They returned to Anabel's mansion by dimension hopping. It was an ability that Anabel created only three hundred years ago. She tried to teach it to Allistar but it was a complicated piece of sorcery and he needed more time to learn it. So she used their soul tie to tie them together a bit more substantially and essentially pulled him along.
To dimension hop she had to know her destination and enough dimensions between her current location and there. She did not need to know much about the current location because she could see through dimensions with one of her third eye abilities.
Once she understood where she was going she plotted a route through the different dimensions then simultaneously prepared dimensional arches that were programmed to open as soon as she neared them. They opened, she jumped through and was moved seamlessly through the dimension to the next arch.
Because Allistar already had a soul tie connecting them tying him to her was simple and the arches registered them as one through her spell work.
The only problem; it was disorienting to Allistar because he was pigging backing and his soul was not fully acclimating to each dimension only the portion tied to Anabel was being acclimated.
The last arch took them to the basement of Anabel's mansion. The entire mansion quivered when they entered. Partially because it registered Allistar as an intruder and partially because it was excited that Anabel had returned.
"Calm down Blasien. I welcome him. Please create a space for him to work according to his specifications." She looked at Allistar and said with a nod asking for a affirmation "Down here in the basement area." Allistar nodded in agreement.
"And prepare yourself. I will tie him to you tomorrow."
"Tie him to my soul? Are you sure you want him to have that much control?" A beautiful tall woman appeared before them. She had dark brown skin the color of coffee with a little milk, long light pink hair with dark pink streaks, and pink sapphire clear eyes. Her face was thin with high cheekbones and full lips. Her waist was tiny, and she had wide hips and full breast.
She was Blasien. A Vander. They were a race of shapeshifters. Most were not as powerful as Blasien so they could not shift into things like a mansion that beings could walk through and also materialize in a humanoid form.
Blasien looked at Allistar suspiciously.
"Yes Blasien. It will be okay."
"You are my master. I will prepare for the ritual. Blasien bowed deeply. She knew Anabel would hate it. She smiled when she saw Anabel shiver slightly.
Anabel usually listened to Blasien's advice but when she did not listen to her she became upset. And, if she was honest, she would acknowledge that she was jealous of Allistar.
Blasien took a step back and dissolved into a wall and made a mental note to apologize to Anabel later.
"Come, let's go see Marela first." Anabel took Allistar's hand and they both disappeared from the basement.
When they left the basement instantly changed. A short set of stairs led to a long corridor that wound around a vast area. In the center was a large cavernous laboratory. There were many tables and benches. There were also books and charts of the anatomy of different beings in a library tucked in a corner.
Blasien briefly looked into Allistar's mind to understand what he needed in a lab. This was what she came up with.
Marela was prepping two potions at once. She was anticipating Anabel's arrival. Her purple hair was pulled up into a high bun. Her violet eyes were piercing and she concentrated on the potions. One was for Jolan and the other for herself.
Marela was an Alchemist. A race of humans that were born from magical incantations that had gone wild. Most times Alchemists were just shadows of magic but sometimes they became corporeal. All Alchemists could perform the science of alchemy without any instruction. They were all born with the knowledge of potions, transformations, and certain rituals. The type of ritual they knew was determined by the type of incantation that birthed them. Alchemists could also learn many different types of magic with ease and some, like Marela, could change genders as well.
Today Marela was making a potion to help her strengthen her core. She did not have a soul sea because she did not have a soul. Alchemists were spirit beings with strong spirit bodies and no soul. They relied on their spiritual cores when it came to magic. Marela's core was at its limit and she needed a potion to help her increase her current limits.
Anabel helped her more than she would ever understand and Marela wanted to make sure that she would always be able to help her. For that she needed to be stronger.
All she needed for this potion was ebon water and it would continually evolve in her system allowing her to continually increase the limits of her core. She did not think it was an infinite effect but she would solve that issue if or when she came to it.
She sensed Anabel and with a wave of her hand her potion disappeared. She knew Anabel was strong. She hoped her friend would not notice it.
"Marela! We have the ebon water…" Anabel paused. She looked at the Alchemist and then at the potion bubbling before her. "How long will it take to finish?"
Anabel handed her a bottle of ebon water and then went into the storage room and left the rest on two shelves. She looked at all of the bottles and the words "ebon water" scrawled across all of them.
"It won't take long." Marela added half of the ebon water to the portion. "Give it an hour too proof."
Anabel nodded. "Is everything okay?" She looked closely at her friend.
Marela looked at Allistar and smiled. "Everything is fine with me. Come have a drink with me later so we can catch up." As she finished she winked at Allistar.
Anabel nodded. "Okay. We will be in Jolan's rooms. Just come up when it is ready." She turned and left, Allistar close on her heels.
"She was a man before right?"
"She's an Alchemist."
"Oh… Slow down love." Anabel stopped and looked at him. "I will go to my basement. If Jolan wants to see me call me and I will come. Be sure to tell me how everything goes with the potion."
Anabel was stunned for a moment and then nodded. "okay."
Purple smoke streamed from her and Lost Within Time appeared near Allistar. "I will go help him." He looked at Allistar. "Do you have anything you need brought here."
"No. I have all of my things in my dimensional space."
"Are you alright with me going with him?" Lost Within Time looked at Anabel when he asked.
"Of course. Go with him."
Allistar kissed Anabel on her forehead and turned and walked away, Lost Within Time close behind him.
Anabel stood dazed for a long moment. She inhaled deeply and then dramatically exhaled. She tore her eyes from his back and turned walking to Jolan's rooms.
Jolan sat smiling at his sister. He was more tired than he thought possible but he forced himself to sit up.
Amethyst was speaking so fast that he was not sure he understood much of what she was saying. He hadn't seen his sister outside his dreams in four hundred years or so and he was a bit excited.
He thought about how he had performed the ritual to try to restore her. The ritual rebounded because her soul was so strongly bound to their father.
He was so elated that she was back he didn't even become angered when he thought of their father.
His eyes drooped a bit as his exhaustion began to get the better of him.
"Amethyst let Jolan rest. He seems like he may collapse at any moment."
Amethyst smiled at Anabel as she entered the room. As her mother's words reached her awareness it dropped from her lips and she looked to Jolan.
When she saw how tired he was she looked horrified. "I am sorry Jolan!" She looked to Anabel. "Has father returned?"
"Yes he is in the basement. That will be his area."
"Mother you are going to allow him to live here?!"
"Calm down Jolan. Why shouldn't father live here? It is time for our family to be whole again."
"Do you not remember what he did to you?"
Anabel watched her children without really understanding. She was too deep in thought.
"You do not understand Amethyst! There is no way you would consent to that. He tricked you."
Anabel woke from her contemplation when she heard her daughter's melodious laughter.
"Jolan. You have always been interested in time. Mother is a spirit warlock, and father always wanted to be a lich. Do you remember what I always wanted?"
There was silence in the room. Anabel was the one to answer.
"You wanted to strengthen your spirit body and become a spector witch."
Amethyst beamed. "I have almost achieved that. I know I have to tied myself to both mother and father but I wanted to help father achieve his goal and I needed mom to rescue me from that limbo. Being tied to mother will help me achieve my goal." She shrugged. "Maybe Marela can even hurry it along."
Again silence hung deeply in the room.
Jolan was too exhausted to think but he understood. Anabel was suddenly struck at how the people in her life did the oddest of things to achieve their goals.
"Did father not want to see me? Is he ashamed?"
Jolan's voice was weak. Anabel moved to him. "Marela says your medicine will be ready in an hour. Rest until then. She will call us when it is ready. As far as your father is concerned I think he does not want to stress you."
"Of course dad knows that. You can not even talk to him without becoming enraged. Mother is right rest. I am going to get a book from your library and read here beside your bed while you sleep."
Amethyst disappeared from the room before he could answer.
"We need to set up rooms for her mother."
"They are already ready. She is just concerned about you. When you are better she will probably start experiments."
Jolan nodded. "A spector witch. That is really ambitious. Her soul sea is vast so it is possible. But aren't spector always insane."
"Yes. All the spector I know are." Anabel was quiet for a moment. She looked up as Amethyst reappeared. "You allowed portions of your rationality and intellect to bind to your father to maintain your sanity as a spector."
Amethyst smiled and nodded. "That and a smile portion of my self control and angry. I am hoping that it is enough."
Anabel shook her head. "Why do all of you act without asking. Many of the things I have accomplished were deemed impossible. Did you not think we could think of easier ways."
Amethyst shrugged and looked at Jolan as she say with her book. "I guess we are our father's children."
Anabel couldn't argue with that.