Esmeralda sweeps her gaze around the area. "Let's rest for a moment here and plan our next move. "She closed her eyes for a while inhaling the fresh air of the evening.

"Guys, let's go to my village! I'll introduce you to my aunt and sister!" Kate blabbered excitedly.

"Silence, please. I want to savor this joyous moment!" demanded the tree.

Kate smiled and pressed her mouth shut. She lay her body on the grassy ground and stared at the full moon in the sky, she's wearing a broad smile on her face. Esmeralda and the tree were doing the same.

"It feels so good to be out in the open!" said Kate.

"Me too! I feel so alive after escaping the castle. It's been centuries and I missed the freedom to roam the world," the tree murmured in happiness.

"I missed our place the Nephilim Kingdom! I want to go back there as soon as possible," Esmeralda said excitedly. Then she glanced at Kate. "Child, would you go back with me to our Kingdom? It's beautiful there. I will tour you around the place. I'm sure you'll like it." A smile was tugging on her lips.

Kate smiled, who doesn't like to go to a beautiful place with two powerful creatures as her companion?

"Would you go with me, child?" Esmeralda asked again.

"Yes!" answered Kate, her eyes shining brightly wanting to have a fun adventure into another world different from hers.

"Great! I'll take you there for sure," Esmeralda said.

They went in silent mode, a lot of things were running in their minds.

The euphoria of escaping the castle lessened a bit. Kate finally remembered her sister Ivy inside the castle. "Oh my goodness!" she looked at the woman beside her. "Granny, my sister Ivy still there inside the castle, we failed to bring here with us to freedom!" she said sadly.

Esmeralda and the tree looked at each other, they decided to not to tell the girl about the fate of her sister, because she would be devastated if she will know the tragic truth.

Kate looked at her companions curiously. "I'm just wondering what did you do to get out of the castle? I mean what preparation have you done before the barrier opening? I smell something, I just can't explain it well in words because I haven't seen the thing..."

Esmeralda can't bring herself to tell the girl that the freedom that they enjoyed right now was due to her sister's blood.

The tree chose to remain silent and let Esmeralda do the talking.

Kate can sense that her companions aren't keen on revealing anything to her. She might as well changed her approach. "Granny, if we're finally able to escape the castle, I think we can do it again. Why don't we enter the castle and rescue my sister? You guys are powerful, you can do it again!" she said optimistically.

"Huh?" the tree's eyes widened. "We just get out and you want us to enter again? You have no idea how hard it is to get out of the castle. We can't even do it with our —" he stopped talking 'coz he almost revealed their secrets.

Esmeralda glared at the tree silencing him. She looked at the girl. "Child, you have to understand that it's extremely difficult to get out of the castle alive. We should consider ourselves lucky. So please, stop pestering me about wanting to go back in there and save your sister, okay?" she asked for her understanding.

Once she will reveal the truth to Kate that her sister paid the highest price for their freedom, Kate will never be the same again. She would be devastated. It would invalidate the true essence of their escape. It would plunge Kate into darkness tortured by guilt and sadness, she won't be able to accept the hard fact that for her to live, her older sister has to die.

Besides, she made an oath to Ivy that she will never tell Kate about her sacrifice. Ivy wants her sister to live her life to the fullest and not wallow in grief, guilt, and sadness.

Kate's face was marred with disappointment. Her happiness was short live. How can she feel happy after knowing that she can't save her sister? That her sister was still a prisoner of the castle and badly needed a rescue.

Argh! This is not right!

She looked at the two powerful being beside her. They managed to crack the code on how to open up the barrier, she was confused why can't they do it again? What is stopping them from doing so? She's feeling restless, she wants to go back to the castle and rescue her sister Ivy.

"Guys, why can't you help my sister?" she questioned them again. She's not ready yet to let the topic die. She was thinking that if she will continue pestering them, they will eventually give in to her demands.

The tree groaned in irritation. "Kate, stop whining! Can you just be glad that we already left the castle successfully? You've been wanting this escape since the very beginning. Just be contented with what we achieved so far. Don't ask for more," he chastised her.

He longed to shut up the girl's mouth, tell her about her sister's death so that she will give up the idea of going back to the castle. Once the girl knows that her sister already passed away, she won't insist on going back.

Esmeralda suddenly gasped in pain, she feels like her heart was being squeezed hard, she felt something not right with her body. All of a sudden she had a hard time breathing...why is this so? She clutched her chest, struggling to breathe, her face contorted in pain, sweats broke on her forehead. "Guys, I... I... can't breathe!" she said trying to inhale more air into her lungs.

Kate and the tree rushed to Esmeralda's side.

"What's going on with you, Esme?" asked the tree worriedly.

"I dunno...I...I just feel... I can't breathe..." Esmeralda responded she keeps gulping for air. She feels like she was drowning. She can't breathe!

"Granny, what happened to you?" Kate asked as she grabbed the old woman's hands wanting to comfort her.

The tree glared at Kate. "See...this is what happens...your Granny exhausted all her powers just to get us out from that forsaken place. Do you still want us to come back there inside the castle at her present condition?"

Kate no longer answers, tears shimmered in her eyes. She was getting worried about Granny, she's feeling guilty. "I'm so sorry, Granny. Please, forgive me!"

"Shh... It's okay child, it's not your fault," Esmeralda said and opened up her sling bag, she took something from it. It's an object that looks like a yoyo, a child's toy.

"What is that, Granny?" Kate asked while looking at the object.

"It's a mechanism that can open up a portal. We're going home to my Godmother, I think she can help me with my strange illness. I only experienced this severe difficulty of breathing after we escaped the castle. Don't worry child, as long I'm strong again, I will bring you to see your Aunt and sister Ella, just give me enough time to recover and recuperate," Esmeralda said. "For now you go where I'm going, okay?"

Kate nodded her head in agreement for it's not the right time yet to insist on her stubbornness.

Esmeralda handed the object to the tree. "Quick... o..pen up the p...portal for me. If I stay here any l...onger I will never sur...vive another day," she said between ragged breaths.

The tree took the object and activated it in his hand pointing it to the area away from the trees, it released a blinding light, then out of the blue an opening was created, he hastily put the object back in Esmeralda's sling bag, unfortunately, the object slipped and fell into the ground undetected.

The tree picked up Esmeralda gently and carried her into the portal, Kate followed her two seniors in silence. Although she was terrified to enter the portal because she was fearful where it will take her, there's no time to pester them with her annoying questions, she just has to trust them with her life. Besides, Granny is dying...she'll just need to shut up her mouth for now and cooperate.

The trio entered the opening and after a few seconds, the portal disappeared as if it didn't exist at all.

At the base of the hill, the wagoner who waited for Ella's return noticed the blinding light originated in the northern part of the castle. He immediately left the wagon and hovered in the air going to the area to check what's going on. He knows for sure that it was a portal opening.

Huh? Did his comrades finally exited the castle and used the portal?

But they agreed that he will wait at the base of the castle, and besides, if they made an exit on the other parts of the castle they will inform him.

Frowning, he arrived at the area where the blinding light originated. He surveyed the entire area, there's nothing to see in there. Then he saw the portal opening mechanism lying on the ground, he picked it up and inspected it for a few minutes.

"Who is dumb enough leaving their mechanism just lying around here?" he asked himself. The owner must have left it carelessly. He knows now that Zemeth is not the one who left the mechanism, he knows him too well, he isn't a careless guy.

Then it slowly dawned on him that there must be someone out there who made a successful escape from the castle and used the portal to escape to another dimension.

He put the mechanism in the pocket of his pants and returned to the base of the hill.