Kamila already knew a lot about Lith’s secrets. The next step was to tell her about Awakening or at least introduce Solus to her. The longer they stayed together, the more awkward the elephants in the room would become.
Just like Phloria, Kamila was starting to notice the many things that didn’t add up like the secrets and silences that too often were the only answers he could offer to her questions.
"Well, at least she knows that you are a hybrid, so explaining to her where you disappear during your apprenticeship with Faluel will be easy." Solus’s human form had lost most of its luminescence over time.
She was worried about it, whereas Lith was certain that it was a good sign. He believed the phenomenon was caused by her form turning from pure energy into flesh and blood.
The fact that she was now able to retain her humanoid appearance for a longer period of time backed his theory, yet it made Solus even more worried. Once she would become fully human, the excuses she had exploited to postpone facing her own feelings for Lith would crumble.
They were definitely more than friends, but that was it. Also, once it happened, Solus wouldn’t be able to delay finding the secrets behind her origin any longer. She had fully devoted herself to Lith for all that time and now she needed to think about herself.
’To become a proper person, having a physical body is just the first step.’ Solus thought in a hidden corner of her mind. ’I need to learn why master Menadion did this to me and what happened to her legacy.
’It’s the only hope I have to find a way to be more than just a magical artifact and get a life of my own. Otherwise I’ll always be relegated to the role of Lith’s plus one.’
"True, but that’s not enough. If she keeps sticking with me, Kamila is bound to meet more and more Awakened. Not to mention that even after I complete my apprenticeship, she wouldn’t be able to understand why I have to keep traveling, nor how I can freely move around.
"If she wants to be part of my life, then she must be able to accept you as well. Whatever the future holds, I don’t want you to share with me only the bad stuff and keep you hidden like some sort of past mistake I am ashamed of." Lith replied.
"About that, what if we start with your family? It’s really painful for me to know so much about them and yet they don’t even know I exist or how much I did for them." Solus said.
Lith nodded and went to sleep, nostalgic for the times he could sleep hugging Solus’s wisp. Ever since she had got her human body, it was too awkward a situation to continue with their tradition, making him feel as if he was cheating on his girlfriend.
***
The following day, Lith called Faluel the Hydra to make sure about Xedros’s lair location and that she would announce his coming to the Wyvern. Lesser dragons loved to hoard treasures and being mistaken for a thief was the last thing Lith wanted.
"I’m glad to hear you have decided to become my apprentice." Faluel was in her human form, wearing the sweetest smile Lith had ever seen.
"It’s the only possible course of action. The Kingdom is becoming too reliant on my help and I prefer to fly solo." Lith’s words made her giggle, yet he preferred not to ask questions and keep their relationship strictly professional.
He wasn’t aware of Solus’s emotional turmoil but had enough of his own to not wish for more trouble.
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