Supreme Magus (Web Novel)-Chapter 3642: Unfair Deal (Part 1)

"Because you've become sensitive to smells as well, and because it took you five steps to get exhausted. You're simply out of shape. Don't worry, Mom, we'll fix that." Nyka said.

"And by fix, you mean…" The Wight swallowed hard, too afraid to finish her sentence.

"You're taking a break from your research." Nyka had no such problem. "You need fresh air, sunlight, and plenty of exercise."

"No! Everything but that! Please, I'll be good. Have mercy!" Kalla flailed her limbs and whined as Nyka effortlessly dragged the Wight by her left hind leg.

Anyone watching the odd pair would have never thought the big creature throwing a tantrum was the older of the two. If anything, Nyka looked like a mother dealing with a spoiled child.

"Hi, Solus, can you please come pick me and Mom up? We are in Lightkeep." The Vampire ignored the whining Wight and pressed her friend's rune on the communicator.

"And I am sleeping." Solus grunted. "Or rather, I was. Do you have any idea what time it is in Lutia?"

"Actually, no." Nyka cleared her throat in embarrassment. "Between my undead nature and the Eternal Dusk array Auntie Scar left me, I don't sleep anymore unless I want to."

"Lucky you. Is this an emergency?" Solus asked.

"Not at all."

"Then call me back in four hours." Solus hung up the call without waiting for an answer or saying goodbye.

"See? Everyone does that." Kalla said, hoping to shorten her sentence.

"If you bother them in the middle of the night to make small talk, then yes." Nyka nodded. "Come on, Mom. We have four hours. Let's make them count."

***

After four hours of painstaking training, Kalla could walk for over one hundred meters (330 feet) before running out of strength and collapsing onto the ground. Nyka also used that time to teach her mother how to eat solid foods.

Kalla was a living being and needed nourishment, but to save time, she usually survived on a special beef broth that she prepared once a year in massive pots. She gulped down a dose like a medicine whenever hunger made her too dizzy to keep working.

The Wight almost choked to death many times in the process. Not only was she not used to chewing anymore, but any flavor stronger than the soup's made her gasp like she was drinking poison.

"I never thought eating could be so exhausting." Kalla panted. "I'll use the time we have left for a short nap. I'm-"

The tower appeared in Vladion's backyard and cut the Wight short.

"Now of all times? Why, gods? Why?"

"Hello there. Nice to see you again." A petite, beautiful woman with long hair of a brown so light that it shone like gold under the Sunstones said.

"Hi, Solus. It's nice to see you too." Kalla struggled to get up on her paws. "You look amazing, child. You've lost a lot of weight since the last time we met. I'm glad to see you've stopped stuffing your face. Nyka and I were worried for you."

"Actually, I didn't." An embarrassed voice came from a second petite woman standing behind the first. "Nyka, Kalla, do you remember my mother, Ripha?"

"No." Kalla said, squinting her eyes to look for differences between the two.

"Of course we do." Nyka stepped in. "Ripha is the First Ruler of the Flames, Mom."

"Oh, right." Kalla nodded. "I'll never thank you enough for making the Eyes, Ruler Menadion. I'm sorry for my rude words, Solus. In my defense, I can barely recognize humans these days."

"She really can't." Nyka sighed.

"Don't worry, I'm not offended." Solus whimpered. "Come in, I've already set the Eternal Sunset array in the tower's Heart. It won't protect you from direct sunlight, Nyka, but you will be able to move freely through the Mansion."

"Thanks, Solus." Nyka hugged her friend. "How are you doing?"

"Good, but I've done better." Solus looked at Menadion's perfect hourglass figure and grimaced. "What's this about? It didn't sound like a social call."

"It's about the Ears and the Eyes of your mother." Kalla said. "I need your opinion about a possible partnership with the Fire Dragons."

"I'm definitely missing some context, but sure." Solus called upon the accumulated world energy and Tower Warped straight to the Verhen Mansion, crossing thousands of kilometers in the blink of an eye.

"Kalla, Nyka, welcome to our home!"

"Thanks, Elina." Kalla nodded. "You look lovely today. It's no wonder where Tista got her beauty."

"Wow. Thanks. No one ever said anything like that to me." Raaz didn't know whether to laugh it off or feel offended on Tista's behalf.

"Mom, that's Lith's father! Raaz." A Vampire had no blood flow, but Nyka managed to blush anyway.

"Really?" Kalla was flabbergasted. "Maybe you are right, dear. I need to go out more."

"I'm Elina." Elina said amid a coughing fit, which ill-masked her laugh. "Do you remember me, Kalla?"

"Of course! You are the one who smashed a chair on my head." Kalla's eyes widened in recognition as Elina's laugh died in her throat.

"I'm very sorry about that." Elina offered her hand, which Kalla sniffed, licked, and studied with the Eyes instead of shaking it.

"Just forget about it." The Wight replied. "It's what I did and will probably do it again."

"Mom, Dad, please, leave us alone." Lith stepped through the door and extended his hand. "Kalla, it's a pleasure to see you again."

"The pleasure is all mine, Scourge." Kalla stood on her hind legs and shook Lith's hand, his familiar smell triggered her muscle memory.

"Please, remember that everything you see and hear in this house is a secret." He said. "Don't disclose anything with anyone."

"Don't worry, Scourge, if there's one thing I'm good at, it's keeping secrets. And not only because I'm forgetful." Kalla sniffed him, remembering their time together in the White Griffon's forest.

She used a mind link to share the conversation with Erghak before asking Lith and Solus a few questions.

"Are the Ears really that good? Can it help me to achieve Lichhood?"

"I've barely started to scratch the surface of the Ears, but I can tell you it's an amazing tool for any Forgemaster." Lith shrugged. "If you consider your body just like another enchanted material, I don't see why it shouldn't work. Ripha?"

"What Erghak said is true, but there are a few catches." Menadion replied. "I placed safeguards in the Eyes to ensure that its owner couldn't use the Eyes to steal the secrets of my tower and the rest of the Apprentice Set's pieces.

"Without such a precaution, the rest of my apprentices would have become envious and resentful. They would have battled to the death, knowing that only the Eyes truly mattered. This way, instead, they each had a unique treasure that suited them best."

"I assumed as much, but how does that affect my deal with the Fire Dragons?" Kalla asked.

"The Ears will work for you exactly as Erghak said." Menadion replied. "With its help, matching the frequency of your crystal's energy signature with your own is just a matter of time.

"On the other hand, however, the Eyes isn't going to help the Fire Dragons much."