2367 Festering Scar (Part 1)
Lith closed his eyes and took a deep breath to quell his anger and not ruin the mood.
"So yes, you can visit and are free to be part of my daughter's life. Yet don't ask me to give a damn about what you think or how you feel when I make a decision."
Sinmara and Surtr lowered their eyes in embarrassment.
Lith wasn't completely right but he wasn't wrong either. In the end, they had remained on the sidelines whereas Zoreth had risked her life and free will for him. There was no logic, no matter how sound, that could make up for that.
"That said, Grandma, I would like to keep coming here in the future…" Lith said.
"Granted." The Overlord nodded.
"Which means that I'd like you to allow Zoreth and Bytra access to your palace. At least while I'm here and they want to visit Elysia." He rushed to add once he noticed Salaark's frown.
"Granted." She echoed dryly. "Leegaain, tell your daughter that if she makes one wrong move, I'll end her. I'll suspend my judgment, but if she dares to break one of my laws she'll be punished accordingly."
It took Lith, Kamila, and Solus a bit to explain the reasons for their choice and the fact that Zoreth had already accepted their offer.
"Do you mind if I invite her here?" Lith asked.
"Be my guest." The Overlord grumbled while massaging her temples.
A quick call and a few warnings later, Zoreth and Bytra stepped out of the Desert's Gate after entering from Lith's barn.
"Hi, guys. Do you remember my wife, Byt? I mean Bytra." Zoreth was wearing comfortable brown linen pants and a white shirt.
"Welcome and congratulations!" The Verhens hugged the Shadow Dragon in turns, thanking her for everything she had done for Lith and Solus and for bringing them back home alive.
"Can I call you Zoreth or do you prefer Xenagrosh?" Kamila extended her hand.
"You are doing me the honor of being your baby's godmother. You could call me names and I wouldn't care." Zoreth shook her head.
"Then welcome to the family, Zoreth. Please, take good care of Elysia." Kamila had black scales covering her arms and hands as she hugged the Shadow Dragon.
"Elysia. What a wonderful name." Zoreth shapeshifted her skin without thinking, allowing the scales to share their respective feelings better than any word could. "Oh gods, thank you."
"No, thank you." Kamila replied.
While Zoreth had felt Kamila's sincerity, Kamila had experienced how honored Zoreth felt and how there was nothing she wouldn't do to protect the baby. Literally nothing.
Under any other circumstance, Kamila would have been scared to death by the unbridled fury and merciless cruelty the Shadow Dragon exuded. Yet those feelings were addressed toward those who would try to harm Elysia and Kamila would do even worse to them, given the chance.
After a few toasts, Zoreth asked to listen to the baby's heartbeat in person and when Solus granted her request, the Shadow Dragon needed her father to not fall apart.
"She's one of us." Zoreth bawled her eyes out. "She's really one of us. There is hope for my kind."
"The melody of her life force is similar to our own but Mogar is embracing Elysia instead of rejecting her." Bytra explained.
"That's wonderful news!" Leegaain said whereas Salaark, Surtr, and Sinmara didn't share his enthusiasm. "This proves that there is a path for you to be once again part of the world energy. We just need to find it."
"I have an announcement to make as well." Solus said after congratulating the hybrids and thanking them. Their presence would ensure that nothing bad would happen during her absence.
"I'm planning to take that long journey with Tista and Nyka I've often talked about. I want to travel Mogar and find myself. Now that there is no enemy or looming threat at our door, I want to stay on my own for a while."
"How long?" Kamila asked.
"I'll depart as soon I'm certain Lith won't need my help and return before Elysia is born. I gave you my word and I wouldn't take it back for the world but that's all I can say." Solus replied.
"Take all the time you need. You deserve it." Kamila embraced her.
"Never forget that you'll always have a home in Lutia." Elina stood up and hugged Solus as well. "Whatever you decide, you'll always be a part of this family. You'll always be my daughter."
"Thanks, Mom." That word meant the world to Solus.
The more she remembered about her old self, the more she realized how much time she had wasted on recriminations. Solus knew from her lingering visions how much Elphyn had loved Menadion, yet after Threin's death, she had never expressed those feelings.
Ripha had blamed herself for his death and being a child, Elphyn had believed her. The guilt from the mother and resentment from the daughter had created a vicious cycle that neither could find a way to break even after Elphyn reached adulthood.
In time, Elphyn had understood that Ripha wasn't to blame for Threin's demise but by then the old wounds had left a festering scar.
Like most Awakened, Elphyn had assumed that she and Ripha would live for centuries and that there would be time to patch things up between them. Solus, instead, was painfully aware of how frail life was even for a powerful Awakened like Phloria.
"I promise that I'll come to visit you every time we find a geyser or a Gate and not just to get a recharge. I'm not going to be a Lith, Mom. I want to spend time with you, Dad, and your baby as she grows." Solus said.
"Thanks, dear." Elina kissed her head and caressed her hair.
"Hey, I resent that." Lith grunted.
"Resent what you want. She's telling the truth." Raaz shrugged. "I love you, son, but you aren't very present unless there's a crisis. I'm your father and I can accept that, but if you dare do the same to your daughter, I'll kick your ass."
"Me too." Zoreth raised her hand and unlike Raaz, her tone was serious.
"Jokes aside, I'm going to miss you, Solus." Lith hugged her, glad to see that she was moving her first steps forward. "Before you go, we have to organize the material I have to share with the Royals.
"Once we are done, you don't have to worry about me. To be honest, the next few months would have been terribly dull for you if you stayed. Traveling is the best thing you could do."
"What do you mean, dull?" Kamila asked. "She could have helped you with your research, like usual."
"Not really." Lith scratched his stubble. "I have to go to the Royal palace to show the blueprints of our creations to the Royal Forgemasters and then present the books about Void Magic to the Headmasters of the six great academies.
"I'll be forced to spend a lot of time in Valeron in order to answer their questions and rewrite chapters in case I need to be more clear or specific. Since I can do most of that stuff and theoretical research from any desk, I've asked to be assigned to you as your bodyguard."
