After the foolishness and the partying of Elphyn's teen years, there was only the Forge. After countless hours spent mastering all of Ripha's techniques, Elphyn had started to respect as a mother as a Forgemaster first and then as a person.
It helped her to pull the wool of resentment from her eyes and stop seeing their relationship through the filter of her trauma. After years of working in the Forge by Ripha's side and on herself, Elphyn managed to break free from her self-imposed chains.
She could now recognize the love and effort that Menadion had put into raising her after Threin's death. Her mother had done so much for her yet Elphyn had never noticed it because she kept looking away.
She had been trying for a few months now to mend things with Ripha, but after realizing how badly she had treated Menadion for all those years, Elphyn was so ashamed of herself that she never found the strength to apologize.
It was then that Bytra returned and took her life, killing Elphyn first to create the chink in Menadion's otherwise invincible tower that she knew would be her downfall.
Solus relived all the pain, madness, and isolation after her mother's death and then there was nothing. With her memory fading away to keep herself alive, just blissful oblivion remained until she met Lith.
And then there was more pain but also joy.
From being kidnapped by Nalear after breaking their bond to being accepted by the Verhens as a member of their family, her second life was a rollercoaster as well, but one that she was proud of and that shielded her mind from the scars of the first.
"Are you alright?" Morok's voice sounded muffled and distant. "At least you didn't try to harm yourself but you gave me a big scare."
The sky inside the Fringe was clear, but something warm streamed over her face. The sounds of nature were accompanied by the whines of some wounded animal that grew louder as she regained her consciousness.
It took her a few seconds to realize that she was curled up in fetal position while holding the Fury tight to her chest. The whines came out of her own mouth as she called Menadion's name and begged her for forgiveness over and over.
Tears dripped from her eyes and snot from her nose, giving her the warm sensation that she had mistaken for rain.
"Mom?" She said while still in a daze.
"I'm sorry. A man can do many things if he puts his mind to it, but giving birth isn't among them." He chuckled. "By the way I owe you an apology. I always thought that the story about you being Lith's relative was just some bullshit you guys made up to justify your threesome.
"I was clearly wrong and I'm not afraid to admit when I'm mistaken. I'm really sorry for doubting you guys."
"What are talking ab- By my Mom!" Solus knew that once inside the Fringe any non-Morok would be forced to manifest their Soul Projection, but no warning could prepare her for what she saw hoovering above her head.
Solus had been expecting something similar to what Ratpack saw every time they met: her old body wearing her old clothes that hammered at the chains that restricted the powers of the tower and bound her to it.
Her Soul Projection was visible only from the waist up and it was the figure that she had assumed during her world tribulation. The proto-Guardian form was covered in golden scales and its hand ended with razor-sharp claws.
Long horns that resembled thick tree branches rested on the sides of its head and two sets of wings came out of Solus's back. One set was membranous and golden while the other seemed to be comprised of hair that had been knotted and twisted to resemble feathers of the seven colors of the elements.
The creature's face was also covered in scales, her only visible features were two golden eyes and a lipless mouth filled with pristine fangs that gave her a savage appearance.
In its right hand, the Soul Projection wielded the Fury and used it to hammer at a shapeshifting piece of metal that Solus assumed was Davross. The creature kept the metal still with its bare left hand while breathing regular bursts of flames from its mouth.
It was an act of creation where the artifact was forged and enchanted at the same time, yet it came at a price. The left hand bled profusely due to the violence of the impacts yet the heat of the flames cauterized the wounds and made the blood become a part of whatever the Soul Projection was forging.
Golden tears streamed from its eyes, reaching the artifact to imbue it with more mana while also tempering the metal. The Soul Projection seemed to be in pain, yet its obsession with Forgemastering eclipsed it.
Despite the pain, tears, and blood it shed, the hammer never stopped and bursts of flames kept heating the blade at the proper timing, even if it meant scorching the creature's hand.
"If you are this crazy, I can't wait to see what Lith's Soul Projection looks like." Morok said.
Solus would have loved to give him a piece of her mind, but she was bewitched by the vision and the exquisite Forgemastering technique her Soul Projection used. With each of its movements, it weaved a new spell that the Fury conveyed.
Its blood was the perfect carrier of its will and life essence, allowing Spirit Magic to literally flow inside its creation and become part of the metal.
No matter if the artifact was supposed to have a pseudo or power core, Solus knew that it would take form from the inside instead of the outside, bypassing the enchanted metal's natural resistance to foreign mana.
'If only I could remember how to do it.' She clenched her hands, cursing her amnesia for the first time since she had bonded with Lith.
The only silver lining of that situation was that inside the Fringe there was so much world energy that it was like standing above a mana geyser. Like on the surface of Mogar's moon, she could keep her human form for as long as she wanted.
Her powers wouldn't be diminished and her life force would keep healing as long as Lith didn't go too far from her.
Meanwhile, on the outside, Faluel explained to everyone left the reason for her decision.
"Ajatar, Lith, and I must be extra careful before entering. Even with Nalrond's help we could die if we are not careful. It's unlikely for us to be swept away by the current of Mogar memories since we have trained our willpower over the centuries.
"Lith, instead, has dealt with Death Vision and the voices of the dead whenever he conjures his Demons so whatever Mogar can throw at him won't affect him much."
"The problem will come once we emerge on the other side. Our long lives also mean more bad experiences and regrets. If we are not careful, Reliving hundreds of years in one second might fry our brains or break our minds."
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