Chapter 1790 - Solus’ Fury (Part 4)
One of the hammer"s heads was flat, while the other resembled an ice pick.
The three mana crystals that rested on its top and sides remained white for a split second before starting to cycle through the seven colors of the elements and then turn white again.
"This is no longer Ripha Menadion"s Fury. This is now Elphyn Menadion"s Fury, crafted like her mother would have made me do it were she still alive. Yet Elphyn is a relic of the past, just like the runes that Menadion left me.
"Hence, as its crafter, I rename it Solus" Fury since just like her, it"s born anew." Salaark offered the hammer to Lith, holding its head in one hand and the end of the grip in the other.
Lith took the Fury and gave it to Solus. She imprinted the hammer while he was still holding it, ripping it from his hands and embracing it like a long-lost child. Her sobbing slowly decreased in intensity until it stopped.
Solus had lost her consciousness but she had found her peace.
"Don"t let her out of your sight even for one second!" Salaark pointed the nail of her forefinger millimeters away from Lith"s nose.
"I won"t. Thank you, Grandma." He was about to give her a deep bow when the Guardian stepped forward and embraced him.
"I"m proud of you. By coming here, you saved her days of suffering. You saw that hammer not as an artifact to hide from the rest of Mogar, but for what it truly was: the source of her pain. Now go and take good care of the daughter of my mentor." Salaark let go of him and Warped him to the tower.
Lith moved back to the Trawn woods and then brought Solus to her room, where all the things most precious to her were.
"Kami is right. Just like when I grieve she brings me to Belius, I can"t bring Solus home. There she would be forced to tell her story over and over again and to relive her pain.
"Solus would have to worry about not falling apart in front of the others and not making them worry whereas what she needs now is to worry solely about herself. The tower is her home and I"m the only person she needs right now."
Lith put Solus in her bed and shapes.h.i.+fted her dress into pajamas before joining her. He could feel through their bond that she was in a lot of pain, like that they had experienced upon Lark"s death.
This time, however, Lith wasn"t part of it and his heart was steady. Their bond allowed his calm to soothe Solus" grief and his affection to not make her feel alone, even in her sleep.
He held her tight despite the discomfort of the Fury between them pressing against his chest, giving her all the warmth that he could. While Solus dreamed of her mother, Lith answered all the worried calls of their family, explaining the situation to them.
He asked them not to call Solus or to visit until she felt ready.
The sun had already set and the moon was s.h.i.+ning high in the sky when Solus finally stirred. At first, her mind was so fuzzy that she had no idea where she was. The last thing she remembered was attending Vastor"s wedding.
"How did I get in my bedroom?" She mumbled.
"You gave me a huge scare. Welcome back, Solus." Only upon hearing Lith"s words did Solus realize that she wasn"t alone and that the warmth wrapping her didn"t come from the blankets.
"What the-" The blood rushed to her head, trying to understand for what reason Lith had violated the unwritten rule between them to not sleep in the same bed.
Her mind cleared instantly and she noticed that while Lith embraced her, her hands were otherwise occupied. Her eyes fell upon the Fury and everything came back to her mind, destroying the barrier that her subconscious had erected to protect her from the pain.
"Mom! Bytra! She-" Solus sobbed losing control of her mouth and eyes that teared up again.
"I know. Don"t worry. It"s alright. It"s all in the past. There"s only you, me, and the tower here. Between your mother"s legacy and me, no one can hurt you." Lith tightened his embrace, gently caressing her head.
The pain that just a second ago had almost crushed her faded away enough to be bearable. Solus kept sniffling, but now she managed to talk.
"What happened after I lost consciousness?" After leaving Vastor"s home, her memory was a blur.
Lith shared his mind with her, showing her the visit to Salaark and how the Guardian had transformed Menadion"s Fury into Solus".
"Is that a hammer on your chest or are you just happy to see me?" Lith said, making her chuckle.
"It"s not funny, jacka.s.s." She said.
"Tell me about it. It"s my first time waking with something hard that doesn"t belong to me pressed against my body." The chuckle turned into a laughter and so did her tears.
"Thank you." She put the Fury on her bedstand and returned his embrace.
"Please. You have always been there for me. I"m more than happy to return the favor." Lith said.
"I meant about bringing me to Salaark. I know that it was the right thing to do, but if you left the decision up to me, I would have never allowed her to alter the Fury. It was my mother"s memento and I"d have cried over it for a long time before finding the strength to let it go." Solus said.
"Everything for you." He caressed her head and shoulders.
"I"m hungry." She said after the repeated growling of her stomach reminded her that she hadn"t touched a single bite of the glorious wedding buffet. "I haven"t eaten since breakfast."
"Let me prepare you something." Lith jumped out of the bed, shapes.h.i.+fting his pajamas into regular clothes while Solus took the Fury and carried it with her.
"It"s beautiful, isn"t it?" She placed the hammer on the table while they dined with a savory stew.
"It is. How do you feel?" Lith asked.
"Angry, sad, and confused. All at the same time." Solus sighed, fighting to hold the tears back. "What am I supposed to do now? Thank Bytra? Kill her? Forget about her and move on with my life?
"I"d wanted to learn what happened to my mother for so long, yet now that I know, I"m more lost than ever."
"Why choose? We can do all those things in the future." Lith shrugged. "What you have to do now, instead, is to eat to your heart content and get plenty of sleep. Everything else can wait."
Solus had a second serving of stew before asking for a steak and roasted potatoes. Once her stomach was as heavy as her heart, her life didn"t look so bad anymore.
Lith was about to go to his room when she stopped him.
"I know that we are not supposed to sleep together, but I don"t want to be alone tonight. There are too many ghosts in this tower." Solus tugged at his s.h.i.+rt while the death of Menadion"s apprentices flashed in front of her eyes.
Back into her bed and without the Fury between them, Lith felt awkward when Solus suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck.