2473 Open Wounds (Part 1)

With nothing to fuel the chain reaction, the process moved to the implosion step.

'Gods, it's been a while.' Baba Yaga gazed at the magnificence of the stars now that the blackness of space emphasized them and the sun was behind her. 'I haven't come here since I discovered there's no world energy nor any way to use elemental magic here.

'One day, I want at least to visit the moon.'

The flare of the explosion snapped her out of it. She could still use Spirit Magic and had used it to form an emerald sphere around her that contained enough pressurized oxygen to breathe.

After confirming with Creation Magic that Stargazer would truly die, Baba Yaga stopped the explosion before it scattered the mystical materials in every direction and collected the Yggdrasill staff, the Evil Eyes, and the Davross.

Dismantle also released several sparkles of light from the ingredients that the Forgemaster had used, but without a vessel to contain them, they were quickly dispersed.

The Mother then used a Spirit Warp to re-enter the atmosphere, using her bond with Dawn to find her way back and open a dimensional tunnel leading straight to her destination.

"It worked." Only a slight tan remained of the effects of cosmic radiation on her skin. "Here's your spoils."

"Really? Are you sure?" The hybrid's eyes shone with greed as Baba Yaga handed him the remains of all three living legacies except for the Yggdrasill staff.

"I have no need for anything else and you would have defeated the cursed objects even without my intervention. I'm taking this because one of my children can use it and because without my help you wouldn't have gotten it anyway." She replied.

"It's a fair trade." The creature nodded, valuing the Evil Eyes and the Davross much more that the mystical wood since they already had a Sage Staff.

They put everything into the tower, hoping that it would further accelerate the refining of Adamant into Davross.

"Now that everything is over, does anyone have any idea how can we split?" Lith and Solus had tried thinking about Kamila, then Elysia, then their family, but aside from a different emotional hue their feeling aligned.

When Lith had reminded himself of the risk of Solus getting pregnant, he had also accessed her feelings about the matter, adding one more awkward moment between them and leaving the fusion unaffected.

"I could sever your bond, but it would be pointless." The Mother shrugged. "You now share one body and mind. The imprint would be instantaneous."

"I think I know the answer." Dawn said. "Solus, this is the perfect opportunity to put my teachings into practice. Establish boundaries with Lith. Lith, you must do the same. Try to keep her out of your mind and remind yourself of who you are.

"Exclude everything you share with her and focus on your personal achievements."

A glimpse of Solus' memories allowed them to share the lessons that Dawn had imparted to her during their travels.

The hybrid closed their eyes with Lith focusing on Carl's death, how Derek had avenged his brother, and then moved to Mogar. He thought about how once split from Solus he had fought Nalear's minions to reunite with her.

Of the day Kamila had proposed to him.

Solus, instead, focused on her memories as Elphyn, back when Lith wasn't part of her life.

She remembered the pain from her death, the love for her parents, and the mystical Forge. Solus recalled her anguish when she was just a stone ring and all the hardships she had endured until she had recovered her body.

The moment their identities diverged, the fusion came undone. Lith was back in his Tiamat form while Solus' golden scales quickly reverted into pink skin.

Lith instinctively patted his arms, the trauma and pain from the mutilation still vivid in his mind. There was a thin edge on his forearms where the scars had yet to heal and the scales to regrow.

He attempted to use Demon Grasp to fix his wounds but the strain from the fusion and the use of so much of his life force made him light-headed. His whole body hurt in a way that didn't make sense.

He felt full of energy yet his breathing was ragged. He could feel an unfamiliar sting radiating from the cracks on his life essence yet its warmth was akin to fresh bandages rather than the reopening of a wound.

"Thank the gods you are both fine." Baba Yaga checked Solus first, making sure that she had lost no memory and that neither her life force nor mana core had been diminished by the deep wounds she had suffered prior to the fusion.

Then she moved on to Lith, performing a deep scan that left her flabbergasted.

"Is everything alright?" The Tiamat furrowed his scales when the Mother let him go with a shocked expression on her face.

"I'm sorry. Before answering that I need to be sure." She performed three more scans before she was certain that her breathing technique wasn't deceiving her.

"Well?" Solus asked, feeling already guilty for whatever had befallen Lith.

'Why must he be the one suffering? Lith saved my life. I should be the one bearing the consequences of this stupid trip.' She thought.

Baba Yaga Blinked them all above the mana geyser where Menadion's tower lay deep underground, conjuring her own and a few chairs before talking.

"Sit down. You need all the rest you can. I've already treated you to the best of my abilities but until you get to Salaark, I forbid you to even lift a pebble. Are we clear, young man?" Baba Yaga was the only one still standing.

She weaved her finger right in front of the Tiamat's nostrils with a stern gaze and an imperative tone that reminded Lith of the times when Elina scolded him as a child.

"Yes, Mom. I mean, Mo'om. I mean, ma'am." He swallowed multiple times, afraid of the diagnosis. "How bad it is?"

"Look for yourself, you moron." The Mother activated Sun and Moon again but this time she shared its reading via a mind link.

Lith was shocked, puzzled, and utterly speechless as he witnessed the status of the cracks on his life force. He had studied them for years and knew them like the back of his hand so his surprise was only natural when he noticed that they had shrunk.

Every wound was still there, but their edges were now closer and the smallest fissures seemed like they had been stitched close. The most external fringes, instead, had either healed or been mended and were on their way to healing for good.

"What? How? Most importantly, how does this alter my remaining life span?" He took the words out of everyone's mind.

"These are all easy questions but since you are too shocked to think, I'll answer them for you." Baba Yaga replied. "You have gotten better, that's what happened. As for the how, the answer is your fusion.

"The tower is programmed to fix both Solus' life force and cores so once you two merged it had double the work but also double the power. Since your mana core is flawless, however, the tower focused solely on your life force."