"I had devised this special set of chains to keep Ripha at a table long enough to have a proper date." Thinking back at those times when Mogar still made sense, Silverwing laughed with joy.

Her words conjured some of Solus's lost memories where she sat with her parents for their anniversary or birthdays and the chains kept Menadion from rushing back into her lab the moment she had a sudden inspiration until she finally gave up.

Those visions showed Solus how happy her family had been, making her laugh as well for a few seconds before stopping abruptly. Hearing so many details about her past brought Solus happiness, but also worry.

'My parents got married after three years. Lith's third anniversary with Kamila is drawing nearer by the day. Will it happen for them as well?' She thought.

"I have only a few memories left, but none of Dad. What happened to him? Did he die of old age?" Solus said.

"No. Against my better judgment, your mother Awakened Threin so that they could get old and watch you grow into a powerful mage together." At those words, sadness veiled Silverwing's eyes.

"He only used the breathing techniques to extend his life, but he never practiced magic seriously nor did he train his body."

"What do you mean, against your better judgment? What's wrong with Awakening the person you love?" Solus would have been outraged if not for the sincere sorrow Silverwing showed.

"For an Awakened, magic must be second nature because once the mana core goes past orange, each breakthrough becomes exponentially more dangerous. Your father needed help to survive reaching the green core and I warned them over and over that from then, things would only get worse.

"Yet your father had undying faith in your mother's skill just like Ripha believed she could control everything simply by keeping his condition in check. Threin started practicing magic only after Ripha Awakened you at the age of six and only to be able to fly with both you and your mother.

"You've always been a gifted child and with Ripha's teachings, it took you barely a month to learn the first three tiers of magic. You spent so much time in the sky and your mother was such an airhead that without Threin, you would've lost your way countless times.

"At some point, we all suspected that you did it on purpose, to get the attention of at least one of your parents." Lochra sighed. "It happened too fast for anyone to intervene. One moment you were playing tag with Threin, the next he was gone."

"Gone how?" Solus started to sob, feeling a forgotten sense of guilt resurface through the sands of time.

"The constant use of magic hastened his core development and he had already reached the bright green core. When the breakthrough to cyan started, it only took one pulse of mana to make his body burst."

"We arrived at the scene the moment you pressed the emergency call on your clothes, but it was already too late. You begged us to save him, yet all that remained of Threin was a newborn Abomination.

"His desire to not leave you was so strong that he refused death, at least until he saw me and Ripha shielding your small figure still covered in his blood with our bodies. Only then did Threin understand what had happened and let himself fade away."

"I thank the gods every single day for the strength he showed by not forcing me to kill him and you to see him die again." Silverwing's eyes shed warm tears but her voice remained firm and her face betrayed no emotion.

"Did I kill my Dad? Would he be still alive if I didn't fly around so much?" Solus asked.

"No, you didn't. It was just a matter of time and the reason why I didn't want Ripha to Awaken Threin. Yet you were too small to understand it. You blamed yourself for forcing him to play with you so often and your mother for being absent, like always, when your father needed her the most.

"Ripha blamed herself as well and never remarried. Since she couldn't give you any sibling, she took in many apprentices, hoping that they would fill the void in your lives and help you to overcome your grief." Lochra replied.

"What happened after that?"

"You smiled much less and studied much more. Even though you always resented your mother, you became just like her, spending all of your time practicing magic and training your body.

"You faced every breakthrough like a battle as if you wanted to get revenge for what had happened to Threin. You grew considering your fellow apprentices as rivals rather than friends and never let anyone into your life." Lochra said.

"Did I date?"

"Yes, but you refused anyone who had yet to reach the blue core, afraid that they would suffer the same fate as your father. It limited your suitors quite a bit since only powerful Awakened fit the bill.

"Most of them you dumped because they were just using you to get to your mother." Silverwing said.

"What about the others? The ones I loved and who loved me back?"

"You dumped them nonetheless. The more you liked someone, the more the scene of your father's death would flash before your eyes whenever you were

"How do you kids say it these days? Getting intimate? Going for the fifth year? Letting them inside your chamber of secrets?"

"I get it, please stop!" Solus turned to a shade of purple and so did all the lights in the tower. "How do you know all this stuff about my personal life?"

"Because you told me, Epphy. Being your relationship with your mother complicated at best, who do you think you asked for advice about crushes, love, and sex?" Lochra said.

"How old I was when I disappeared?"

"Twenty-eight and believe me when I say that you were a prodigy. You reached the violet core by yourself at twenty and your genius rivaled that of your mother. You were so ahead of your peers that I still don't get who or what could have bested both you and Ripha.

"Now it's your turn to tell me your side of the story." Lochra said.

Solus told her everything she remembered about the time before meeting Lith, which didn't amount to much. Silverwing shuddered every time Solus described the fear and isolation from her core getting weaker by the day to her.

Then, she met Protector and Lith. Silverwing expected her to express even more pain while recounting the time when she had no body and no freedom, forced to live in the shadows like an Abomination.

Yet Solus smiled a lot while talking about Lith's family and spoke about the years they had spent together with such tenderness that it sent cold shivers down Lochra's spine.

Solus made no mention of Lith's reincarnations, but shared with her godmother her worries about his life force and her plans to find a way to fix it. While they talked, Solus unconsciously searched for his hand more than once and she caressed his scaly head from time to time.

"Kid, I'm going to be honest with you. Are you insane or what?" Silverwing stood up so abruptly and her voice held such contempt that Solus instinctively started to weave her best spells.