Logic dictated that any threat to their existence had to be permanently removed and that was what she had helped Lith to do many times over the years. Solus had never objected whenever he experimented on his prisoners or tortured them to get the answers he needed.

Her sudden change of heart sounded hypocritical even to herself, especially after helping him to design several blueprints of a modern body-swapping machine.

'No. I wouldn't. Deirus has it coming for all the lives he has destroyed in pursue of his mindless revenge.' She said.

'That's my point. I'm not a wanton murderer but I'm no pushover either. I wouldn't use the ritual for fun nor would I pick my specimens randomly. I would use only those who I would have killed anyway.

'That, however, it's not important right now. What we have to decide is how much of what we discovered we want to share with the Council, what to do about the Hands, and if you want to spend some time here alone.' Lith said.

'What? Why in the gods' name would I want to stay here?' Solus's eyes were wide open in surprise.

'Because if you pretend not to know what lies behind its l.u.s.ter, Kolga is a nice place filled with regular people. Because here you wouldn't need to come to me every time you use magic. Because the Forbidden Sun might hasten your recovery more than I can.

'Most importantly, because it would give you the freedom you deserve.' Lith bent the knee to look Solus in the eyes.

Even without the mind fusion, he could feel that between the height gap and her sitting on an armchair due to her still wobbly legs, Solus was getting a stiff neck from looking up to him.

It was a small gesture, but it meant the world to her. On top of that, she knew from the mind fusion how painful it was to him even the thought of their separation, yet Lith kept putting her happiness first.

Even if it meant losing the tower's prowess for an indefinite time. Once again, Solus took her time before answering, to not let her emotions sway her.

'Thank you, but I don't want to stay here one second longer than needed. I understand that from your point of view Kolga might look like an improvement for me, but it isn't.

'My tower is a small cage, but it's filled with people I love and it allows me to travel wherever I want. Kolga may be bigger, but it's still a cage, and one filled with people I don't care about and fueled by nightmares that I can't stand.

'This place isn't freedom for me. It's a dollhouse built by a twisted mage that constantly reminds me of my mother's foolishness.' She said.

'What do you want to do about it?' Lith asked.

'Tista is right. Kolga must be destroyed and the sooner the better. Both the merfolk and the people of the Kellar region don't deserve to live under the constant threat of the monsters that the breaking of either barrier would unleash.

'However, Phloria is right as well. We can't let anyone learn about the Hands of Menadion. If what we heard from the inhabitants of Kolga when we first got here is true and the Hands can control more than one mana geyser at the time, there's no telling what might happen if they fall into the wrong hands.' Solus said.

'Do you realize that if we bring down Kolga thousands of people will die and that among them there are many innocents? They accepted the ritual to save their city at first and then simply because they had no other choice.

'Life is not black and white. No matter what you do, people will die anyway. Are you ready to shoulder such a burden?' Lith asked.

'I am.' She nodded. 'And I have a plan. It's risky and it requires that I face the King alone. It's the only way I have to make sure that in case of victory I'll be the one to retrieve the Hands and keep my mother's legacy from being abused again.

'Yet I can't do it without your help. Even if the Awakened target mainly the Light Torch, the moment the King comes out of his tower, they'll come to confront him if I fail to restrict him.

'At the same time, if I succeed, he's bound to call for reinforcements and turn the tide of the battle. The moment he slips away from me, the Awakened will intervene and all will be lost.

'If anyone comes close enough to recognize the Hands with Life Vision, we'll fail no matter if at the end of the day Kolga stands or falls.' She sighed.

'You know, after seeing what you did to those two crazy mages, I understood why even though Mogar has completely turned its back to Abominations it doesn't destroy them.

'They are not parasites so much as scavengers. They are the natural counter to all kinds of Forbidden Magic and unlike the undead, they can't reproduce so the threat they pose it's always limited.'

'Do you think that my ability to disrupt the ritual comes from my Abomination side?' Lith asked.

'Yes. If I'm right, Death Vision and the ability to conjure the Demons of Darkness come down to that. By mixing with the natural darkness element the bits of Chaos that you produce, you bestow upon wandering souls the form of a lesser Abomination rather than an undead.

'I know that I always asked you to keep that part of your nature sealed, but this time even Wyrmling Lith Verhen might not be enough. Would you be my Abomination, just this one time?' Solus cupped Lith's face, caressing his cheeks with her thumbs.

The feeling of his skin under her fingers was completely different from what she had experienced while under her energy form.

Just like savoring foods by sharing Lith's senses was second rate compared to tasting them herself, touching someone with her human hands felt akin to having finally taken off a pair of surgical gloves.

Solus cherished that moment, knowing that no matter if her plan failed or succeeded, she wouldn't have another opportunity to do it for a long time.

'Always.' Lith replied.

'Thanks. You have no idea what this means for me. Now I need everyone's help to get used to this stupid body, otherwise my plan will fail before even starting.' Solus stood up on her own and stretched her limbs to check how clumsy she still was.

'Before that' Lith conjured a mirror made of ice, allowing Solus to look at her real face.

She had already seen it through Lith's memories during their mind fusion, but the vision shocked her nonetheless. She had taken her gentle features and bright eyes from her mother, making Solus think to be looking at another memory of Menadion.

Solus undid the tress to caress her hair and its softness overwhelmed her.

It reminded her of the dream where as a child she had played with Menadion's hair and the feeling that she was now experiencing was identical. While she caressed the six colored streaks, Solus felt like a part of her mother still lived within her.