By the time Lith came out of the bathroom Menadion was done picking the clothes on the bed she liked and had moved on to rummaging through Kamila’s wardrobe for more.
“…this and this. I’ll take a look at Epphy’s clothes as well and let you know if there’s anything else I’d like to wear and of which color.”
Lith felt a sting to his wallet, but aside from narrowing his eyes made no comment.
“How do you feel, Ripha?”
“Much less bitchy. Thank you for asking.” She welcomed him with a polite nod of the head. “What’s for breakfast?”
“Let’s find out.” A snap of Kamila’s fingers put everything back to its place and Warped the three of them to the Dining Hall.
“Good morning, Mom!” Solus rushed to Menadion, hugging her tight. “I missed you.”
“I missed you too, baby.” Ripha said while kissing her daughter’s forehead.
“I have big news.” Kamila waited for the embrace to break before pulling out the updated Camellia. “Look what Lith did for me.”
The meaning of the flower and the two buds was clear to everyone and the whole family congratulated Lith for the romantic gesture.
“Look what Daddy did for you.” To everyone but Elysia who tried to bite the mystical flowers and was sorely disappointed finding they were ethereal in nature.
“Ba!” She expressed her displeasure in a barrage of baby babble that only a tasty bottle of milk could end.
“Ba indeed.” Rena glared at her husband while Elina grunted at Raaz.
“I’m just a blacksmith. I can’t do anything that fancy.” Senton raised his hands in apology.
“You could have still made something. It would have been better than the nothing I got.” Rena scoffed.
“I gave you everything I could, dear.” Raaz said with pride. “Why do you act as if breaking my back to put food on our table wasn’t enough?”
“It was more than enough, silly. It was everything.” Elina’s expression softened for a second. “But what about Aran? What about Surin? I didn’t expect a grand gesture, just a romantic one to celebrate their birth.” Yet only for a second.
“Yeah, Dad. Where’s my present?” Aran had no clue what was happening but the chance to get a new toy was too good to pass it up.
“So, what are the plans for today?” Lith rushed to change the topic and rescue his father from the danger he had unwittingly put Raaz into.
“Depends. Did you get any news about Valtak’s funeral?” Menadion decided to give coffee and pancakes a go.
“None.” Lith checked his amulet to make sure.
“Then what do you say if I teach you how to use the Ears and explain to you and Ep-Solus the changes in the Forge and the Watchtower?” Menadion poured way more syrup than was healthy on her pancakes.
“It’s a wonderful idea, Mom.” Solus stared at the plate in envy.
“Don’t mention it. Also, stop staring at my plate. My eyes are up here.” Menadion replied.
“I can use that knowledge to decide who is going to get the Ears.” Lith nodded.
Menadion exploited her undead condition to try everything from the breakfast table, taking seconds of what she liked most and making Solus sigh in envy like a bellows.
“Thanks for the food.” She said with a satisfied burp. “I’m ready when you are.”
A snap of Lith’s fingers brought them to the tower plus a surprise.
“What’s Sally doing here?” Menadion asked, obtaining a glare from the Guardian for the use of the moniker.
“You said that you wanted to apologize for being rude to your friends and this is the best way I could think of.” Lith replied. “You took Grandma’s knowledge in the past and now you gift her some of your own to pay her back.”
“But-”
“He’s right, Mom.” Solus cut Menadion short. “Whatever you teach us is our secret and we can share it with anyone we want. After everything Grandma did for you and me, she deserves it. Also, this is the perfect opportunity to show her how regretful you are.”
“Thank you, Featherlings!” Salaark beamed with joy at them while never losing her disgruntled expression whenever she stared at the First Ruler of the Flames. “Shame on you, Ripha.”
“Fine.” Menadion sighed. “I suppose you are wondering what the Ears have to do with the Forge and why all the mana cables.” She pointed at the green tendrils of Spirit Magic connecting the Ears to every piece of equipment in the room.
“An example is worth thousands of words so I’ll give you a practical demonstration. First, though, I need permission to operate the tower.”
“Sorry, Mom!” Solus gave Menadion full clearance, bringing her just one level below the owners.
“Don’t apologize.” Ripha conjured a piece of Adamant from the Workshop and a new emerald tendril appeared, connecting the metal with the Ears.
“What the?” Lith was even more surprised when the same happened to mana crystals and natural treasures.
“I need you to remember that every piece of my Set was intended as a Forgemastery aid. The ability of the Ears to listen to the mana flow goes deeper than mere battle. It’s what made me the best even when there were three more Rulers of the Flames active during my time.” Menadion said while putting the helm on Solus’ head.
“Behold!” Ripha rhythmically clenched and released her fingers as the metal shapeshifted into blades, rings, hammers, and a full set of armor.
“By my mom!” Solus gasped in amazement yet the others saw nothing worthy of such a reaction.
“Lith, you are next. Then it’s your turn, Sally.” Menadion brought the piece of Adamant back to its initial state before passing the Ears to him and starting the shapeshifting again.
“Fuck me sideways!” Even though there was no spell involved, Lith could see the mana flow of the enchanted metal alone and how the interaction with the other resources affected it based on which tendrils Menadion activated.
It allowed him to predict the shape that the mana circulatory system of an artifact would take based on the placement of the mana crystals, the order in which they were bonded to the metal, and how every further ingredient would affect the final result.
In the few seconds Lith wore the Ears, Menadion showed him hundreds of possible combinations. In theory, they were all equally good, but that only because there was still no enchantment involved.
Based on the shape and function of the artifact, the mana circulatory system was more suitable for defense, offense, or specific elements.
And that wasn’t all.
Even though the different configurations carried the same amount of energy which was produced by the same resources, each pattern resulted in a different beat of the final mana flow.
Some rhythms reminded Lith of his own, others of Solus’, and a few made no absolute sense to him.
At least until Menadion conjured one more tendril of Spirit Magic, connecting herself to the Ears.
Lith could now listen to her mana flow as well and compare it with the various configurations of the Adamant. Ripha browsed through the possible mana circulatory systems for him, starting from a hammer that albeit powerful would be discordant with her mana flow.
