Lith inwardly sighed with relief. She didn't seem to be mad at him, which made it even harder to say what he had to.
"I'm glad to see you are all right and the fact that you answered so quickly means a lot to me. Yet I think you should wear something besides a white nightgown before picking up your amulet." He said diverting his eyes like a true gentleman.
In the new world there were no underwear and with the increasing summer heat, she was wearing a thin cloth while sitting cross legged as always.
Phloria emitted a high pitched scream while the amulet made a thud sound, like it had been tossed away.
Only after a minute or two Phloria's image reappeared, this time wearing the academy's uniform. Even the hologram couldn't hide her beet red colour.
"What did you see?" She asked with the cutest and most feminine voice he had ever heard her talk with.
"Almost nothing" Lith lied through his teeth. "I swear it on both my brothers' heads."
The answer seemed to calm her a bit, allowing them to resume their conversation.
"How are you feeling?" He asked.
"Embarrassed, I mean terrible. I barely get out of my room. I feel guilty not taking care of Yurial and Friya but I already have too much on my plate."
"Yurial is at your house?"
Phloria nodded.
"He and his father. Our dads think that having shared a similar experience they can help each other overcoming their trauma."
"That's a great idea." Lith too remembered how he had needed therapy back on Earth to try to get better. Too bad he never managed to find a Murderers Anonymous association.
"Why don't you call them too? I'm sure they would appreciate the thought."
"Phloria let's be honest, when it comes to feelings, I'm a bull in a glassware shop. I'm afraid I would only make things worse."
After a bit of small talk, Lith closed the call and went into the Trawn woods for his experiments. Until Zekell provided him with the items he needed, he could still practice on rocks or study the boxes more.
After reaching the mana geyser, Solus was able to take her tower form, revealing that the first floor was almost completely rebuilt.
Alas, almost.
Once inside, the access to the upper floor was still barred by debris.
"Sorry, I have no control over any floor until its complete. I do not know why."
Months had passed since Lith had actually heard Solus' voice instead of her mind, yet he didn't miss the change.
"Solus, your voice has become much clearer and more human like than before. I can even hear some kind of accent, even though I don't recognize it."
"You noticed!" He could feel her joy in his mind, she was walking on air. That's why he avoided adding that it was hard not to, since her previous one sounded like a customer service' answering machine.
"And that's not the only change. Ta da!"
The tower's walls started to glow of a faint radiance. The light slowly detached from the stone, forming a wisp the size of a tennis ball that started to spin around Lith's head.
"Now not only can I accompany you, but also you have someone to talk to instead of looking at the walls or the ceiling."
"It's a great news! Is it solid or…?"
"I wish." Solus sighed. "It's just light."
Lith waved his hand inside the wisp without it encountering any resistance. There was nothing inside nor substance to it. It was indeed just an oversized firefly.
Solus started laughing out loud, surprising him quite a bit.
"I like your attitude. I was afraid you would get even more depressed and…"
"Stop that." She cut him short.
"It tickles!"