The portal brought Esmeralda and her companions to the top of a mountain, where clouds can be touch by the hands. The mountain was teeming with trees, plants, bushes, and all types of flowering plants.

It's a breathtaking mountain, like an enchanted garden at the top of the highest place on earth.

More like a place where the Gods dwell.

They landed in the middle of the garden where fruit-bearing trees were growing in every corner.

Kate was speechless, awed by the splendor of the surroundings. "Tree, pinch me! I think I died already and ascended into heaven!" she gushes. "This place is too beautiful!"

The tree was observing Esmeralda's breathing. "Esme! Open your eyes!" he ordered.

Esmeralda's vision was fading, her breath was faltering.

"Oh no! Granny! Granny don't die!" Kate cried. "HELPPPPPPP! ANYONE THERE PLEASE HELP USSSSSS!" she shouted at the top of her lungs.

A moment later, multitudes of butterflies in all colors exploded everywhere, up in the air, a goddess of dazzling beauty was hovering in the air, her black silky hair was flowing like a river behind her back. Her silky pink clothing was floating in the air. She was holding a pink wand in her right hand.

"Who are you, people? Why did you trespass on my property without my permission!?" the goddess's voice thundered above them.

The tree raised his head. "Are you Esmeralda's Godmother? Please help us, Esmeralda is dying in my arms!" he begged.

The goddess frowned. "Esmeralda? Who is Esmeral—?" she asked confused for a moment. Then she looked at the old woman lying on the guy's arms. The old woman was on her last breath. C-could it be her goddaughter Esmeralda? The one trapped inside the castle on the hill?

If she is indeed the one, how could she get out of the castle?

Her feet landed on the ground, and she rushed to the dying woman. "Esmeralda, my goddaughter? Is this you?" she asked.

Esmeralda opened her eyes slowly upon hearing the familiar voice. "G-Godmother, it's me your goddaughter..." she was trying to raise her hand but failed in the process then she closed her eyes again.

"Oh my, what is happening to her? Hurry up! Get her inside my house!" the goddess ordered the tree.

"W-where?" the tree asked and carried Esmeralda in his arms.

The goddess waved her wand and the two-story wooden house appeared out of the blue where the thick clouds used to be.

The tree and the goddess sprinted towards the house and the door opened automatically. Kate was following behind them in total confusion and bewilderment.

They entered the palatial house and the goddess directed them to a room where the only furniture that can be found is a marble table suspended in the air.

"Hurry up! Put Esmeralda in the table!" the goddess barked her order.

The tree hurriedly put Esmeralda in the marble table.

The goddess looked at them. "Now get out of the room, I need to save my goddaughter! Make yourself at home but don't touch or break anything carelessly!" she warned them.

Kate and the three exited the room in a hurry.

Back in the room.

The goddess immediately went to work, she directed her hands-on Esmeralda's head and chest. A color purple flame came out from her palms...she runs the flames all over Esmeralda's body. She keeps repeating the same process that lasted for half an hour.

She observed Esmeralda's breathing...good so far! It's steadier compared earlier. Her goddaughter's body must have been slowly been poisoned by the toxicity of the castle on the hell. Living with those toxic creatures must be a nightmare for Esmeralda. Poor child!

She remembered that she tried to persuade Esmeralda to abandon her plan to stay in the castle for life but she turned deaf ears to her plea. But now she managed to escape the castle after a long time. Her goddaughter must have regretted her actions in her early days...otherwise...she won't appear in her doorsteps at the last minute that she was almost dying.

Although Esmeralda's breathing already returns to normal, she still needs to continue observing her situation in the next three days before she can finally declare that she is no longer in critical condition.

Esmeralda must remain inside the healing and rejuvenating room for three days to stabilize her condition.

She lighted all the candles around the room. The candles will produce an aromatic scent that is good for the healing of the body. It can also rejuvenate the damaged cells inside the body that was destroyed by toxins and other virus or harmful microorganism.

In short, the room is equipped with healing properties that can speed up the recovery of a person who is seriously ill.

She sighed heavily while staring at the aged body of her goddaughter. Previously, she offered Esmeralda her home and promised her the road to immortality and contentment, but her goddaughter choose to fall in love with a demon's son, and then when her lover was killed by a powerful vampire, she set on a long journey of revenge and eventually sealed her fate inside the castle.

That was the last time they saw each other. She never expected that one day she will appear on her doorstep asking for help.

She was wondering how Esmeralda was able to get out of the castle on the hill alive? That is a big mystery! The last time she had a conversation with the three elders, they're quite clear with their declaration that nobody can get out of the castle alive.

Well...well...well...what happened now is a big flaw to the barrier that they erected around the castle and somehow her goddaughter was able to discover the flaw or maybe the flaw was part of the foundation of the barrier. More like a puzzle that needs to be solved and when the pieces finally fit together, it summed up a brilliant result.

She examined Esmeralda's body...she needs to stay in the room for another hour to be sure.

Meanwhile.

Outside the healing room.

Kate and the tree we're sitting on the comfy cushion situated in the well-ventilated living room. The windows were big allowing fresh air to circulate the entire house. Kate surveyed the interior of the house, it doesn't have extravagant furniture, which means it belongs to a minimalist person who values simpler things in life.

In the wooden center table was a golden bonsai plant, its leaves were yellowish and the plant was teeming with golden fruits the size of small tomatoes.

Kate was staring at the golden fruits...wow...they looked like gold! She was tempted to pick up one piece since there are about five golden fruits already fallen from its branches.

The goddess won't mind at all.

Kate quickly picks one and sunk her teeth on the fruit. OMG! It's hard! It must be real gold!

She inspected the fruit looking at it from every angle.

The tree rolled his eyes. "Eh? Are you hungry and you think the fruit is real?" he asked in a mocking tone.

Kate glowered at him. "Don't insult me, I know what I'm doing! I'm just trying to check if it's real fruit or real gold!" she pouted.

The tree chuckled. "Don't tell me... that the next time I blink my eyes... you're already putting the golden fruit in the pocket of your pants to bring home with you? Isn't it?" he joked.

Kate gasp. How did the tree guess correctly what's in her mind? She returned the golden fruit to the area where it was fallen. She planned to bring one but she will ask the goddess permission first, maybe it's gold of the highest quality and can make her rich, she will then erect a brick house in their village as majestic as the mountains surrounding it.

She looked at the tree. "Are you not wondering why Granny's Godmother is younger than her? It sounds odd and unbelievable to me," she said.

The tree smiled. "For your information, some Nephilim creatures chose to cultivate all their life to attain immortality. They distance themselves from the trappings of life and focus on achieving immortal status. Only a few succeeded because the path to immortality is very lonely and long, it will bore you to death and make you crazy due to endless years of solitude, that is why the majority of cultivators who wants to be immortal quit early."

"So you mean to say...those immortal people are always young and beautiful? They don't age at all?" she asked, stunned.

"Actually, there will be a moment of aging, but to the immortals, it doesn't come quickly, before the first sign of aging materializes in their body they usually go back to cultivate another cycle of youthfulness, and then emerged from their hibernation mode with a youthful appearance, and repeat the same process over and over again. That is how they achieve their ageless beauty," the tree elaborated further.

Kate's jaw was opened the whole time the tree was explaining to her the essence of immortality. "Are you an immortal, tree?"

The tree smiled. "What do you think?"

Kate pouted. "Hmph! Why answer me with another question?" she grumbled.

The tree smiled. "Silly girl..."

Kate looked at the tree. "Hmm, I'm just wondering...why you don't have a proper name? I'm tired of calling you, tree, every single time," she said.

"Alright, give me a name then..." he challenged her.

"Hmm...how about...I'll call you Aspen? Do you like it? Do you like the name I give you?" Kate grinned.

The tree smiled and gave her a thumb up sign which implies that he likes the name she had given him.

Kate glanced at her companion. "Do you think the Goddess can save Granny's life?" she asked worriedly.

Aspen sighed. "I hope so..." he replied sadly, for the only thing that can convince him that his friend is already safe from danger, is to see Esmeralda up on her feet again.

Kate rose to her feet. "I'm getting restless here...why don't we go out into the garden and check the different variety of fruits growing there to ease our worries and boredom?" she suggested.

"Sounds a good idea!" Aspen replied.

They left the living room and ventured outside.