Tonks and I reappeared in the exact spot where we had vanished at the start of this mission. However, it was now daytime; I had altered the flow of time so that it would pass differently, rather than simply stopping.
Tonks took a deep breath, trying to fill her lungs with the clean air of this familiar place we'd been away from for so long. Traveling through space had been exciting, but there really was no place like home. After a brief moment of contemplation, her eyes dropped to herself once again…
She was no longer wearing those futuristic clothes. Her usual outfit had returned, and when she looked at her arm—now flesh and bone once more—she couldn't help but sigh. It felt good to have her real arm back, but at the same time, she knew she'd miss her old, all-powerful one.
"Don't worry, I'll get it back for you as a souvenir," I said, giving her a pat on the shoulder.
Tonks just huffed and brushed my hand away with an annoyed look, pouting slightly. Things between us had cooled down during our space adventure, but now that we were back—surrounded by so many familiar things—the emotions she had before leaving began to return. She felt like she still needed to be mad at me a bit longer… or at least until someone unexpected appeared.
"Nymphadora!"
We both turned and saw Andromeda running toward us. She didn't look nearly as disheveled as the last time I'd seen her; at some point, she must've entered the estate and taken a bath. The beautiful, mature woman didn't hesitate to throw herself into her daughter's arms, hugging her tightly—to Tonks's surprise.
"Mom…" Tonks murmured, trapped in her mother's embrace.
"I was so worried," Andromeda whispered, holding her even tighter. "You shouldn't scare your mother like that. You can't just disappear… I couldn't find either of you, and I was terrified."
"I'm sorry, Mom," Tonks replied, a bit emotional. There was a lot to say and a lot to resolve after everything that had happened, but she had been away from home—and her mother—for so long, she couldn't help but be moved by the reunion.
"Are you okay?" Andromeda asked, pulling back slightly to look her in the eyes.
"Yes…" Tonks murmured, though it was hard to say. She knew it wasn't true. She could barely hold her mother's gaze as the memories of that event crept back in, making her eyelid twitch involuntarily.
"I know you're not," Andromeda whispered with a soft smile. "Red, go do your thing. I need to talk to my daughter."
Without even looking at me, she took Tonks by the arm and slowly led her through the village of the [fief].
There was nothing I could do. I still didn't know how to face Tonks or Andromeda without cheating my way through it—let alone both at the same time. I had too much on my mind, but for better or worse, Andromeda didn't seem to expect anything from me at the moment and took Tonks away without giving me the chance to intervene.
Well, there was work to do. I had to remake the clones and send them to their respective destinations, organize the rewards gained from the mission, and continue with Elise's experiments, which were nearing completion. Next would be the integration of the hippocampus and the thestral, and after that, only the centaur would remain… and possibly the mage.
...
Tonks didn't know what to say, so she stayed silent as her mother guided her through the village toward a nearby plaza. There, next to a fountain surrounded by wooden benches, the atmosphere was calm. They were on the outskirts of the village, so there weren't many buildings nearby. Besides, I hadn't reset the configuration yet, so no NPCs were wandering around.
Sitting on one of the benches, the silence could no longer stretch. Tonks was the first to speak.
"I'm sorry…" she murmured, eyes lowered, almost sobbing, unable to look her mother in the eyes.
"Why?" Andromeda asked calmly, gently lifting Tonks's chin so their eyes met.
While Tonks found herself on the verge of tears, Andromeda looked back at her with a calm—almost joyful—smile. It confused Tonks, but she kept going.
"For causing all of this… for bringing Red into our lives and—" she said, unable to hold back the tears.
After a moment of reflection, she couldn't help but feel it was all her fault. Red was the reason those things happened to her, but she felt responsible for what had happened to her mother. If only she had kept Red away from her family…
"You don't need to apologize for that, my sweet girl," Andromeda said, brushing her hair gently.
"Yes, I do! It was my fault!" Tonks shouted, standing up abruptly. "I brought him into our home, I let him get close to you… I gave him the freedom to do whatever he wanted and now…" Her voice broke as she covered her face with her arm, trying to hold back the sobs.
"Shhh…" Andromeda whispered, standing as well and gently hugging her before guiding her back onto the bench. "It's okay… maybe it would've happened anyway."
"B-but what he did to you… what he made us do…" Tonks sobbed, the memories flashing back.
"Don't cry, my love. There's no need. It wasn't so bad…" Andromeda whispered sweetly, trying to calm her.
"How can you say it wasn't bad?!" Tonks cried, the anger rising again inside her.
"Look at me," Andromeda said, holding her daughter's face between her hands. "Tell me… how do I look to you?"
Tonks didn't understand what was going on with her mother. Why was she the only one who seemed devastated by what had happened? But then she looked closely, just as her mother had asked.
She looked… fine. Not like herself—Tonks looked drained, worn out by emotions. But her mother… she looked younger. Tonks couldn't be sure, but… had she rejuvenated? And then, finally, she noticed her smile. It wasn't fake. It was genuine, almost… permanent.
"You look… fine…" Tonks whispered, confused.
"Oh, yes... In fact, I think I'm back in my thirties," Andromeda replied with a light laugh. "Even the wrinkles that had started to show and that I had to hide are gone. And I feel much more energetic than before."
"Yeah… but…" Tonks swallowed hard, feeling a chill run down her spine. "Why do you look… happy?"
Something wasn't right.
"Maybe because I am happy," Andromeda replied with an unwavering smile.
"What?!" Tonks exclaimed, incredulous. "Why? What happened while we were gone?"
She had no idea how much time had passed here while we were on the space mission.
"Nothing," her mother answered naturally. "Since you left, I just slept for a few hours and then came here to find you, so nothing new happened."
"Then, why…?" (Tonks)
"I don't know..." she said lightly, as if talking about the weather. "I'm just happy. I haven't stopped smiling, and I don't think I ever will. As terrifying as it sounds… it seems this happiness will stay with me forever."
"But… why…?" Tonks asked, another chill creeping down her back. Something was wrong. Something about all this didn't add up. Her mother… wasn't like this.
And then, a horrible thought crossed her mind.
"Wait… Did you like it?!" she asked in fear, her voice breaking.
"Yes… very much…" Andromeda whispered, letting out a childish giggle. Her eyes, glassy and lost in the void, reflected a disturbing peace.
"Son of a b…!" Tonks jumped from her seat, tears and rage mixing in her scream.
If her hatred toward me had calmed before, it was now about to explode to unimaginable levels. Her fists trembled, her breathing was erratic, and in her mind, there was only one resolution: to kill me.
But just as she was about to rush toward me, her mother's hand grabbed her arm, stopping her.
"Calm down, Tonks." (Andromeda)
"How can I calm down?!" she screamed, broken. "Look at what he did to you! You don't realize it, but…" her voice cracked into a heart-wrenching sob.
The idea that her mother had been practically lobotomized, that her mind had been manipulated to this extent… was unforgivable.
"He doesn't know what he did to me," Andromeda said with unsettling calm, pulling Tonks against her chest once again.
"What…?" Tonks asked, confused, a buzzing in her ears from the intensity of her emotions.
"He has no idea what he did. I think I'm the only one who's aware of it… and I don't even know if there are things I still don't understand," Andromeda whispered.
Tonks fell silent. Beyond the hatred, the only thing left in her mind was utter confusion.
"Things went much further…" her mother continued. "But I'm not angry about what happened. In fact, I think I'm grateful."
Tonks stared at her in shock.
...
Inside the archmage's tower, I was analyzing whether the use of the new technological aspect acquired during the space mission could bring any benefits when combined with the magical version.
It was a tedious job, full of tests and adjustments, but it was worth the effort. Besides, I didn't want to leave this place. I felt that death awaited me on the other side, where Tonks and Andromeda were, and I was afraid to face it. The decision I made regarding her now weighed over my head like the sword of Damocles… but there was no time to stop.
With the integration of technology in the tower, I could carry out some tests and preparations for the next lineage addition. The genetic side was benefiting, but the magical integration still presented some minor issues.
Elise was ready, so I didn't hesitate to begin as soon as the preparations were complete. Today we would work with two particularly complex essences: one came from an equine being, though with notable differences and a deep connection to death; the other belonged to an aquatic creature, but it wasn't worth going into detail about that right now.
As always, we started with 1%. This was one of the most critical phases, where my intervention was essential. It marked the beginning of a genetic change that could lead to severe instability. Watching Elise's skin bubble and crack into blisters was terrifying, but we had both grown used to it.
Fortunately, it seems that with time, each addition becomes easier. Elise recovered quickly, allowing us to proceed. I continued increasing the concentration of essence in each phase, with a higher percentage each time. There weren't too many complications, other than Elise losing hair, feathers, and consciousness on multiple occasions.
After time of work, the process was complete. Elise stumbled out but would recover quickly—at least mentally. Physically, it would take her a bit more time to adapt, even though the changes to her body were minimal.
Luckily for both of us, she didn't end up turning into a skeletal version of herself—nobody wanted that—but her wings did suffer some alterations. They lost several feathers, and their structure changed slightly: every few feathers, some larger ones appeared, ending in a diamond shape. On the other hand, she developed some scales, which was unexpected, though they had a pleasant color. They were mostly concentrated around her legs, just before the hooves, without covering too much area. I also noticed a few on her neck when I hugged her; thankfully, they were the same tone as her fur and went mostly unnoticed.
Elise rested for an hour before feeling well enough to do some tests… and the results were surprising. On one hand, her magic seemed to have completely lost the sacred attribute it previously held, but its purity had risen to extraordinary levels. As with previous times, her magical reserves were entirely drained. It will be interesting to see how she evolves once she recovers.
On the other hand, her body had acquired a metamorphic ability in water. When submerged, her skin became covered in scales, and her mane turned into a sort of dorsal fin. Although she retained her body and wings, her appearance changed, becoming more suitable for marine life. She could now breathe underwater and move at an incredible speed, comparable to what she had on land.
That said, her lack of experience worked against her. Her panic reaction—"I'm drowning!"—was amusing to watch, especially considering she spent over five minutes underwater without realizing she could survive there without issue.
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