Then, he noticed Elphyn's watery eyes, her small face full of sorrow, and the fact that she had thrown her diaries, books of magic, and grimoires in the lit fireplace. "I'm sorry, Daddy. I don't want to learn magic anymore. Please stop yelling at Mom." She said amid hiccups, sniffling as tears and snot ran down her face. "I'm sorry, Mommy, I changed my mind. "I love Dad more than I love magic. I beg you, please don't send him away. I don't want Dad to die." Just saying it out loud made Solus burst into tears. Her short legs buckled as she clung to Threin's legs, begging him to not abandon her over and over. Her words soon turned into a sorry mess, just like her, barely understandable. "Oh gods, look what have you done, Ripha!" Threin kneeled down, hugging Elphyn in the attempt to reassure her that he was fine and that he wasn't going anywhere. "You mean what we have done." She replied, kneeling down as well and joining the embrace to show Solus that she wasn't angry with either of them. "You are right. What we have done. We are a couple of red crystals." He sighed. "Don't say that, Dad. Mom doesn't like it. She'll get angry again." Elphyn said while looking at her mother who smiled at her. "No, he's right. Because red crystals are crap, orange are farts, and yellow are piss." She repeated her rankings about mana crystals with a chuckle. "Daddy and Mommy have been really bad. Like two poopheads." 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦 "Can I say that?" Elphyn sniffled. "Please, no. That's a bad word that only bad adults use." Ripha shook her head. "And the crystals?" "Only to offend bad people, like Dad did. Okay?" "Okay." Solus kept hugging her parents, afraid that the moment she let them go, the yelling would resume. Threin and Menadion rarely argued which made their quarrels much scarier for a little girl who was used to living with a loving family. "I'm really sorry, Epphy. I'm sorry, Ripha." Threin said. "I didn't mean any of those things. I'm not going anywhere. I promise that I'll stay with you two for the rest of your life." "Pinkie promise?" Elphyn offered him her small finger. "Pinkie promise." Threin held the pinkie gently with his own and then Ripha's who had mimicked their daughter. "Always remember that you can't die without my permission." She said. "I hereby order you to always be healthy and safe." Solus nodded in agreement, relaxing only after Threin sealed his second promise as well. "I'm sorry we lost our temper, Ripha. Do you have copies of Epphy's books?" He pointed at the still-burning flames of the fireplace. "No, I'm the one who's sorry, Threin. We shouldn't have acted like that to each other, especially in front of Epphy. As for the books, you don't have to worry about them." A wave of her hand retrieved the tomes that turned out to be unscathed. "You know how messy Epphy is. I made them fireproof, crayon-proof, waterproof, and lots of proofs." The little girl squealed in joy when Menadion handed her the treasures that she had believed lost forever. Then, she paled in fear and looked at Threin's reaction. His father smiled at her, kissing her forehead. "I'd say we had enough of magic for today." He said. "Indeed. We'll resume this conversation later and in a more civilized manner. Who wants cake?" Ripha asked, obtaining an embarrassed silence in reply. "I mean we go out for dinner and buy it. I'm not cooking one." "Yay!" Elphyn tried to stand up and run back to her room to change into better clothes but Threin stopped her. He cleaned her face with a handkerchief before lifting her up and carrying her to the bathroom to wash her good. "Damn, I really need to learn how to cook." Ripha scratched her head in embarrassment. Menadion was still grumbling about how bad her cakes were to scare even a traumatized child when the vision started to speed up. Solus saw the family go out for dinner and spend the evening at a petting zoo. It was actually the den of a family of Shyfs who were friends with Menadion and had just had a litter. Elphyn played with the kittens and caressed the soft fur of the parents until she fell asleep. Solus saw herself waking in the middle of the night, discovering that her parents had brought her to their bed and that she was sleeping between them. The vision moved to the following days, when Threin and Ripha kept discussing the matter of her Awakening. Whenever they got angry or reached an impasse, they adjourned the session. Elphyn was always there, to both speak her mind and act as an indicator of how heated they were becoming. After a few weeks, Threin had agreed and Ripha had Awakened him and Elphyn on the same day. Solus woke up sobbing, aware that it marked the beginning of the end for her father. She found herself between Lith and Kamila, who were hugging her from either side. Lith used their bond to soothe her nerves while both of them used their warmth to help Solus face whatever nightmare had emerged from her past. "Gods, you two have dodged one heck of a fireball." Solus used a mind link to share with them the memory she had just recovered. "I'm sorry that you had to see that, Epphy." Silverwing offered her a wet towel and a handkerchief. "That was one of the few memories that I hoped you would never remember." "It's okay." Solus cleaned her face with the towel before conjuring water to wash. "It's in the past now. What hurt the most is that I have never seen them fighting before. I thought they were a perfect couple." "There's no such thing." Baba Yaga shook her head. "Yet their good moments far outweighed the bad ones so I'd say they made a great couple anyway." "Good gods." Kamila turned pale both because she felt sorry for Solus and because she could easily see an identical quarrel happening between her and Lith the moment their daughter was old enough. "Was Threin right? Servant and apprentice?" "Technically, yes." Lith nodded. "But if I, or Menadion for that matter, ever dared to do that, it would mean the end of our relationship. As it is, instead, you are a self-Awakened and so is our baby. "I'm not your master more than you are mine. Scratch that, you are bossy as heck!" He said in mock outrage, making both Kamila and Solus chuckle. "Is there any painting you want, Solus?" Silverwing asked, glad to see how quickly her goddaughter was recovering from the shock. "No, thanks. Or better, I'm still too shaken to think clearly. We'll talk about it on my next visit. Thanks for everything, Aunt Loka." Solus stood up on her own, giving the First Magus a deep bow. "Don't mention it." Silverwing forced Solus to straighten up before hugging her. "You will be always welcome here. This is your home as well. Whenever you want to talk or just stay alone, you'll find your room ready."