Chapter 3313 Unforeseen Ripples (Part 2) "Right here." Solus stepped out of the Gate second and was quickly drowned in a family embrace. "My baby!" Elina said while kissing Solus' forehead and irking Menadion to no end. 'Watch what you say.' Kamila said through a mind link. 'Jirni is still here.' "Welcome back, Lith. Welcome back, Solus." Lady Ernas wobbled through the crowd that opened up for her. "I'm glad to see everything went fine. Don't worry, I'm not going to intrude this moment. "I've remained in the Desert to offer your mother emotional support but now that you are back, my husband needs me and I him." Jini saved Lith the effort to find an excuse to dismiss her. "Friya, Quylla, I suppose you'll join me in a while, correct?" "Yes, Mother." The two women gave her a respectful bow as a thank you. "Don't make your father wait too long. He has a good heart but would hate to think you treasure a friend more than you do him." Jirni said and her daughters nodded. "Remember our deal, Lith. One life for another." "I could never forget." Lith took her hands in his and gave her a small bow. "Give me a call when you are done. I want all the details you can share with me. Save your acting for the Royals." Jirni reached the Warp Gate and turned around, giving her guests the best curtsy her state allowed. Then she disappeared through the dimensional corridor which closed behind her, ensuring the privacy of the Verhens. "Did our plan work?" Lith asked the moment they were alone. Judging from the partly angry glares and mostly happy expressions of his family, it was clear that they knew about Kamila's pregnancy. They understood Lith's reasoning for secrecy but still resented him for keeping them in the dark. "Like a curse." She sighed, using a mind link to share the details with him. "The moment I stepped out of the palace I was attacked and Kigan almost killed." "What?" Both Bytra and Zoreth were flabbergasted. They knew how strong their brother was and it was impossible for a mere human to survive something capable of threatening the Dark Phoenix's life. "Are you alright? Did you get hurt?" Lith asked. "I resent that!" Leegaain snorted. "I was with her the entire time and you know it, Hatchling. I should be angry at you for your shameless manipulations." Menadion and Solus already knew about the pregnancy due to the bond with Lith, leaving the Eldritch-hybrids the only ones to be utterly confused by the Guardian's words. "It's fine." Lith shrugged. "Kigan and Zinya know already. I bet Vastor too knows about it by now." "Knows what?" The Shadow Dragon asked in frustration. "Kami!" Solus took it as her cue, breaking free of Elina's embrace and rushing to her friend. "Is it true? A baby boy?" "You tell me." Kamila hugged Solus while shapeshifting her hands into black-scaled Dragon claws. "A what?" Bytra said, expressing the stupor of the speechless Zoreth as well while Solus and Kamila jumped and squealed. The members of the Verhen family and the Nest took turns to congratulate Lith with a handshake and welcome Solus back with a hug and a few words. "How could you not tell us, son?" Raaz brimmed with pride, his handshake as vigorous as angry. "I had to play it close to the vest, Dad." Lith replied. "I had no idea about the identity of my enemy. Also, it's not like I planned on keeping the secret for long. You were bound to notice something was off the moment Kami stopped drinking wine and avoided her favorite blend of strong tea." "I forgive you only because I'm too happy to sweat the small stuff." Raaz laughed. "Gods, we are getting a boy this time. I'll have to polish my whittling skills to impress the little one with my handmade toys or he won't enjoy spending time with me." "We can do it together, Dad. I can use a refresher course." Lith patted his father's shoulder, inwardly whining at the idea of the additional workload a second child was going to bring. "How are you, Solus? What did that monstrous Tree do to you?" Tista wrapped Solus in a tight embrace. "Lots of monstrous things and nothing I want to remember right now, sorry." Solus shuddered and Tista dropped the subject. "By the way, who is your new friend?" Rena noticed the short, armored figure who stood silent in the back. "How come I don't recognize someone you trust enough to share your deepest secrets, lil bro?" "About that…" Solus pushed Tista away gently. "I haven't had a real meal in days and Lith needs energy to recover from his wounds. Yet there are two things I must do before we have lunch. First, Grandma, where is the mana geyser?" A snap of the Overlord's fingers Warped everyone to the inner hall of the palace. Silverspire and Bloodhaven were already there, respectively in the form of a silvery tower and a hunting cabin. Solus looked at Lith who nodded and threw the stone ring in the empty space between the two towers. A snap of the Overlord's fingers Warped everyone to the inner hall of the palace. Silverspire and Bloodhaven were already there, respectively in the form of a silvery tower and a hunting cabin. Solus looked at Lith who nodded and threw the stone ring in the empty space between the two towers. A broken stone tower emerged from the ground amid the awestruck gasps of the Eldritches. Everyone else had seen it happen too many times to care. The vigorous flow of world energy from the geyser flooded Solus and Lith. While she was perfectly fine and the tower allowed her to keep her human form and replenished her core, he was in bad shape. The extra mana flow mended Lith's wounds and revitalized his equipment. The cracks on the Voidwalker armor and Ragnarök disappeared at a speed visible to the naked eye. As the elemental crystals on the fuller regained their luster, the bloody scabbard grew thicker and more elaborate in its design. "Is that…" Bytra asked, not daring to finish the phrase. "My tower, yes." Solus replied. "Since you already know about it and have risked your life for me, you have every right to see it again, Bytra." "Are you sure?" Friya asked. "No offense, Bytra, but you still killed Solus for it. How do we know you won't do it again?" "None taken." The Raiju sighed, having no rebuttal to offer. "Which brings us to the second thing." Solus took a deep breath before continuing. "Aunt Loka, Malyshka. I know you are there. You can come out." Bloodhaven and Silverspire opened, letting their masters out. "We didn't want to ruin this moment for you, Solus." Baba Yaga was back in her Mother form. "Also, we didn't know how much you intended to share with the Eldritches." "And I thank you for that." Solus replied. "But at this point, I see no reason to keep the two worlds apart. Mom, Dad, guys, allow me to introduce my birth mother, Ripha Menadion. She has forgiven Bytra and I want to respect her judgment." As the heads turned around fast enough to get whiplash, the armored figure removed her helm. Between her thick mane of long hair and her features, only a blind man would have failed to see the resemblance between the two women. Especially now that Ripha kept the extra five eyes closed and used Light Mastery to have the same appearance she had in life.