'I never noticed any anomaly, the damage must be something subtle. Probably it just makes the changes of pregnancy really low. I would have never missed something that affected her health.' He thought.

Lith stood up, placing his hand on Elina's belly before activating Invigoration. He scanned her ovaries and uterus for a long time, but came up with nothing.

"Odd. Everything seems fine." Noticing his mother's distressed expression, he tried to reassure her.

"Don't worry, maybe it's just because I don't know what to look for. I just need reference material." Lith touched Rena's womb, looking for clues.

"Good gods!" Lith snapped back with a shocked expression.

"Is there something wrong?" Rena was on the verge of panic. She had never seen her brother freaking out, not even after having an arm cut off.

"Yes, I mean no. I'm not ready to be an uncle, I'm too young." The room exploded with cheers, tears, and joy. Lith remained dumbstruck. He really was not ready.

'Guess they didn't know either. For a moment I thought that Rena's pregnancy was the reason behind mom's request. Like knowing she is about to become a grandma made her aware of the passing of time.' He thought.

"Thank the gods." Rena squeezed him between her arms, before putting his hand back on her belly.

"After being married for almost a year, I was starting to be afraid Senton or I was sterile. I was going to ask for your help right after mom. How is the baby?"

"This big." Lith's index finger formed a circle about as big as a pea.

"I want to know if it's healthy!" Rena slapped him on the nape.

"I guess." He shrugged. The fetus was too little, there wasn't much he could see. Lith had no experience in the matter and didn't want to give them false hope.

'Me and my big mouth. The chances of miscarriage during the first pregnancy are high, or at least, they are on Earth. I can only keep my finger crossed and keep an eye on her'

"Please, no more surprises." He said using Tista as a template this time. At those words, she became beet red but said nothing.

"I need a clean slate." He explained.

'I have no idea if Rena's body has changed to better host the baby. Using her as blueprint could cause a false pregnancy.'

A few minutes later, he believed to have found the root of the problem. The difficult labor had caused the formation of adhesions in the tubes. Lith had no idea what they were, though. He only recognized them as an anomaly.

"I got good news and I got bad news. Which do you want to hear first?" He asked.

"The bad news." Elina hugged Raaz, who tried to act strong.

"It's worse than I thought. Between the damage that you suffered and the passing of time, I can't promise a full recovery."

"What about the good news?" Raaz asked.

"I think I can do it, but I need some time to prepare and to ask for guidance."

Raaz tried to lift Lith out of joy, only to realize a second too late that his son was already taller than himself.

They spent the lunch merrily, talking about their plans for the winter. Rena couldn't wait to share the good news with her husband, but remained with them, asking Elina for advice.

Lith didn't want to ruin that moment for them, so he avoided talking about the impending danger nor the distress Death Vision caused him. Tista couldn't take her eyes off his White Griffon pin, asking a lot of questions about the academy.

Lith didn't lie to her, describing in detail the teaching methods, the harsh competitive environment, and the need for commoners to get a Guilty Ballot as soon as they got admitted.

The more Tista learned about it, the less attractive the perspective of attending the academy became. She knew nothing about combat. Tista used mostly light and darkness magic for her job, while she practiced the other elements only for doing the daily chores.

'My situation is pretty much the same as Quylla's, but I doubt I'll find someone like lil brother to watch my back. Even if I get admitted, I'd be quite old compared to my schoolmates.

'Dammit, I want to learn more about magic. I'm tired of the daily routine, Lutia is starting to feel a cage like home previously was. At the same time, it's a safe haven for me.

'The academy sounds like the forbidden love child of a viper's nest and a warrior's arena. I want to test my limits, but it's kind of extreme as first challenge. Ballot or not, I don't know if I can stand so much pressure.'

Tista needed time to think, so she went back into her room to study the offensive spells from her grimoire. She learned them years ago at Lith's and Nana's insistence, but after never using them, Tista remembered only the simplest ones.

After taking Rena home, Lith Warped to a random location in the Trawn woods. After checking not to be followed, he Warped to an irrelevant spot at Lutia's outskirts.

'Warp Steps should make following me impossible, even to the Queen's corps. Being careful never hurts, though.'

After coming through each Gate, he would walk for a few dozen meters in a random direction before opening another. Lith hoped that the multiple spatial jumps would allow him to lose his tail, even if an artifact capable of opening again or tracing Warp Steps did exist.

Only then he opened a Gate to the mana geyser in the Trawn woods. Without Solus, he wouldn't be able to recognize the place, if not for the fact that the mana geyser was the only spot were weeds, grass, and flowers had already started to grow again in the scarred ground.

The damage caused by the Abomination he had fought alongside the other three Kings of the woods wouldn't recover until spring, if not even later. Everything reminded him of Protector, making Lith's blood boil.

'F*ck Protector. I'm here for much more important stuff. Solus, do you mind turning into the tower?' This time he didn't say he needed her, nor he gave her an order. Lith was really asking her permission.

'Sure.' Solus had no idea of what was happening. To reduce the suffering from isolation as much as she could, she had found a way to fall into a kind of deep slumber. Solus had missed all the recent conversations and thought Lith just wanted to train or Forgemaster something.

'What do you need?' She asked.

Lith didn't reply until the tower was completely formed before answering. There were no changes from the last time. The repairs on the first floor had progressed, but weren't finished yet. The tower was comprised only by the ground floor and the basement.

"Not what, but who. I think it's time for us to talk. I didn't want to have this conversation without giving you a physical presence and a voice too."

Solus consciousness took her wisp form. The sphere of light was bigger and brighter than the last time he saw it. When she was close enough, Lith noticed another change. There was something at its center, something that looked almost solid.