Supreme Magus novel Chapter 2237

The two battling creatures had white eyes and opened maws, long black claws pointed at each other, and their fight took most of the painting. Between them, in a small cone of light, there was the blurred figure of a child crying.

The title of the painting was "Monsters".

Solus had seen enough of her father's works to know that there was no trace of the usual joy and enthusiasm that he put in his brushstrokes. All she could feel was shame, pain, and remorse.

Even the size of the picture spoke volumes of Threin's feelings. The painting was something he wanted to hide forever but that he had kept as a reminder instead.

"That's-"

Solus' eyes rolled up and she fell back as violent emotions swallowed her. Silverwing screamed at her, but Solus couldn't hear her godmother anymore. The bright white stones of the gallery disappeared, replaced by a familiar place.

Solus was back being a small Elphyn Menadion and she was standing in the living room of her home. She knew to be a little over five years old because she felt small, insignificant, and most of all, guilty.

Unlike the memories that she had regained up to that point, there was no laughter or quiet. The young Elphyn wasn't being clueless or adorable while messing with her parents' life.

She was frozen in a corner of the room, biting her lips and clenching her small hands to not make a peep. Her parents were arguing, yelling things that hurt the other as much as they hurt Elphyn.

Ripha and Threin were throwing at each other's face every single mistake they had made, every grudge they had kept over their marriage, and it was all Elphyn's fault. They were fighting because of her.

'What the heck is going on? No one ever mentioned this to me and I'm pretty sure that my parents loved me and each other. What can I have possibly-' Solus didn't share the memories of her old self and could only see the events as they unfolded in front of her.

Yet she also remembered Silverwing's words back in Jiera.

'Aunt Loka told me that Mom Awakened me when I was around six years old and here I am about five and a half years. They are fighting because of me. They are fighting about my Awakening!'

"What do you want me to do, you egotistical jerk?" Ripha said after she was done recriminating the past. "Epphy is already five years old and she already has a bright yellow mana core. Do you know how rare that is?"

"I want you to wait, you maniac! Epphy is just five years old." Threin's fury matched Menadion's. He knew that she might have wiped the floor with him with one finger but he didn't care. "She's too young to make a decision that will change her life forever."

"Too young?" Ripha replied with a scoff. "Once she gets the green core, Awakening her will cause her great pain, she might even die. Don't get me started about what might happen if we wait until the cyan.

"This is the perfect moment to Awaken Epphy. Her core is still weak and if we do it now, her body will have the time it needs to adapt to the mana flow and make the later breakthroughs safer.

"I'm thinking solely about her well-being whereas you are thinking solely about yourself, as usual!"

"How dare you call me egotistical?" Threin snarled and waved his finger right under his wife's nose. "You are the one who wants to endanger our daughter's life for your own agenda.