'Lith rescued me from the brink of death. He believed me and treated me as a person even when I considered myself just a tool. He kept my secret and protected me even at great personal cost.' Solus said.

'He made me a part of his family and now he has put everything he has on the line to save me.'

'Like a son-in-law, you mean! Menadion scoffed heavily. I told you, I was always there with you. Every single day!'

'I don't know what are you talking about. Solus blushed so hard that Menadion felt it through the mind link.

'Let me refresh your memory, then. I'm talking about the pining for him, the snuggling in bed with him once he fell asleep, the endless arguments with your friends about "I don't know what I feel for him", and the times he brought you skinny dipping in the ocean. And I could go on for hours!"

'Mom! I've never done such a thing! Solus reddened in embarrassment and outrage. 'I've always worn a swimsuit!'

'Is that what you call that sexy lingerie you used to flaunt your body in front of him?" Menadion scoffed. 'In my day, you wouldn't have caught me dead wearing something like that unless I was in my bedroom and only in front of your father'

'Mom! Eww! The idea made Solus' mind churn. Also, it's not lingerie and I don't flaunt my body in front of anyone!"

'Yeah, right.' Menadion sneered and passed through a wooden gate by the skin of her teeth before it closed shut. I hate that bastard! Or rather, I loved him when he found your ring. I admired him for treating you like a person and never ordering you around. Lith gained my undying gratitude when you got your light body back and he never tried to exploit your way too obvious feelings for him. You have no idea how relieved I was when the most scandalous thing I had to witness was you sneaking out at night to eat like a Divine Beast.

'You should eat healthier and cut back on the sweets, Epphy. Now that you have a human body, you can gain weight again.'

'Mom!' Solus blushed and whimpered with equal might. 'Not in front of... What's your name again?'

'Ghar'mar Riverflow. The elf didn't know what was worse.

If to be forced to hear a mother-daughter quarrel while her people died or be so irrelevant that even a person with an eidetic memory hadn't bothered remembering her

name.

'Let's call her Spare Parts.' Menadion said, making Spare Parts sigh in resignation.

'Setting your eating habits aside, Epphy, Lith did many good things for you but he also gave me plenty of reasons to be upset.

'I resented Lith every time he pretended not to know how you felt about him whenever he was single and you finally had become human again. I despised him when he married that Kamila woman after everything you've done for him.

'But the final straw was you taking care of his children. It should have been you, gods-damn it!'

'Oh, yeah? Tell me, Mom, what would have happened if I were the one pregnant with Elysia and I was forced back into my ring? What would have happened to my baby?" Solus paused to give Menadion the opportunity to answer but she remained silent.

The Bleed and the Horseman technology that the First Ruler of the Flames had used to fuse Solus with the tower was experimental and untested. Ripha herself couldn't explain the changes in the tower as it rebuilt itself.

She had no idea if Solus' tower half could support a pregnancy, let alone if it might have adverse long-term effects on an unborn child.

'What would have happened if during an argument Lith yelled an order at me in anger, crushing my will?' Solus said once it was clear she would receive no answer.

'Being a couple and being friends are two completely different things. Where you see indifference, I see care. Lith always looked out for me and made sure that he never took advantage of our bond to get what he wanted from me.

'He could have toyed with my feelings. Lead me by the nose knowing that I had no choice but to be with him. Instead, he set me free. He pushed me to make friends, travel across Mogar, and make a life for myself without him.

'As long as I need him for survival, our relationship would never be fair. There would never be the option for us to break up.'

'Now there is. Menadion countered. 'Get Sally to undo the bond and change host. Easy as that.'

'No, Mom. Solus shook her head. 'You might have been by my side from the beginning, but there are things even you don't know.'

The secrets of Lith's reincarnations and his identity as Derek McCoy were something that Solus couldn't allow anyone to discover. It might have ruined his life and destroyed his relationship with his family and friends.

'On top of that, have you ever stopped thinking how hard it is to find someone you trust wholeheartedly? How embarrassing is it to share every moment of your life and have little to no privacy? What Lith and I have is a small miracle.'

'We'll talk about this later.' Menadion grunted, shuddering at the thought. In life, she had many embarrassing habits she hoped Threin had never discovered. 'How far is- Oh, shit!" The metamorphosis of the Chroniclers patrolling the corridors was complete, their flesh

and blood consumed to nourish the growth of the Yggdrasill's sprouts.

Their heads, arms, and legs were split into bundles of whip-like tendrils, giving them a grotesque appearance. They still wore clothes, making them look like scarecrows animated by Forbidden Magic.

"Stop them!" The voice of the Yggdrasill came out of the hollow of the Puppets, the Tree's will overpowering the former Chroniclers'.

With the elves' pain and fear for their families gone, only duty and obsession remained. The corridor in front of Menadion started to close. Vines sprouted from the ceiling and connected with those blooming from the floor, forming a thick wall of Yggdrasill wood. Menadion tried and failed to Blink, the space-compressing array was now stronger than ever, leaving her only one option.

As the Puppets lashed at her with their vines and threw spells at her from every direction, the First Ruler of the Flames shapeshifted her form to avoid as many hits as she could.

Menadion shielded Spare Parts with her body when she failed to avoid a whip and Dominated half of the tier five spells, sending them to crash into the other half.

"Are you sure this is the right way? What if the corridors have already shifted?' She

asked.

'I'm sure.' The Librarian replied. "The Yggdrasil has made lots of space inside their trunk for the treasures and knowledge they are not willing to entrust the elven villages. A sudden shift would destroy everything.

'At the speed you are moving, the World Tree can seal up corridors and change the disposition of the rooms but that's it. I can still orient myself.' Spare Parts sighed in shame before adding: Also, the Yggdrasill has no idea I'm helping you.'