Chapter 4150  One Chance (Part 1)

Solus stiffened at the memory. Not because she didn't like being reminded of her mistake with the Eyes of Menadion, but because Tista was kindly glossing over the fact that it had almost cost her own life as well.

Nobody knew about the Bleed, so when the Upyr had defeated Solus, Tista had rushed to finish off her own opponent, afraid that the tower would have drained Lith's vitality to heal Solus' wounds.

Best case scenario, Jorl would have killed the weakened Lith. Worst case scenario, Lith and Solus would have both died. Or so Tista thought.

"I'll take you up on that." Solus looked down at her tea as if it contained the key to solving the mysteries of life.

"Why so glum? Everybody gets her ass kicked from time to time." Tista smiled, trying to cheer her friend up. "Even Lith is not undefeated."

"That's not the problem." Solus shook her head. "Give me a second."

Her gaze went blank, like it always happened when Solus talked with Lith via their bond, or she spaced out.

'There's the black light in her irises.' Tista thought. 'She's talking with Lith.'

It wasn't the first time the two discussed the matter of the Bleed, but Solus hoped it would be the last.

"You are the first person Lith ever introduced to me, Tista." Solus said after her eyes focused again. "Until that moment, my existence was a secret he guarded with his life. All those who discovered my presence tried to kill him, me, or both."

"I remember that." Tista nodded, surprised by her friend's somber tone.

"Years ago, Lith put our lives on the line to save yours, and a few days ago, you did the same for us." Solus said. "We think you deserve to know the truth. We couldn't forgive ourselves if something happened to you just because we kept a secret from you."

"Another secret?" Tista was flabbergasted. "Also, what's with all the 'wes' again? Don't tell me that Fenrir is right and you are pregnant with my nephew! Please, don't ask me to choose between you and Kami."

"By my Mom, how many times do I have to tell you guys that I'm on a diet, and I've already lost some weight?" Solus blushed hard. "No, I'm not pregnant, and you don't have to pick a side."

A snap of her fingers brought them both to the tower, in front of the Bleed's door.

"I know this place." Tista looked around in confusion. "This is the only door of the tower that's always locked, and only you and Lith can open it. Are you finally going to reveal to me what it does?"

"Yes." There was no enthusiasm in Solus' voice, only worry. "It's the secret I mentioned before. I need you to stay calm and not judge me for its contents. Please, don't judge any of us until you hear the full story."

"Any of us?" Tista echoed in disbelief. "You mean I'm not the first person you bring here?"

"Correct." Solus opened the door, revealing a room similar to the Elemental Storage.

Lith, Kamila, and Menadion were waiting inside for them.

"That's it? You had me worried for a moment, Solus. I was expecting a love nest or a nursery." Tista tried to lighten the heavy mood.

"I'm sorry, Tista." Solus didn't smile and took her friend's hand. "You had every reason to worry because what I'm about to show you is much worse than everything you imagined."

She used a mind link to share with Tista the circumstances in which the Bleed had been restored along with the Master Ears during Solus' imprisonment in the World Tree's Fringe. Solus hid nothing from Tista.

She showed her friend how the Bleed worked, how it had saved her life back then, and how Lith later had filled the three crystal tanks in the room with the prismatic liquid.

"Forbidden Magic." Tista muttered in disbelief. "This whole floor is built from Forbidden Magic."

"Yes." Solus nodded. "You can understand why I'm not proud of this and why I kept it a secret to protect my mother's reputation."

Those words snapped Tista out of her reverie.

"You built this horror!" She pointed her finger at Menadion. "You are a Magus and a Ruler of the Flames. You are supposed to be a role model for all mages, Awakened and not. How could you craft something that goes against your own teachings?"

"How could I not craft something like this, you mean." Menadion kept her eyes low for a brief moment before returning Tista's gaze, but her voice held no trace of shame or remorse. "I had already lost my husband.

"I lived half of my life grieving Threin's death, and the other half fearing that I might lose Epphy as well. Why do you think I dedicated so much time to building and perfecting my tower? Why do you think I was so obsessed with my work?

"It was all to protect Epphy's life and ensure that even if something happened to me, she would be safe." Ripha took a short pause to let her words sink in and Tista mull over them.

"Judge me however you want, I don't regret my actions. If you want to go public and destroy my reputation, do it. I don't care. The only thing that matters to me is that Solus is alive and well today."

"Did you…" Tista couldn't muster the strength to complete the phrase. "Did the Bleed…"

"If you are asking me if I used the Bleed to put Epphy in stasis after Bytra killed her or if it played any part in stabilizing her condition back when I was alive, the answer is no." Ripha replied.

"The Bleed was a last last-ditch measure, in case everything else failed. I built it because I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I hadn't tried everything I could to save Epphy, but I hoped never to have to use it.

"I never filled a single tank and always kept the floor sealed just like it is today. The Bleed didn't play any part in Solus' life until the World Tree gave her the Ears. You have witnessed with your eyes what happened to Solus.

"You know what the power of the Bleed allowed her to endure, and you can easily imagine what the Yggdrasill would have done to her if she didn't have a way to fight back and resist their attempts to break her will.

"I was there. I saw my daughter scream in agony and cry in fear for days, clinging to the scraps of energy collected during her escape attempts. My only regret is that I didn't make the Bleed powerful enough to suck that bastard dry from the inside and spare Solus all the suffering the World Tree inflicted on her."

Ripha's voice lowered in a snarl as she talked. Her eyes steeled in a glare, daring Tista to challenge her.

Tista remembered all too well how the Yggdrasill had tried to kill her brother to take Solus and the secrets of the tower for themselves. She had witnessed everything through Solus' eyes right after her rescue and could easily picture what would have happened if the World Tree had broken her mind before Lith stormed the Fringe with his allies.