Four hours later.

Esmeralda hovered in the air, her gaze focused on the castle at the top of the hill. She can no longer wait for midnight. She was itching to enter it. She knew that once she will change her mind, she might not be able to do as she planned.

But wait...

Dang!

She forgot something important! She needs to go back to the mountain to get something!

She activated the teleportation process in her mind. She reappeared inside the room of her late mentor. She grabbed the book and the pouch filled with crystals. She needs them! They are the most important part of her plan.

The book and the pouch containing the crystals disappeared from her palm. Done, she's ready to go back to the castle and finalize her mission!

She waved her hand all over her body concealing her aura. It's important that when she enters the castle, no one can detect her presence. She doesn't want the dark armies and the vampires looking for and chasing her all over the castle.

She teleports back to the location on the blazing barrier.

A minute later, she was already hovering in the air, looking at the entrance of the castle.

Then she shifted her gaze to the location of the barrier. Her eyes widened when another gap was starting to open again! A few minutes later, throngs of monsters bolted from the gap, eager to taste freedom and human meat!

Zemeth and Agran were already in fighting mode, killing the monsters left and right right. Zemeth uses his thunderbolt weapon and sword while Agran uses the fire in his eyes and hands. In the far distance, she can see two more figures, hovering in the air, approaching the castle. They must be Ramza and Jegun!

She finds herself wanting to help the men...but she can no longer delay her plans. This kind of situation will still occur tomorrow and in the coming days, there's no stopping it unless she will kill the vampires first!

Damn!

This time, Maxwell is eager to flood the entire land with monsters!

This is going to be terrible! She hopes no one on her side will die this time! Her late mentor and the four missing men are enough! She doesn't want more casualties on her side.

She closed her eyes, gathering her strength, she needs to enter the castle now in her invisible form!

She zoomed towards the castle and passed the iron gate. She flew towards the main door of the crumbling castle.

The door suddenly opened and the old servant, Damazo, can be seen exiting the door. Before the old man can close the door, Esmeralda flew inside, undetected. She landed in the waiting room, where the barrier that separated between the inside and the outside world can be found.

She immediately teleports herself to the area where the current opening was held.

When she arrived there, she saw Ivy lying and seemed to be sleeping in a makeshift bed. Huh? What happened to her?

She saw Maxwell holding the dagger in his right hand.

Maxwell went to Ivy's side and held her arm and made a cut using the dagger. She wondered why Ivy didn't move at all? Could be...that... Maxwell put her in deep sleep? That's the only explanation she could find.

She released a deep sigh.

Poor Ivy!

'I will save you soon!' she thought to herself.

She didn't linger in the area, she teleports herself back to her house in the floating piece of land.

When she landed on the ground, the golden tree was still alive, her house still the same. She walked towards the door and entered the house. She went to her room and disappeared inside.

She spent the rest of her time reading the content of the book which was owned by her late mentor. The book had a detailed explanation of the uses of the magical crystal and how it can benefit her. But if she makes a mistake, the crystal can seal her fate!

Although she already read the book a hundred times, still, she feared that her plan will backfire on her.

She needs to make sure that her actions are flawless!

She needs to gamble!

Now or never!

Times like this, she's desperate to end the vampires' evilness, if she failed with her plan, more blood will be spilled in the coming days.

She memorized each incantation and embedded it in her mind over and over again...careful not to make any mistake.

A few minutes later, she finished reading the entire book.

This time, she is confident that she can proceed with her plan smoothly without any problem.

She needs to rescue Ivy and bring her here first!

She exited the room and teleported back to the area where she had seen Maxwell and his brothers.

When she arrived there, the party was about to disperse, she arrived late! No more opening of the blazing barrier, they were currently leaving the area!

She watched as the two vampires carried the makeshift bed in both hands as they hovered in the air.

The three vampire siblings were hovering ahead of them.

Time for her to move!

She zoomed towards them and threw the five crystals in the air, she recited the incantation in her mouth silently, the magical crystals and the incantation will work together to freeze any living things within a one-kilometer radius.

She finished reciting the incantation, she watched as the vampire brothers froze in the air including the vampires that were carrying the makeshift bed.

She immediately hovered towards Ivy and placed her hand on the unconscious woman's head then recited another incantation in her mind. A few minutes later, she and Ivy disappeared, they reappeared inside the house. She placed Ivy's sleeping form on the floor.

She took the pouch from her bedroom and place five magic crystals on the floor in the shape of a coffin. Then she opened her palm, four burning candles appeared in her palms, she placed them in the corner facing the crystal formation.

She closed her eyes and went into a deep meditation, her mind continue reciting the incantation that was meant to transform the crystal into her preferred shape.

Fifteen minutes later...

The five crystals magically transformed into a crystal coffin.

Esmeralda opened her eyes and smiled in glee!

Great! She succeeded!

She immediately lifted the lid of the crystal coffin, she went to Ivy's side and placed her hand on her head. Then she recited another incantation, Ivy's body began to float in the air. Esmeralda placed Ivy's body inside the crystal coffin and put back the cover. She sealed the coffin with another powerful incantation.

Done!

She placed another five crystals beside Ivy's coffin and repeated the same process.

Fifteen minutes later.

Another coffin was created beside Ivy.

Esmeralda entered the coffin and sat inside for a few minutes. She stared at Ivy's sleeping form inside the coffin. If her plan will work flawlessly, Ivy will make it outside the castle alive.

As for her, she has no idea!

The magical crystal coffin might only work on Ivy but not on her...considering what she's going to do next!

She closed her eyes summoning her preferred weapon to end her life, and when she opened her eyes, the dagger that her late mentor had given her appeared in her palm. She stared at it for a few minutes, sighing heavily, she was now staring at the weapon that will end her life and everything in the castle!

She released a deep sigh.

No regrets then... she was able to enjoy a few days of freedom outside the castle with her late mentor. That's the only consolation that she can think of. And there's also Aspen, he will continue enjoying the freedom for her. As for the others, she only met them later in her life.

Although it's only for a short time, those people fighting the monsters outside become her friends and her sacrifice is meant for them and the innocent ones.

A tear fell from her left eye.

She shakes her head, trying to cut her drama. The freezing technique she uses on the vampire brothers can only last for one hour and they will be freed again.

She needs to hurry up!

She holds the dagger firmly in her right hand and without further ado, she stabs her heart with the dagger deeply. She felt the pain squeezing the life out of her, she quickly recited the incantation in her mind as the lid floated in the air and landed on the coffin...before Esmeralda loses consciousness she was able to seal the crystal coffin...then her eyes starts to shut off...the beating of her heart was slowing down...until it stopped completely.

Esmeralda was gasping for air one last time.

The blood trickled from her wound and formed a puddle inside the crystal coffin soaking her clothes with fresh blood.

Esmeralda died from the stab on her chest.

~~~

Outside the floating piece of land.

The vampire brothers and their companions were finally unfrozen.

"My Lord, Ivy's body disappeared!" the vampires shouted, staring at their empty cargo.

The vampire brothers looked at the empty makeshift bed. Indeed, Ivy is gone!

"What happened?"

"What's going on!?

"Where is Ivy? Did she fell in the ground below?"

Everyone looked down. They saw nothing - but trees.

Maxwell knew that someone had taken Ivy! But who could it be? Who is powerful enough that has taken interest in her? He looked at his men in-charge of carrying the make-shift bed. "You didn't see anything?" he interrogated them.

The men shook their heads. "I'm sorry, My Lord, we didn't see anything. She was just here a moment ago!" one of the men said.

Maxwell shook his head, this is strange! A sleeping woman disappeared in thin air all of a sudden without anyone noticing her?

He looked at his brothers. "What do you think happened?" he asked for their opinion.

"It's either someone freezes us while we're hovering in the air and snatch Ivy away," Xenon speculated.

"That is a big possibility - but why we fail to detect that someone's aura? The next question is - where is Ivy right now?" Lothaire asked.

Then all of a sudden.

Xenon sense something... he looked down and noticed something happening in the forest below. "WTF! Look at the trees!"

Everyone looked down... the trees were burning...everything below them is burning!

"What's going on!?"

They looked at each other in confusion and shock.

"Oh, shiit!" Reality suddenly dawned on Maxwell. "Damn! Esmeralda died! That is why the blazing barrier starts burning everything!" They all gasped in horror.