Chapter 3309 Shameful Past (Part 2) "Who was the father?" Ananta asked and the peanut gallery leaned forward, nodding like parrots. "Use your brain." Ripha clicked her tongue in mock indignance. "Solus has lived in the Blood Desert until Sally, I mean, the Overlord reconnected with her lost son. My daughter and I died seven hundred years ago. Who do you think took care of my bloodline until now?" "Overlord Salaark." Irslak pondered out loud. "But that means…" "Aerth, the Blue Phoenix was the father of the baby." Menadion completed the phrase for him and the Dark Phoenixes confirmed. 'Why? Why did I think that?' Solus inwardly screamed. 'Me and my big mouth! I jinxed it. It got worse. So much worse!' "Please, don't ask the details. Disclosing private matters of our brother goes against the Overlord's law." Urxat had a grimace on his face that made him seem honest. In truth, he and the rest of the Dark Phoenixes were laughing their asses off. From their perspective, the situation was funnier than a theatrical play. "If I may, master Menadion, who killed you, and what happened to your tower?" Quashol asked. The mystery of Menadion's death weighed heavily on the Awakeend community and the perspective of getting their hands on the legendary mage tower after witnessing three of them in action was ever-alluring. "Asfell Kolga killed me after I foolishly entrusted her with many of my secrets." Ripha's answer shocked everyone to the bone, but not as much as Bytra. "That's why that bitch ran like a rat after master Menadion's demise." Ayleen pointed out and everyone agreed. "It matches what we know about her." Ananta pondered. "Kolga hid underwater to escape the investigation and continued her experiments on Forbidden Magic. Based on the reports we received after the destruction of her lost city, Asfell did try to build her own tower. "Probably she wanted to get master Menadion's tower and its powers to perfect the spell that later gave birth to the Forbidden Sun. I don't want to think what might have happened if she succeeded." Lith was among those still stunned by surprise. 'That's the kind of lie I would concoct to protect Bytra except I did not tell Menadion to say any of this. Her life, death, and potential revenge are her own.' He thought. "I have a confession to make." Ripha sighed. "I actually knew about Asfell's interest in Forbidden Magic. She asked for my help with more than one project but it was nothing like the Forbidden Sun. "Just minor things that with a bit of tuning and effort we converted into regular magic. I'm ashamed to admit I did not report her to the Council and kept her secrets because I was fascinated by Asfell's talent. "Her starting ideas were an abomination, but could be fixed and lead to great results." Menadion was telling the truth while also omitting her own interest in Forbidden Magic to pursue her agenda. "It's none of your fault, master Menadion." Quashol patted her back. "Just because one has a dangerous idea, it doesn't mean they have to pursue it. Kolga made her choice, a terrible choice, and in the end, she got what she deserved." "As for my tower, I have no clue." Menadion said. "I remained by the baby's side and I've followed my descendants ever since." "Great. Fantastic. Thanks for the history lesson." Tezka snorted. "Now, let's go back to the present and to something that actually matters to me. The Ears of Menadion. Who gets them?" With the field cleared of elven corpses, Golems, and Yggdrasill wood, the Ears of Menadion were the biggest and last prize. The trunk of the World Tree had been destroyed in the explosion and what was left had turned back into its original non-Awakened form, like it happened to all dead Fae. Two halves of a burned, hollow giant oak lay on the bottom of the hole the World Tree's roots had dug overtime. "The Suneater is right." Ayleen said. With all her questions answered, she had no interest in talking anymore. "I'd say it belongs to the Red Mother." Vladion stepped forward. "She was the spear and shield of the decoy team. Without my mother, you would have never gotten close to the Tree, Lith." "It belongs to me!" Tezka snarled. "I opened the Fringe. I let the Dragons in. Without me, there would have been no battle at all. Without my Chaos Dimension those ungrateful Wyrms would have never gotten inside the Fringe before the World Tree killed you all just like Valtak!" As the Suneater pointed at the Dragon patriarchs, making them lower their heads in shame, the Fringe returned to its original size and state. "Well, shit." Tezka looked at the misty borders of the Fringe in the distance. "Now we have to get out one at a time." "In times of peace that doesn't matter." Erghak, the highest ranking among the surviving Fire Dragons stepped forward. "What matters is that the Fire Dragons receive the Ears of Menadion. "It was thanks to Grandfather that two greeds of Dragons assembled to help you. He gave his life for you, Verhen. The Father of Fire fought to his last spark to snap his so-called Brood Brothers out of their self-important indifference." "Watch your mouth, kid!" Irslak roared, unfurling his sapphire-blue wings in anger. "I don't owe you any respect, old Wyrm." Erghak replied, the title spat out like an insult. "The World Tree killed the Father of Fire but only because you allowed it with your inaction. Do you deny it?" The Father of All Storm Dragons narrowed his eyes and thick smoke billowed out of his nostrils as rage literally set his heart aflame. "The Storm Dragons second Erghak's motion." Irslak lowered his head in regret. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚 "And so do the Black Dragons." Ananta said. "And the Ice Dragons." Quashol said. The young Fire Wyrm's words were addressed to Irslak, but all patriarchs felt the blow and the responsibility they carried. "The Golden Dragons concur." Gentor nodded. "I didn't do enough. I came here to protect Valtak and I failed. The least I can do is to compensate his Brood for their loss." "That's great and I'm tempted to agree with you but I have to ponder the issue." Lith shook his head. "What? Why?" The Dragons said in outrage and the Eldritches and Firstborns with hope. "Because you all made good points but missed one crucial fact." Lith replied. "My promise was to reward the one who saved Solus with the Ears and none of us took so much as one step inside the World Tree. "Ripha Menadion saved Solus and if I take my promise to the letter, the Ears belong to her." "But she's a Demon!" Ananta rebuked. "Your Demon. This is just an excuse to keep it for yourself." "His Demon my ass!" Menadion snarled. "I am my own person and in case you missed the whole conversation, I have still one heir!" "At the same time, I think Tezka is right." Lith stood between the two women before things escalated. "The Eldritches played a role as important as Valtak. Right now, I'm grieving and I can't think clearly." He touched Ananta with the Dragon scales and the sense of loss she experienced was no less than hers.