Chapter 4093: Promise Fulfilled (Part 2) "Waiting longer would mean risking the Lutians reading about the Indech on their Tablets first. If that happens, this will have a lesser impact. Besides, I’m not going to reveal anything or use any ability but my magic. My plans are safe." Lith looked around the city, glad to notice that all the damaged houses had been fully repaired. Only the buildings that had been reduced to rubble by the Upyrs were still under construction. Thanks to the mages from the Association, Salaark’s free materials, and the hardworking Lutians, the reconstruction of the city proceeded smoothly and swiftly. The only sour note was the many empty areas where once stood the houses of the people who had decided to leave Lutia and start a new life somewhere else. After Lith bought the deeds for the lands upon which the houses were built, he had razed them to the ground and removed every trace of their presence, no matter the condition of the buildings. The collected materials had been used to repair the shops of the artisans and vendors who had chosen to remain, helping them get back on their feet and giving Lutia a semblance of normalcy in record time. "Speaking of plans, did you have to do that?" Zekell pointed at the empty lots. "It’s better than the demolished houses that were there before, but I can’t help but see it as scars those gods-damned Upyr left on Lutia, and I’m not the only one." "Yes, I had to, and it’s only a matter of perspective, Zekell." Lith replied. "You see scars because you think of those who died or left, but it would be the same even if I rebuilt those houses. "The silence and their lightless windows would still remind everyone of those we lost." "I guess you are right." The blacksmith shrugged. "How do you see them?" "As a new beginning." Lith said. "Whoever decides to live there won’t be under the shadow of the previous owner, nor will they have to think of how much blood soaked the walls of their homes on the night of the attack. "Also, if nobles buy the land as I expect them to do, they’d have demolished the commoner houses anyway to build themselves proper mansions. I’m saving a lot of money, and the value of the property increases." "You’re a greedy son of a Dragon." Zekell chuckled. "I forgive you only because you’ve already restored my house. Sirma cried when we walked through the door and found everything back in its place." "Glad to hear." Lith took a deep breath and put on his Supreme Magus robe. Zekell had assembled the believers of the All-Father for the event, but many Lutians who had no business with the temple had gathered as well. A large crowd surrounded the ruins, way bigger than Lith expected. The Fire Dragons had restored the statues of the four generals and Lith’s forms before leaving, but the main building was still in shambles. "Thank you all for coming, but it wasn’t necessary." He said as the people made way for him and Zekell. "I’ve just come to set things right. Nothing else." Lith checked the blueprints of the temple stored inside Soluspedia one last time before conjuring his tier three Creation Magic spell, Restoration. The temple of the All-Father was a simple building with simple enchantments that kept it clean and well-lit. There was no point in using a more advanced spell and the precious ingredients it would have required. A wave of Lith’s hand repaired the short staircase leading to the raised floor of the temple. When Lith’s foot touched the first step, he shapeshifted into a Tiamat and Restoration connected small and large pieces of debris with threads of blue energy. On the second step, the blackness of the Abomination replaced the Tiamat, and the rubble slowly rose into the air. On the third step, fire burst from the Abomination, switching his obsidian-black with red feathers and scales. The Voidfeather Dragon pushed Restoration further, reassembling the temple floor and arranging the rubble into makeshift walls and a ceiling. Lith stepped on the cracked stones and entered the ruined building with Zekell right behind him. The believers and those who worked for the temple followed their high cleric without hesitation, while the Lutians hesitated until curiosity got the best of them. Lith reached the area where once the altar stood without saying a word or looking back. He needed his sheer focus to place every single stone where it belonged and fill the remaining gaps with fresh materials from his pocket dimension without anyone noticing. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮 At the same time, Solus remained hidden among the crowd and used the Hands of Menadion to conjure and focus around Lith as much world energy as she could. Lith moved behind the ruins of the altar to look the crowd in the eyes as he shapeshifted into an Indech. "I’m no god, but thank you for believing in me." He said. "This is the new form I have achieved. My human form. I share it with you today as a sign of gratitude and to show you that I haven’t forgotten about my promise." Lith took a deep breath, and Abyssal Gaze flooded his body with the power of the elements. As his pristine white wings split into six and turned into pure energy, the Lutians experienced the same feelings as nobles and Awakened the day prior. They saw the chains, felt their weight, and witnessed them shattering. As Lith’s power grew, he completed the Restoration spell. The cracks disappeared from the stones, the broken tiles reassembled themselves and stacked orderly, and flawless columns rose from the floor, connecting it to the ceiling. In the blink of an eye, the temple of the All-Father was whole again. Lith was no artist, so he couldn’t recreate the statues, frescoes, or any piece of art that had been destroyed. Yet everything else was exactly as the Lutians remembered it, from the wooden benches to the shelter and the Healers’ wards. "Everything that the Dead King has taken away from you, I will give you back." Lith said as she shapeshifted back into a Tiamat, completing the circle and displaying his final set of wings. "I will find him, and I will kill him. "I will erase every trace of the Dead King’s existence until even his memory disappears. This I promise." Unlike the nobles and Awakened, however, the Lutians were standing. They instinctively fell to their knees, the vision of the Indech inspiring in them the trust to believe the words of the Tiamat and the will to face whatever the future may hold. *** Jiera continent, ruined city of Tle’ket, a little more than an hour later. Unlike during Friya’s wedding, many people had kept their Tablets at hand after Lith stepped in front of the ruins of the temple of the All-Father. Seeing the Supreme Magus of the Kingdom so up close was a rare opportunity. Before he had given his speeches to the people of Lutia, most of them had seen Lith only in holograms. So, when the Lutians understood he was about to give a demonstration of his powers, they started recording.