are just too young- Oh, shit!'

Tista suddenly realized that the sudden heatwave and the knot in the stomach she felt had nothing to do with embarrassment. She had given her all against the Hogum's Mansion, putting a great strain on her core until it was almost depleted.

Now, the combined effort of her painstaking training and the countless hours spent practicing Demon Grasp were finally paying off, triggering her breakthrough. A silver pillar descended from the sky, looking like the giant finger of a god.

The light engulfed her, pushing everyone away before the final impurities left in her body came out. Her physical pain eclipsed even her mental trauma as both her human and Red Demon body were turned inside out.

Once the process was over, the red scales that covered her body had become bigger and the feathers on her wings thicker. She still had a single set of wings, but now two small horns came out of the crown of her head.

They were slightly curved, pointing toward the sky. Also, her fourth eye finally had the strength to manifest itself. A black eye had opened on her forehead, right above the silver one.

The four eyes looked around the room, before closing all at once.

"This is the worst day of my life." Tista said while falling headfirst onto the ground with a thud.

***

The Verhens had arrived at the Desert while it was still midday in the Kingdom, but midnight in the Overlord's lands. They were all mentally exhausted and fell asleep the moment they touched their pillows.

Usually, they would have had a hard time relaxing under such circumstances, but the tower was a place of power that eased their worries while Salaark's warm aura and her Blood Imprint soothed their minds akin to a mother's embrace.

The following morning, Tista discovered that Salaark had arranged male companionship for her anyway. Aran and Onyx had slept beside her, keeping Tista calm and covering her with fur.

The young boy was scared and his parents couldn't be disturbed so he had settled for his older sister. As for Lith, he spent a troubled night.

As Salaark had predicted, sleep didn't bring him peace until Solus joined him. Then, he trapped her in a bear hug and didn't let her go until the following morning. Solus wasn't afraid of his claws as he shapeshifted from human to Tiamat, nor did the situation bother her.

Yet she would have loved to have a bit of personal space and a bathroom break a couple of times. Aside from that, she slept like a baby and when the morning light woke her up, she thought that she had just closed her eyes.

Lith stirred as well, his half-open seven eyes looking around, recognizing the tower and the familiar presence of his partner. Sleep still clouded his mind, making him think that she must had been the one who had needed company the previous night.

"Good morning, Solus." He held her tight, his husky voice expressing the joy he felt while losing himself in the sweet scent of her hair and the softness of her body.

"Good morning, Lith. Is that a wand in your pants or are you just happy to see me?" She awkwardly chuckled, feeling something hard pressing along her abdomen and answering her year-old question whether a Tiamat had reproductive organs or not.

"Fuck me sideways!" Now he felt it as well and the blood rush fully awakened him. "It's just a natural reaction, I swear."

Lith let her go but she put her arms around his neck, restoring the embrace.

"I know and I don't mind." For one second, they stared at each other in the eye, their respective traumas making them crave relief from their loneliness.

Then, Lith's mind became clear and he remembered all that had happened during the previous day. Sadness, rage, and pain assaulted him, destroying the tenderness of that moment.

"We'd better get up. I want to check on Dad." Lith gently but firmly freed himself and got up, quickly followed by a sighing Solus.

It was past midday, they had slept much longer than they had thought and were the second last to arrive. Raaz had yet to wake up and Elina was still with him.

"How are you doing, big bro?" Tista said in her human form while making her two new eyes wink at him.

"Tista, did you have a breakthrough?" Solus's mana sense perceived the vortexes in her aura that still needed time to stabilize.

"Yeah. Between Orpal, our escape, saving Dad and the bright blue core, yesterday's pain makes the years I suffered from the Strangler look fun." She replied while the enthusiasm disappeared from her voice. "How do you feel?"

"Like crap." Salaark had restored Lith's life force, but it still hurt. "I don't think I will need three full days of rest like usual, but I'll take two anyway, just to be safe."

The Desert was hot and sunny, yet to the Verhens Mogar had turned into a dark and cold place. Even the kids were depressed, refusing to leave the tower. Leria didn't let go of Rena for one second, asking to go back home.

Aran, instead, sat on Tista's lap, always caressing Onyx's head. The magical beast lay beside them on the couch and her purrs helped him to not freak out like his niece.

They ate their lunch in silence, the delicious food filled their belly but they barely registered any taste.

Each one of them kept mulling over their losses and fears even after the meal, until the entrance door was slammed open.