Supreme Magus

Chapter 3172 Wrong Tower (Part 2)

3172 Wrong Tower (Part 2)

”How am I supposed to believe someone Iʼve never met?” Derekʼs paranoia ran rampant, making him doubt everything. ”How can he expect me to believe such blatant lies? Someone entered my body last night just like Larry entered my mind now.

”Iʼm not amnesiac. I know who I am. Iʼm Derek McCoy.”

”Wrong.” Ragnar?k said. ”You Lith. You master.”

Derek wanted to question the bladeʼs loyalty, but that name sounded awfully familiar.

”Lith.” As he spoke it out loud, the Void could almost see his house back in Lutia, the smiling faces of his parents and siblings.

Then, more pressing thoughts drove those images away.

”What did he mean, no resurrection and whoʼs Kami?”

***

The search for Lith and Solus never stopped, but aside from Lithʼs encounter with the family of traveling farmers, there was no trace of him.

Kamila always kept her communication amulet at hand, hoping for good news. Elysia and Valeron cried more and more often, not used to miss their father for so long.

”Is there any chance I can use Elysia to track Lith?” She asked Leegaain who was on baby duty that day.

”Iʼm sorry, child. I canʼt help you. My vow is only about protecting Elysiaʼs physical well-being. Not her feelings” He replied.

”So you know where my husband is. You know what happened to him. You know how to rescue him and yet you just sit on your scaly ass?” She clenched her fists, suppressing the temptation to punch the Guardian in the face.

”And what do you want me to do? Fix all the bad things on Mogar? Rescue all the people who are dying and suffering right now? Do you realize how privileged you are just for talking to me?” Leegaain replied.

”If you donʼt like my presence, I can always go back to the Empire. Iʼll protect your daughter from a distance and leave you alone. Forever.”

”Please, donʼt. Iʼm sorry. Iʼm under a lot of stress right now.” Kamila wanted to cry, but it would do her no good. ”Gods, I wish Solus was here. Sheʼs the smart one. Sheʼd know what to do.”

”She wouldnʼt.” Leegaain shook his head. ”Without their bond, Solus would be panicking just like you and she would be terrified at the idea of not finding him before the lack of a host compromises her memories.”

”Thatʼs not true.” Kamila replied. ”She can bond with anyone and Grandma can undo it with Creation Magic the moment we find Lith.”

”Yeah, right, because Iʼm sure that Solus would be thrilled at the idea of having another person in her head and potentially exposing all of Lithʼs secrets. Would you share your body with her?

”Let her feel what you feel, share with Solus your most intimate thoughts and moments? Experience hers?”

”When you put it that way, no.” Kamila swallowed a lump of saliva. ”I doubt even Tista would.”

”My point- Answer that!” Leegaain pointed at her communication amulet one second before Zorethʼs rune lit up.

”Please, tell me youʼve found him.” Kamila said.

”I wish.” The Shadow Dragon sighed. ”Iʼve lost Lithʼs traces the moment he took flight. He must really be amnesiac because his movements make no sense. Heʼs going in random directions.

”Yet I found his trace back after meeting a pack of wolves. It took me a while and lots of meat to convince them to trust me but I did it. They met Lith and brought me to the banks of the Osha River.

”Iʼve picked his scent again, but after a while, Iʼve lost him again. Lith travels by flight during the day when his hunger is at its lowest and on foot at night.”

”Thanks, Zoreth.” Kamila sighed. ”This is not what I hoped for but itʼs better than nothing.”

”I wasnʼt done yet. Look at what Iʼve found.” The Shadow Dragon widened the hologram, sharing the view of the clearing where the Void had fought. ”We arenʼt the only ones looking for Lith. Someone tried very hard to kill him.

”Someone wearing these.” Zoreth showed multiple fragments of Darwen left from the broken armor. ”Any idea to who they might belong?”

Kamila looked at Leegaain for a second, meeting a stone mask before replying:

”Iʼm a Constable, I donʼt even know what that is.”

”Itʼs Darwen. Itʼs a rare material considered very hard to craft. It matches the pieces weʼve found near Vidunʼs cabin. It means that we arenʼt dealing with a single individual but with a well-equipped organization.

”Iʼm bringing it home to see if someone recognizes the design. Zoreth out.”

”Dammit.” Kamila wanted to yell and cry, to crack the table with a punch and smash the chair with a kick.

Instead, she kept her voice low and suppressed her emotions to not scare the children.

”Mama?” Elysia asked from Leegaainʼs arms.

”Donʼt worry, baby. Everything is alright. Mommy is alright.” Kamila lifted Elysia and hugged her tightly to find the strength to not fall apart.

”Dya?”

”Daddy is alright too. Heʼs busy with work but heʼs always thinking of you. Heʼd do anything to be here with us but he just canʼt.” Kamila replied, fighting tooth and nail to keep her voice from cracking.

Elysia was utterly confused. On the one hand, she perceived her motherʼs sincerity. On the other hand, she also felt Kamilaʼs distress. The two things didnʼt make sense together.

The baby girl focused really hard, trying to tap into the bond she shared with her father.

No matter how much Elysia tried, her Tiamat blood remained still. Then she shapeshifted into a small Voidfeather Dragon, garnering a response so faint that she could barely notice it.

”Elysia!” Kamila pulled the baby away, feeling the baby becoming deathly cold. ”You gave me a heart attack and my hands are hurting. Why did you turn into a…”

The baby girl now had black ebony skin, long fangs, and empty white eyes but Kamila couldnʼt call her an Abomination. The word itself sounded like an insult that if it were to escape Kamilaʼs lips even once would taint the love she felt for her daughter forever.

”This is weird. Elysia never turns into… this unless Lith does it first. What does it mean?” 𝗳r𝚎e𝘄𝐞b𝚗𝗼ve𝚕.co𝗺

Elysia didnʼt care much for questions. After days of separation, she could finally perceive her father clearly. He was very distant, but the small Abomination could see his blackness as clearly as she could see her mother.

”Dya! Dya!” She flailed her small arms in Lithʼs direction, begging her mother to turn around and look.

Kamilaʼs heart clenched at the word and she did turn around, hoping that somehow Elysiaʼs transformation was a sign of Lithʼs return.

”No, baby girl. Thatʼs the wrong tower. Daddy isnʼt there.” Kamila kissed Elysiaʼs forehead, trying to reassure her.

A medium-sized hunting cabin had just reached the Verhen Mansion running on giant chicken legs. It stopped at a safe distance from the arrays in order to let the lords of the house confirm the identity of the cabinʼs occupants and not trigger the automated defenses.

”Whatʼs this story about Lithʼs disappearance?” The Bright Day stepped through the wooden door, wearing a sunflower yellow day dress that emphasized her albino-white skin and pitch black hair and matched her shining golden eyes without pupils.