Epp- Solus, you must consider that the natural strain of using the Eyes and Ears will never go away. On top of that, at the moment, they suffer from two more limiting factors that greatly worsen the artifacts' side effects." Ripha said. "The missing floors of the tower are one." Solus nodded. "What's the other?" "You, baby girl." Menadion looked straight into Solus' eyes, making her flinch. "Even as we speak, the tower is doing its best to restore your body. You take priority over the functions of every floor of the tower, even the recovery of its power core. "Whenever you use the Eyes and Ears, part of the energy that can, in theory, make up for the missing floors is syphoned by you. The tower doesn't just keep you alive, it's also constantly mending your mana core and life force. "Until my primary directive is accomplished, even if the tower fully recovers, the Eyes and Ears might still not work as intended." "Are you telling me that I can be free from the tower?" Solus trembled from emotion, and Elysia wrapped her small wings around her in an embrace to soothe her. "That I can live, I mean really live, like a normal person, again?" "That was the whole point of the Infirmary, the Bleed, and everything else." Menadion nodded. "Yet fusing you with the tower was a last-ditch move I attempted when everything else failed. "It wasn't planned, and even at the height of my despair, I couldn't sacrifice innocent people to conduct test runs. For working my version of Yaga's Horseman technology worked, but the results went beyond my expectations." Ripha pointed at the streaks in Solus' hair that she had lacked as Elphyn and then she conjured the pieces of the Set one at a time, tapping her finger on the changes to their original design. "But still, my condition might not be permanent." Solus said. "It might not." Ripha replied. 'But if that means restoring Elphyn Menadion's body or permanently fusing her with the tower in a living artifact, that's impossible to say.' She actually thought, keeping that information to herself, not to spoil the moment. Solus was dancing in joy with Elysia, and even though the baby girl had no idea what they were celebrating, she was happy to participate. "Masa! Masa!" Elysia giggled, bringing fat locks of Solus' multicolored hair to her mouth and munching them with enthusiasm. "Elysia, no! What if you choke on them?" Solus stopped her spin, trying to take the thick lock of hair out of the baby's iron grip. "Don't be stubborn! Gods, if I leave her the hair, she can choke, but if I pull too hard, I might hurt her. Please, help me, Mom." "With pleasure." Menadion dangled her own hair in front of the baby girl. Each strand took the shape of a different creature, moving around in the form of butterflies, small birds, and buzzing insects. Elysia let go of Solus' hair just to snatch Menadion's and suck on it. "What's the point? Nothing has changed." Solus sighed. "My hair is made of energy." Menadion replied. "Elysia can't choke on it unless I wish it so, and I don't." "Great thinking, Mom." Solus clapped her shoulder. "Where did you learn to move your hair like that? I can wrap mine around Elysia like a blanket, but turning so many locks of hair in a different form and moving them like that is beyond me." "I had a lot of practice taking care of you, dear." Ripha opened her arms, and Solus handed her the baby. "You too were a sucker for hair and I had to make things interesting to keep you safe." "Safe from what?" Solus asked. "From yourself and that silly father of yours." Sadness and tears misted Menadion's eyes. "You loved him dearly. So much that you had no problem munching his hair even when it was dirty with paint after finishing his job in the art study." "Oh, right. Dad had long hair too and- I sucked on paint?" Solus looked at Elysia and inwardly thanked the gods that no one in the family had a passion for art. "Yes, which also caused lots of puking and crying when your tummy hurt." Menadion tickled the baby's belly, making her giggle. "Yet no matter what, you grabbed Threin's hair the moment it brushed your face." "By my Mom, I can see how you developed your skills, Mom." Solus smiled as she pictured the scene. "Was it enough? To keep me from getting sick from paint poisoning, I mean." "No." Menadion shook her head, making her hair dance and Elysia go on a wild hunt for new prey. "You loved your father too much. The moment I healed you, you went back looking for his hair." "Couldn't Dad just wash his hair before returning home?" Solus asked. "He too loved you very much, dear. He hated every minute he had to spend away from you." Ripha replied. "The idea was to rush back to you and then take a shower the moment you fell asleep. "He never expected you to be so stubborn and develop a taste for paint." "Wait, what?" Solus laughed at the idea. "You heard me." Menadion half-chuckled and half-cried. "At first, it was just an inside joke between us, but after your father started showering early, we discovered how right we were. "The first time you tasted his clean hair, you looked at him like he had betrayed you and had a long cry. It took you a while to get used to the change." "Thanks for the beautiful story, Mom." Solus said, hugging her. "You are welcome, dear." "Also, don't worry. We'll add Garden training to our endless to-do list as soon as Lith comes back." Solus sighed. "Now I just want to enjoy the beauty of this place together with my mother." "Good luck with that." Menadion nodded. "I've heard she's a real piece of work. Have you brought the chains?" "I don't need them." Solus shook her head. "My mother has her flaws, but I love her with all my heart. I'm sure she's learned from her past mistakes and has become a better person. Am I right, baby girl?" "Ma?" Elysia pointed at Ripha in suspicion. "Yes, sweetie. She is my mom. Can't you see the resemblance?" Many things were a mystery to Elysia. From where insects came, why the sun disappeared just to return the next day, or how could the world around her change so quickly. One moment she was at home, and the next she was surrounded by strangers. Yet one thing she knew for sure. Mothers were precious and had to be respected. "Gari." She sighed with a resigned expression on her small face. "Way to ruin this moment for me, little imp!" Ripha tried to sound angry, but she was brimming with joy and laughter. "Any less enthusiasm and someone might think you're being blackmailed into calling my name." "Once more with feeling, baby girl." Solus chuckled. "What's not to like in Grandma Ripha?" Elysia patted Menadion's bountiful bosom with a grunt. It took her just a quick sniff to know it was another dry well. "Ba!" Elysia replied. ***