“Well, after learning that the original Eyes of Menadion can resonate with the tower’s, I thought about having all the pieces of Menadion’s set assembled and checking if they have other properties that can be unlocked.
“My plan is to use both sets of Menadion to redo my equipment from scratch and boost its performance before the war resumes.” Lith replied.
“I stand corrected. He’s not romantic.” Selia rolled her eyes, sighing.
“Also, Kamila couldn’t stop telling everyone the story behind her moon pendant so they all started nagging at me to bring them here. I thought that everyone deserved a little break so here we are.” Lith said.
“How thoughtful of you.” Tyris chuckled. “If anything happens to Garlen, it will be your fault then.”
“Meaning?” Kamila asked.
“I’m here and so are Leegaain and Salaark. They have liked your idea and have followed us. There are no Guardians left on Garlen.” She pointed at the couple that was arranging their own table in the tower’s dining room.
Lith could change the shape and size of every floor at will so combining his favorite restaurants to create the perfect ambiance was child’s play. The food, instead, had to be manually prepared but everyone had faith in his cooking skills.
“By the way, where’s Tista?” Just like Phloria, Quylla had no intention of having a big serving of her own liver for lunch.
Seeing the happy couples irked her so she had packed some food and now needed company.
“On the dark side of the moon, with Nyka and Tista.” Lith replied. “They had to talk about something and they needed a place where sunlight wouldn’t send a Vampire into slumber.”
“Then we’d better not disturb them.” Faluel said. “Quylla, Phloria, let’s find our own place. What do you say about that mountain range?”
“Fine by me.” Phloria shrugged, using the Mirror Hall of the tower to reach their destination in one step.
Meanwhile on the dark side of the moon, Nyka the Vampire couldn’t stop gawking at the starry sky.
“By the Red Mother, this place is amazing. Even the grass is so filled with world energy and vitality that it amounts to a half-decent meal.” She said as a small patch of greenery withered at her touch.
“I’m glad that you like it.” Solus said with a warm smile. “I missed you guys a lot, especially during the mission at the Golden Griffon. Vladion was so angry at us once he discovered the truth about Lith and me that if he was still alive, he would have had a stroke.”
“I’m sorry about that.” Nyka said with a sigh. “I would have loved to come with you guys, but I’m nowhere near a full-red blood core and I have no idea how to move during the day.
“I could have cast Aunt Scar’s Eternal Dusk array, but it might have been easily turned against us.”
“Same here.” Tista slouched her shoulders. “I’m getting closer to the deep violet by the day, but without an Abomination side, Hystar would have turned me against you way before you reached the Headmaster’s office.”
“Speaking of violet, do you mind storing as much of your blood as you can?” Nyka asked. “Once you turn into whatever your merged life forces will become, your blood might become as toxic as Lith’s to me.
“Without you guys, I have no steady supply of nourishment for my blood core.”
Nyka was young, but having a diet based mostly on powerful Awakened’s blood she was much stronger and progressed faster than her peers. Awakening had sped up the development of her blood core even further.
“Sure.” Tista nodded. “Enough talking about work, though. Why did you want to talk to us away from the tower, Solus?”
“I have good news and secret news so keep your lips tight. This is for your minds only.” Solus created a mind link with them, sharing the recent events.
The good news was about Kamila asking her to be a Mom for the baby girl, the memories she had recovered from the painting, and the fixing of her relationship with Silverwing.
The secret news was about the consequences that future fusions with Lith might have and the fact that one had already happened without Kamila’s knowledge.
“That’s amazing! I’m so happy for you sister.” Nyka said while hugging Solus. “Even though your body can’t have children yet, you are going to be a mother.”
She still considered her friend to be a fellow Vampire due to the condition of Solus’ life force and the need to feed upon someone else’s essence to prolong her existence.
“I honestly don’t know what to say.” Tista tormented her lower lip for a while before finding the right words.
“Look, I’m happy that you and Kamila have become so fond of each other that you don’t feel threatened anymore by the role that the other plays in Lith’s life. On the other hand, I don’t know if taking such a huge responsibility is the right thing to do.
“You’ve been struggling for a long time now to find your own place in the world. To become your own person and make a life for yourself. Taking care of the baby sounds awfully like going back to square one.”
“I see your point, but there’s something you don’t know. Something I didn’t share with the mind link.” Solus lowered her eyes, scribbling in the dirt with her finger.
“And why did you do that?” Nyka asked in confusion. “There is just us here. The whole point of getting away from the tower is to have some privacy. If you don’t feel safe opening up with us and half a planet away from Lith, you never will.”
“A satellite.” Solus mumbled, trying to avoid the topic.
“I beg your pardon?” Tista asked.
“The moon is a satellite. Planets are bigger. If it was even smaller it would just be an asteroid like that one.” She pointed at a flying piece of rock about to enter Mogar’s atmosphere.
“For someone supposed to be a genius, sometimes you act really dumb.” Tista grabbed her hand, showing Solus how dirty it had become and the mess she had made out of nervousness. “If you don’t want to talk about it, just say it.
“I’m sorry. It’s just that’s really embarrassing and confusing.” Solus’ cheeks flushed.
“You mean more than usual?” Nyka asked in disbelief.
Solus was an ancient being, fused with a legendary magic tower, who also shared her life and body with another person of even more confusing origins. Life could hardly get more confusing than that.
“So much that I have trouble even admitting it to myself.” Solus nodded. “I haven’t talked about it even to Lith, let alone Kami.”
“Okay, now you are making me worry.” Tista said. “Is there something wrong with the tower?”
“Yes, I mean, no. I mean, maybe.” Solus clenched her gown in frustration.
Her eyes wandered to the magnificent landscape surrounding them. Starlight reflected on the silver grass, making the dew sparkle like crystals and the flowers like gems, yet she found no beauty in it.
Solus knew that once she said those words out loud, they would become more than just stray thoughts that she could ignore. Things would get real and so would their consequences.
