Mogar, in particular, looked like a precious gem polished by an immortal hand. The brilliant blue of its oceans and the deep green of its forest seemed to fade into each other, like an emerald grown inside a sapphire.
Massive clouds and mountain ranges visible from the moon were the only imperfections, but they added to Mogar’s charm instead of diminishing it.
The sight of her home planet made Menadion feel small and her worries insignificant.
If not for the tether with Lith’s Void Sigil, the peace and awe Ripha experienced would have freed her from the shackles binding her to the world of the living.
‘Thank you.’ Menadion said via the black chain.
‘For what?’ Lith asked in confusion as he unleashed the babies on a bush of wildflowers.
‘For everything.’ Ripha replied while staring at the planet. ‘Do you have a few minutes to spare for me later? I would like to clear the air between us. As you said, we don’t have to like each other but at least we can be civil.’
‘Sure. What about after dinner?’
‘It would be perfect.’
***
After dinner, Salaark’s palace, inside Lith’s living quarters.
“I’m not going to lie, the hot spring was my favorite part of being Sally’s apprentice.” Menadion said while grazing the surface of the bubbling water with her fingers.
“Really? Why?” Lith asked while setting the chairs for them and a table in between.
‘A bit of physical distance easily translates into emotional distance. Since we don’t get along much, it’s better to have a physical boundary in case emotions run high.’ He thought.
“Are you kidding me? Sure, I could conjure and heat water, I could keep the room warm, but it was all on me. More stress, more focus, and more fatigue. After a hard day at work, there’s nothing better than a hot bath while you don’t have to worry about anything.”
“It sure is nice.” Lith sighed, thinking back at the times when he was the only source of hot water for his family during winter. “But I disagree on it being the best. This is.” He handed her a cup of hot chocolate and a plate of oven-fresh chocolate chip cookies.
“I know these things.” Ripha took deep breaths to appreciate the sweet smells. “They made Solus gain a lot of weight.”
“Guilty as charged.” Lith shrugged. “Also, it’s easy to judge when you have never tried them.”
“Delicious.” Menadion took a sip of the hot chocolate and a bite of a cookie. “But it’s nothing special.”
“Try dipping the cookie.” Lith said.
Menadion followed his advice and couldn’t find the focus to speak again until the plate was cleared of cookies and her cup empty.
“I owe Epphy an apology.” She burped. “Resisting this stuff is harder than it looks. Yet I doubt that’s the reason you offered me such a delicious treat.”
“It was a peace offering.” Lith nodded. “I don’t know how much you know about me, but I’m certain from your point of view I’m a horrible man and through the years you’ve come to resent me. I’d like to work on our issues for Solus’ sake.”
“Me too.” Menadion replied. “Let’s start with a simple question. What are you exactly? I know your real name and a few details about your real life but what you are and how you got on Mogar elude me.”
“I’m just like you.” He replied. “A vengeful spirit who has returned among the living. The only differences between you and me are that I wasn’t born on Mogar and I didn’t defy death. I embraced her and she rejected me.
“Also, don’t think that Derek McCoy is my real name and his life is my real life. I am Lith Verhen as much as I was Derek McCoy and this life means to me more than my previous one ever will.”
“Previous life?” Menadion cocked her head to the side and narrowed her eyes. “Aren’t you an alien or something?”
“Or something.” Lith offered her his hand, the green tendril of a mind link extending from it.
Menadion extended a tendril of her own, refusing him direct access to her mind and taking only the information carried by the mind link.
The visions of Earth made her seven eyes go wide in shock as she witnessed the daily life on a world so similar yet so different from Mogar. Derek’s life as a kid made her grit her teeth in hatred.
She despised parents who abused their children so much that she tried to strangle the people in her visions.
Ezio’s death shocked her but also made her lips curl in a satisfied smile, as if she had somehow played a part in it. Yet the smile faded when she remembered she was looking at it from the eyes of a child and realized the impact it might have on him.
Carl’s death, Derek’s revenge, and his final moments turned her expression blank, her eyes staring into the void.
It all hit too close to home for a Demon who had returned from death for less than three days. Carl and Elphyn were one and the same in Menadion’s eyes. She hated Chris Wainright as much as she hated the old Bytra.
The fury in her gut burned so fiercely that she expected it to bore a hole in her stomach.
Derek’s death filled her not with sadness, but compassion.
‘I would have done the same.’ She thought. ‘Had I been smart enough not to get killed by Bytra, had Epphy not survived her injuries, victory would have been a hollow satisfaction. I too would have-‘
The images of the bright light after the gunshot froze Ripha’s mind. The memories of the alien ship, instead, made her rub her eyes, refusing to believe what she was seeing. Death came again, less swift and much more painful.
Only then did Lith’s memories of his rebirth on Mogar come. Menadion had just the time to recognize a younger Elina and the late Nana when the mind link was cut off.
“You know the rest. More or less.” Lith took a sip of his hot chocolate while Ripha tried to make sense of what she had just learned.
She stared at him for a while, surprised by his honesty as much as by his revelations. They were two strangers, bound solely by their love for Solus and a black chain yet Lith had opened up to her more than with most people in his life
To gain her trust, he had shown Menadion the scars that no breathing technique could heal.
“How old are you exactly?” It was a silly question but she still felt the need to ask.
“Forty-seven next winter.” Lith replied.
“You are still a runt!” Menadion blurted out in surprise.
“That’s what shocks you?”
“Among many things about you, yes.” Ripha tormented her chin. “I thought you were much older. Some kind of Lich-like parasite. It was the most likely explanation for your cruel behavior as a kid and your insane growth speed as a mage.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.” He gave her a nod. “I’m not a genius but I’m not stupid either.
