Chapter 3403: Imperfect Beings (Part 2)

Chapter 3403 Imperfect Beings (Part 2)

"Undeath makes people equal. It allows a pipsqueak like Ilthin who weighs 65 kilograms (143 pounds) soaking wet to fight against dozens of tons heavy Divine Beasts.

"It gives talent and power to those who were born poor and helpless. If you don't see it or agree with me, I don't care." Baba Yaga took a few furious strides forward until she was alone.

Despite her age, wisdom, and power, she hated it when someone put her life work into question, especially if it came from someone she considered a friend.

It took the Mother a few deep breaths and a little introspection to calm down and walk back to Solus' side.

"As for your question about Night, you deserve an answer, Solus, and so does Lith." She turned to look him in the eyes. "I want you to understand me, even if you might end up considering me a monster. I want you to know there's a reason I do what I do."

"You owe me no explanation." Lith shook his head. "Believe me, I know all too well that things are rarely black and white. Sometimes life gets so grey that everything is a blur and when you finally meet someone really good, her light blinds you."

He held Solus' shoulder, making Ripha brim with motherly pride.

"On top of that, I don't think you are a monster. Were you one, the Guardians wouldn't have taken you as their apprentice. Ripha and Silverwing wouldn't be your friends. I mean, Elphyn Menadion knew who you were and what you did and she considered you her best friend."

That remark made Solus feel guilty for doubting Baba Yaga.

"You've saved my friends more than once." Lith continued. "You've helped me and Solus every time you could. If you are a monster, then welcome to the club."

"If my Horsemen were just evil creatures, they would have done no such thing. Dawn wouldn't have put herself on the line to fight Windfell and the World Tree for you, Solus. Dusk wouldn't have nurtured an orphan into a young woman, he would have just enslaved her.

"My children, all of them, grow and learn from their mistakes. They are still imperfect beings and I'm aware they sometimes cause a lot of damage, but that's only because the more powerful one is, the greater the consequences of their actions.

"Believe me or not, less than a century ago Night was no different. She was more reckless than her siblings but that was just her personality. Night was still focused on the task I had assigned her: removing my children's weakness to the darkness element.

"Sure, she would sometimes get in trouble and force me to intervene to save her, but she would always make up for her blunders and follow my instructions. It's one of the reasons I never got angry with her when one of her crazy schemes brought entire undead bloodlines to extinction.

"Night didn't force them to follow her, it was their choice and they knew the risks. Sooner or later, their overconfidence and greed would have caused their downfall, Night just accelerated the process.

"I considered her part of the natural selection of my children. The instrument to weed out those who in the long run would upset the balance by focusing more on immortality and power than on fixing what had turned them into undead in the first place.

"I'm not perfect. I can make mistakes like anyone else and some of my children I should have never raised from the dead. Night took care of that for me and spared me the pain of raising my hand against my own blood.

"The problems with her started after the Master's hybrids forced me to put a restriction on her but not when you think."

"Yeah, I'm not going to lie. I've always wondered why you didn't put her down when Night chose Meln as her host." Lith nodded. "Didn't that count as going against your directives and put you into danger?

"I mean, she knew you couldn't win against all the monster-Eldritch hybrids and that if they caught wind of her intentions, you would have been involved in her mess."

"That wasn't the turning point in her madness." Baba Yaga shook her head. "Back then, Meln was too weak to be a threat to anyone. I let her fuse with him because I thought that by spending time with someone crazier, darker, and pettier than her, Night would take a long look at herself in the mirror."