2474 Open Wounds (Part 2)

"Wait, this makes no sense." Solus drummed her lips with a finger. "We fused a few times in the past yet Lith's condition never improved."

"Please!" The Mother scoffed. "The first time it happened he was still healthy. The second you lacked the energy to conjure the tower. As for the time you fought against Dawn, it was cut short and part of the mana geyser was already drained by her experiments.

"This time instead, not only did you have a powerful geyser all for yourselves, but also the fusion lasted for a long while. In a way, fighting against worthy enemies was a blessing in disguise and so was your inability to split.

"Had I known it, I would have forced you two to remain fused until Lith was fully healed."

"What about my life span?" Lith asked.

"Same as before, I'm afraid." Baba Yaga patted his shoulder. "Healing can't make up for the essence you've lost but at least it will make it more difficult for you to lose more. If you are careful, of course.

"That's why I want you to stay put until you go to Salaark. Maybe she can tap into the lingering energy of the fusion to further heal you or restore your life force. I'm a great healer, but Salaark's power and expertise eclipse mine."

Lith was both pissed off for splitting the fusion too quickly and happy for the good news. Then, he remembered the risks that such an intimate union might entail and only happiness remained.

"Thank you, Baba Yaga." He shook her hand while also asking her via a mind link if his worries were reasonable.

'I didn't think of that.' She replied. 'Honestly, I have no idea, but if I have to guess I'd say it's possible.'

"Thank you, Malyshka." Solus hugged her friend while slowly conjuring the world energy for a Tower Warp in order to not put any strain on the tower or Lith. "Do you want to come along?"

"I'd love to, but I can't leave my home behind nor my children unattended. You go first, I'll be there in a few minutes tops. Just be a dear and warn Salaark of my arrival or her nest will give me a Primordial Flames kind of warm welcome."

Baba Yaga hated to admit that despite the passing of time and her constant upgrades to her tower, it was still inferior to Menadion's. Reaching the Desert was going to take Solus a second whereas Baba Yaga would need minutes and a clear path.

"Good point." While Solus waited for the tower to power up, she called the Overlord to announce their arrival and ask for her help.

"This is wonderful news." Salaark jumped on her feet, interrupting the theatrical performance she had been watching with Shargein and Valeron the Second.

The small Wyrmlings clapped their hands, having no idea what was happening and mimicking their mother's behavior every time the actors stopped.

"I'll ready my medical facility and bring your family along. They have the right to enjoy this happy moment with you."

"Actually, I think it would be better to wait." Lith replied. "The moment they know what happened, they'll pester me with questions and they will worry like crazy. If we call them after you are done treating me, when my condition has stabilized, we can reassure them that everything is okay."

"As you wish." The Overlord hung up the call and dismissed the theatre troupe. "And another of my evenings goes down the gutter. Why doesn't Lith just join my nest so we get over with this once and for all?"

Shargein smiled at her, emitting a chirping sound in reply.

"I have no idea what you just said but you are too cute to be wrong." She lifted the Wyrmlings who shapeshifted on contact into human babies. Salaark left Valeron in the nursery where the handmaidens would take care of him.

'It pains me to leave Valeron behind but Lith has already lost his arms and almost lost Solus today. He doesn't need to be reminded of Phloria's death as well.' She thought.

The moment the tower materialized over the mana geyser in her palace, Salaark was already there, waiting.

She gave Lith a throughout check-up, confirming Baba Yaga's diagnosis and giving instructions to her guards to not shoot the Red Mother down on sight.

"You did the right thing coming here." The Overlord used her breathing technique, Mother Sun, to detect and reactivate the latent energy of the tower that still permeated Lith's wounds.

"The fusion lasted long enough and broke recently enough that the tower is still having a hard time distinguishing between you and Solus. I can fool its readings for a while and garner more energy for my Rebirth Magic."

"Which means?" Lith asked.

"That since you haven't exerted yourself after splitting from Solus, I can now permanently fix your life force a bit more. Had you used magic or put any strain on your body, the healing effect of the tower would have been wasted to temporarily plug your wounds." Salaark replied.

Seeing how focused she was, Lith remained silent for the remainder of the treatment. The Mother of all Phoenixes was exuding from her body an aura on par with the geyser and employed spells that were cleansing the corrupt energy from his life force.

Usually, that kind of alteration would take weeks to spread to the rest of the body, but Salaark's Rebirth Magic affected Lith as a whole, making the changes instantaneous.

He could feel the phantom pain that had plagued him since the day he had saved Protector's life fading away a little. Every breath brought him more world energy than before and filled him with vigor.

When Lith used Demon Grasp to listen to the melody of his life force, he discovered that a few of the sour notes were gone while most of the others had become less shrill.

"It is done." Salaark said after triple checking that there was nothing more she could do. "Whatever plans you have for the next few days, cancel them. You are not moving an inch from here until your condition has stabilized.

"If you dare ruin my hard work on top of my evening, I'm going to whoop your ass so hard that your life span will shorten again. Did I make myself clear, young man?"

"Yes, Grandma." Lith tried to stand up at attention and give her the salute, but Salaark pushed him down on the chair.

"I said rest. Your condition is volatile. One wrong move and the stitches will open and you'll have squandered this once in a lifetime opportunity. You can only eat and sleep.

"No magic, no training of any kind, no breathing techniques, and no sex."

"No sex?" Every following item in the list hit harder than the previous, but none struck as painfully as the last. "Isn't that a bit extreme?"

"I can put you in a coma for a few days, if it makes things easier for you." Salaark swung a cudgel against her open palm in a threatening manner.

"Rest it is." Lith sighed. "You can bring here my family now."

"Just one second, please." Solus held his hand and activated a mind link.