The next day.

Graven went back to Terros place and brought some food supply as a gift for his old friend including some money support in the form of gold coins. ​​

"Thank you for your donation, son!" Terros said.

"It's nothing, old man. Please give my thanks to your friend for her magical powder, it's very effective in locating my missing wife! I'm very impressed with her creation and her skill!" Graven said he's thinking highly of the old man's housemate.

"Okay, I'll tell her," Terros said. "By the way, have you already talk to Laura?" he asked.

Graven shook his head. "I went back to my brother's place in Arrawallee Town. I was this close to talking to her but my brother appeared in the garden and it's also raining hard during that time so they went back to the mansion. But I will go back there after I'm done here," he answered.

Terros nods his head. "Okay...by the way, I have good news for you!" he said.

"What is it?" Graven asked excitedly.

"It's all about the black liquid. My lady friend, Veronica experimented with the black liquid and dropped some dry roots of Oakenblossom Tree ~ a thousand-year-old tree that can only be found in the Windless Mountain and the result is shocking..." Terros said.

"Really-? Can I see the experiment with my own eyes?" Graven requested, feeling optimistic.

"Sure! Wait here for a minute. I'll get the crystal bottle, and also the root of the tree," Terros said, he turned around heading to the door of the bamboo house.

Graven waited patiently in the balcony looking at the basket filled with dry herbs nearby. He's eager to know what the thousand-year-old tree can do to the black liquid and how it can help him and his men once the black liquid starts attacking the vital organs inside their bodies.

He cleared the table in front of him ready to see the experiment.

A few minutes later.

Terros returned with the stuff and put them carefully on the table. He looked at Graven. "Ready?"

"Yes! Very much ready!" Graven answered excitedly.

He lowered himself on the chair, opened the crystal bottle, poured a few drops of black liquid in the crystal bowl, then drop several leaves into the bowl... the black liquid quickly devoured the leaves... next... he dropped some of the roots of the thousand-year-old tree into the bowl and the opposite thing happened... the black liquid didn't do anything to the roots.

Graven's eyes widened. "Wow! I can't believe it!" he blurted in disbelief.

Terros looked at Graven. "Wait... see the best part...!" he said, he picked up a stick from the basket and poked at the black liquid. "See... the black liquid was frozen! Amazing...isn't it?"

Graven nodded his head. "Yeah! This Oakenblossom Tree is indeed powerful and magical!"

"Incredible result!" Terros enthused. He removed the roots and suddenly the black liquid comes back to life, then he dropped several leaves into the crystal bowl... they all disappeared a few seconds later, devoured by the black liquid.

Graven stared at the roots of the thousand-year-old tree. "How can we use it as medicine?" He finally asked the one question that he's been dying to ask after watching the experiment.

Terros pondered the question for a few minutes while staring at the roots. "Hmm... we can try to boil the roots and make an elixir out of it, just in case the black liquid starts attacking you and your men, we already had a medicine ready in hand to remedy the problem," Terros said.

"Thank you so much, old man!" Graven said feeling grateful for his help. "Did you and your lady friend starts making the elixir?" he asked. He feared that anytime from now the black liquid will start attacking the inside of their bodies and they have no option but to return to the abandoned castle to get the antidote from the cursed king.

"Yes... about three days ago," Terros said. "Don't worry, we already anticipated the worst to come so we're better prepared for it," he assured him.

"Good!" Graven said as huge relief washed over him.

"The successful experiment is over!" Terros declared. "Would you like to stay for dinner?" he asked.

Graven shook his head. "Not today. Some other time. I will go back to my brother's place and see my wife for a confrontation," he said and rose to his feet. "I'll come back some other day," he said.

"Take care and good luck!" Terros said.

Graven gave him a thumb up and vanished from the place.

Terros gathered the stuff and brought them back inside the house.

Veronica looked at Terros. "Is he gone already?" she asked.

"Yeah, he's going to visit his wife for a much-needed confrontation tonight," Terros replied.

"Alright, good luck to him! Let's continue making the elixir!" Veronica said.

They gathered at the table surrounded by different herbs and roots required in making an effective elixir out of the thousand-year-old tree.

Meanwhile...

Across the miles.

Graven landed at the roof of his brother's mansion in his invisible form. He scanned the surrounding area, behind him is an endless forest. His brother secured himself a vast property in the remote part of the Arrawallee Town.

Without the help of Terros magical powder, he might not be able to know that his wife and brother are hiding in this remote part of the town.

He hovered lower and went back to the window where he first saw his wife.

His heart skips a beat because he saw his wife standing at the window, looking at the darkness in front of her.

He zoomed towards her... but halted in midair when he was just a few meters away from the window because right behind his wife was his brother Luke approaching her location.

Dammit!

Wherever Laura is his brother follows and it seemed they are living in one room already like husband and wife!

His heart starts bleeding again due to pain and jealousy.

Then suddenly...he had a hard time breathing...as if his heart was being squeezed painfully inside his rib cage. He clutched at his chest, it's getting painful every second that passes by. He needs to leave this place immediately.

He initiated the teleportation process in his mind and landed inside his room in Bay Meadow. He lay down on the bed and shut his eyes for a few minutes, inhaling and exhaling air softly inside his lungs, gradually, the excruciating pain in his chest began to fade away.

Huge relief washed over him, he thought it was the black liquid's undoing... already attacking his vital organs!

He shut his eyes for a few minutes.

One hour later.

Graven was already up in the air and teleported into the town of Coollego. He hovered in the air and began spreading the powder all over the town, hoping that he can detect Rebecca's scent.

Five hours later, his search was futile. He failed to detect Rebecca's scent in that town. Tomorrow he will try the next town. For now, he needs to go back to his room in Bay Meadow for a much-needed rest.

He teleported back to Bay Meadow.

Graven sleeps peacefully the whole night.

The following day.

After eating breakfast, Graven teleported back to Luke's property. He's going to stay the whole day in this mansion waiting for the perfect opportunity to talk to his wife alone. There should be a time that Laura will be alone in the room or the garden.

He's not going home empty-handed today! He needs to clear some things with his wife. If Laura tells him that the baby is not his, and the father is Luke...then he will leave them alone! But if the child is his then he would have to take his wife back, he needs to make sure that Laura will give birth to his child safely in his own house, under his protection because it's his child that she was carrying in her tummy.

He hovered towards the window and saw Laura inside her room talking to the servant.

A few minutes later, the servant exited the room.

Laura is now alone in the room.

A perfect opportunity to confront his wife!

He zoomed towards the window...he was about to enter the room when suddenly he felt a tightening on his chest. Damn! It's happening again! He can't breathe!

Then his world was spinning around...before he loses consciousness he was able to teleport to Terros place.

He successfully landed at Terros's place and crumbled on the ground in front of the bamboo house, he passed out.

Graven was in that position when Veronica saw him after she exited the door going to the balcony.

"Was that Graven lying on the ground? What happened to him!? He looked unconscious!" She hurriedly descended the stairs and rushed to his side. "Graven...are you okay?" she listened to the faint beating of his heart.

That was the moment Terros arrived coming from the stream carrying a water jug on his shoulder. He immediately dropped the jug into the ground after seeing Veronica attending to the man lying on the ground that looks like Graven!

He bolted to Veronica's side. "What happened to Graven?" he asked worriedly.

"I dunno! I saw him just now lying on the ground, he fainted!" Veronica replied.

"It looks like the black liquid is now starting to attack his vital organs! Let's bring him inside the room and administer the elixir!" Terros said.

A few minutes later, they managed to bring Graven inside the bamboo house and settled his unconscious body comfortably in Terros's room.

They acted immediately.

Terros began feeding the elixir into Graven's mouth while Veronica was busy monitoring Graven's pulse.