Manggan Island

It was time for another voyage into the mainland and Xhemin went to bade farewell personally to Professor Owens, Baruk Tsu and his adopter brother, Enoch. Six months had gone past with no words from the mainland about Darryl, the bridge had not even moved an inch into the Manggan Island and Xhemin's belly had a big bump already.

​​

"Don't worry sister, I will go and get you some news about the hero of Somer lands," Enoch promised her as he was holding her hands. "Just don't lose hope. I'm sure he didn't mean to leave you like this,"

"Of course, he doesn't" Baruk Tam assured. "We all know about that. He loved sister that much that he will not leave her like this. The only thing we are worried is whether he was dead or alive as only death was the only possible reason why he was not able come back,"

"Oh, Highest God!" Maru hollered refusing to believe her lover's words "Baruk Tam, please don't say that!"

"I'm sorry," Baruk Tam seemed to have awaken his senses and apologized immediately for his unthought words. "I'm sorry healer, I'm sure death wasn't the only reason why he was not able to come back. Please have faith just like what the Chieftain's heir said." He added, while trying to make his way through Maru's hard stares.

"Healer, do not think about it anymore," Marul told her. "The hero must have good reasons for not coming back, but I'm sure he was thinking of you every now and then. What you need to do is just wait and stay healthy for the baby,"

"I'm alright" Xhemin lied. "Don't worry about it Maru, I'm not bothered with anything. I'm sure my husband will come home soon." For the last few months that Darryl had not come home, Xhemin wondered what could have kept him in the mainland. She was worried but she had kept herself strong because of the child that was growing inside her. Although motherhood had caught her off guard as she had never once thought about it, Xhemin was trying to be responsible with her body and her emotions as she knew it would affect the life inside her. However, until now, she wasn't exactly sure how to feel about her pregnancy especially that she had no husband or family to guide her with it.

"Xhemin, remember to drink the tonic I made for you," Professor Owens told her. The professor had made himself responsible for her when Darryl went away and went to see her every now and then to make sure her pregnancy was healthy. "I shall go and see your grandfather tonight just like before, do you have—"

"I've already said whatever I want in the letter," She said. "Please make sure to hand them to him personally,"

Xhemin did not mention about her marriage with Darryl with the previous letter that she sent her grandfather nor was she able to announce her pregnancy as she didn't know about it when she wrote them.

This time, she had handed professor Owens a letter telling her grandfather about how she married the Lagdameo heir and how Darryl left without knowing she was pregnant. Xhemin felt a ting of guilt toward her grandfather about her recent situation in the island as she had thought these was not reason why she left Hampshire, but these things—marriage and pregnancy must something she have to tell him now as she might not have any other chance. She also felt shameful toward her grandfather for what her fate in the island had been, for whose grandfather would be proud knowing that her nineteen-year-old granddaughter, whom he raised singlehandedly ended up marrying early and getting pregnant early without husband on her side. She just wished that Darryl wasn't messing with some other heirs in the mainland or Dr. Miles would surely stormed into the L Empire's territory looking for Darryl.

"It's time for us to go," Baruk Tsu announced and Enoch and Professor Owens immediately hopped into the boat with the guntas for another voyage to get some medicines because the bridge was far from being finished.

Xhemin watched helplessly as the boat went away, reminiscing the time that Darryl left. She just wished that when the boat returns the day after tomorrow, it will bring her good news about Darryl's whereabouts and some letters from her grandfather and Ziggy. Who knows, Huzey might probably also sent her some.

***

Ziggy had slept in his laboratory that night while he was working with the Acamilla Apparaus. Dr. Miles told him that a voyage from the Manggan Island was coming but he was too busy to come as his research was in that stage where he was to get it done.

For the last three years, he had struggled to get by with his research as he did everything from scratch and because stem cells research as everyone had labelled it, was an ambitious attempt. There were times that he was close to getting it done, but something terrible happens to his laboratory every time, either ran to be ransacked, or some accidents happened that make him lose all his data. He had transferred his lab to different rentals and places and even hired a couple of securities to guard it, but the accidents and robbing continues, as if he cannot escape them at all. Because of this, his savings run out in just a matter of three years and if not for Xhemin's strawberry field that was funding his research, he could have not survived until now.

This time, Ziggy had been more careful with everything. He made sure no one knew where his lab was and made every possible way to keep his research secure. He had two important things in his lab right now, first was the Acamilla Apparuas that had been giving him tremendous positive treatment results—as his data says and the other one was the current results of his research that was already finished, all he needed to do was to conduct few more tests.

Ziggy was snoring heavily, deeply exhausted when his nostrils caught something weird that woken him up. When he opened his eyes, Ziggy saw nothing but black smoke all over the place.

*

'What's happening?' Ziggy thought and the way everything around his warmed up made him realized his laboratory was on fire.

'another sabotage?' Ziggy panicked. 'but how?'

Ziggy tried to look around, looking for escape but it was already too late. The had breathe enough smoke that suffocated him and so he fell into the floor helpless. Before he closed his eyes, it got stick into his research that he was working with earlier and the Acamila Apparaus that was sitting on the table together with his cold coffee.

"Young sire!" Ziggy heard Sam in the background before darkness drowned him.