Supreme Magus

Then, the thought that she would lose every comparison with Elina hit her, and her competitive spirit dismissed the idea.

"I want to be left alone but I don't want to have a fake husband." She sighed. "He should make an appearance in Lutia from time to time and I don't have it in myself to pretend I love him.

"For you, Threin is dead for centuries but to me, it was just yesterday. I spent the last seven hundred years resisting his call and missing him every single day. Even kissing another man on the cheek would be a slap to Threin's memory."

"Then we'll tell the truth and introduce you as a widow." Elina took Menadion's hands in her own. "That's something the people of Lutia will understand and respect. Just don't mention the seven hundred years part."

"Will do." Menadion chuckled. "Fair warning, I've always been a recluse and I'm socially awkward. I mean, I can handle Awakened but the last regular human I've talked to was my husband."

"I'll keep both my eyes on you, then." Elina nodded. "Do you have any plans or can I give you a tour of the place today?" Continue reading on m|v-l'e m,p| y- r

"No plans. When do we leave?"

"One moment, I'm terrible with time zones." Elina took two pocket watches out of her dimensional amulet, one set on the Desert's palace and the other on Lutia. "It's already lunchtime there so I'd say in a couple of hours.

"Otherwise we'd disturb our friends and find most of the shops closed."

"Good." Ripha gestured to Elina to sit in front of her. "It should be enough to set down the basics of our relationships."

"What do you mean?" Elina was puzzled.

"Like, what's my name? What do you think of me? How deep is our relationship? Why didn't you bring me to Lutia before even though Solus has lived with you for over a year now? How did my husband die? And I can go on."

"Oh, dear." Just the thought gave Elina a headache. "We'd better start working on that, then."

***

Two hours later, the Warp Gate in Lith's barn opened and the Verhens walked through it.

"Grandpa Zekell! I want to check that Grandpa Zekell is alright." Leria said.

"He's fine, dear." Rena pointed at the rune on the communication amulet. "If anything had happened to him, we would have been notified by the Queen's Guards protecting him."

"Please, Mom!" Leria pointed at Abominus and then at the barn's doors.

"Fine, you can go first." Rena sighed. "But have Abominus shapeshift into a Ry or he'll give people even more heart attacks than usual."

In his Pyrmir form, Abominus was taller than a horse and bigger than a carriage. His knife-long fangs and the frost crystals in his mane gave him an even more unsettling appearance.

"I'm right here, you know?" He said. "You could have just asked me."

"Thanks, Mom!" Leria jumped on Abominus' back and galloped toward Lutia, followed by Aran on the Shyf-looking Onyx.

The families of the Demons had moved to the Desert on the same day as the Verhens. They knew about Ripha's return since Lith had brought her back and had been already informed about her current disguise so the first home Elina visited was Selia's.

"Elina?" The huntress said in surprise after opening the door. "Lith, you scoundrel! You had me worried sick. I had to learn from the King that you were alright and… Is she Menadion?"

The petite woman in a sundress in front of her looked nothing like the armored Forgemaster in the broadcast but the resemblance with Solus was still evident.

"Yes to all." Elina chuckled. "Selia, this is Ripha Menadion, Solus' mother. We'll introduce her as Rhona Verhen or she won't be able to take a step outside the door without being pestered.

"Ripha, this is our friend Selia, her husband Protector/Ryman, and their children Lilia, Leran, and Fenrir."

"Nice to meet you but as you probably imagine, I've known you all for a long time." Menadion let her disguise drop for a second, revealing her Demon form. "I was Solus' shadow for all these years. I've witnessed everything you've done for her and listened to what you said."

"It makes things easier for us too." Protector offered her his hand and she shook it. "We have heard a lot about you. Mostly good things."

"Ryman!" Selia said.

"Mom, who's the dead lady?" Leran asked, making things worse.

Not even hard-light constructs could give Menadion a scent nor did they fill the silence from her lack of breathing and heartbeat. Protector's children had senses as keen as a magical beast's, making them hard to fool.

"She's Solus' mother, dear." Selia brought him forward, throwing an apologetic look to Menadion. "Say hello to Auntie Ripha." [AN: Selia actually introduces Menadion as Rhona but I'll always use Ripha to avoid confusion.]

"Hi, Auntie Ripha." Leran sniffed the guest while giving her a bow. "How did you die? Was it painful? What is it like on the other side?"

"Leran!" Selia scolded him. "It's not nice to ask that to someone you just met. Also, you can't tell anyone she's dead. It's one of our family secrets. Are we clear?"

"Bad people are looking for her too?" Leran asked, obtaining a nod in reply. "I'm so sorry, Auntie Ripha. Don't worry, if Lilia blows your cover, Dad and I will protect you."

He gave Menadion a hug.

"Why would I be the one blowing her cover?" Lilia asked in indignance. "You are the one with a big mouth and a small brain!"

"Don't talk to your brother like that, young lady." Protector needed just to raise a finger to nip the quarrel in the bud.

"But, Dad!" Her protest only garnered her a stern look. "I'm sorry, Leran. I was rude."

"It's okay." He would have loved to rub salt in her wounds but Protector's stare brooked no further sibling rivalry.

"Aran and Leria went to Lutia to meet Zekell." Raaz said. "I'm sure they would be happy to see you."

"Can we go, Mom? Dad? Please?" Lilia and Leran jumped in a frenzy.

"What are the rules?" Selia asked.

"No fangs, no claws, no spells." They recited in unison.

"Good. Now get out." Selia waved her hand, prompting Slash and Crash to trot out of the house. "Not you!"

Selia's arm bolted like an arrow, reaching deep into Slash's crimson fur and coming out of it holding a yelping wolf pup by the scruff of her neck.

"Mom! I want to go too!" Fenrir whined.

"Not a chance. You scare and shapeshift too easily." Selia held Fenrir tight until Lilia and Leran disappeared in the distance. "Come on, baby girl. Go back to your room. Mom and Dad need five minutes with their friends."

Fenrir whined every step, turning back from time to time with her big and literal puppy eyes until the door of the nursery closed behind her.

"We have five minutes of silence. Let's make the best of it." Selia said.

"Gods, that was heart-wrenching." Ripha said. "How can you resist her?"

"Rest assured, the first few times they played me like a fiddle." Selia grunted. "After they destroy your clothes, the furniture, and dig more holes in the walls than a flock of woodpeckers, it gets much easier."