Windless Mountain.

Elva and Veronica were discussing Graven's problem on the terrace while sipping their favorite fruit juice. ​​

Veronica glanced at the deity and asked, "Will you be there to witness the end of the castle?"

Elva nods her head. "Of course, I'll be there!" she said with a hint of anger in her voice. "I was mad that the cursed King ordered Graven to bring me to the castle as well. He probably wants me to be his toy or slave! How dare he! Just thinking about his evil plot of kidnapping me to stay there by his side is making my blood boil! Therefore, it's only right that I will help Graven eliminate that King!"

"Can I also accompany you to the castle to witness the live-action?" requested Veronica.

"Of course, you will be there with me by my side to witness the blazing inferno. We have to be there to lend a helping hand just in case Graven and Terros need assistance. I told Graven to come here and inform me of the time of their attack. I want to witness everything from start to finish!" Elva concluded.

Veronica smiled. "I'm excited to see the live-action! I won't miss it for the world!" she said excitedly.

"By the way, how's Luke's condition this morning? Did you see any changes in his body?" Elva asked.

"I went to the healing room earlier to check on his condition. All the green powder disappeared and his skin is now back to normal 100% complete!" answered Veronica.

"That's good! Luke's body already absorbed the healing medicines as of this moment, but the dark splotches might return anytime. My estimated time of its return is one week after the first application. Once his spirit finally returned to his body, the dark splotches will completely disappear. So, every time the problem appears we have to apply the green powder on his body again, it's a repetitive process until his spirit returns," Elva explained.

"Ah, okay. I understand now," Veronica said as she continues sipping her drink.

"That's why you have to visit the healing room three times a day to monitor his condition. Report to me if you notice something strange with his skin or body parts so that we can find a remedy right away before things can get serious. And one more thing, remind me to change his clothing tomorrow morning after breakfast," Elva added.

Veronica looked at the deity, her eyes widened. "Wait! Do you want me to change his clothe myself?" she asked in alarm.

Elva smiled and giggled. "Don't worry, I'm capable of changing his clothes without your assistance. I want you to go to the market in town and buy five pieces of men's clothing for Luke, then you may also buy some food supplies that are needed in the kitchen," she ordered.

"Okay, no problem! I'll go to the market after lunch," Veronica replied and finished her drink.

"Don't forget the undergarments!" Elva smirked.

"What is the measurement?" Veronica asked innocently, ignoring Elva's teasing.

"Buy five pieces of undergarments, large size. Just inform the saleslady, they know all about different sizes of men's undergarments," Elva said and rose to her feet. "I'm going to the cave to check on my babies," she said and disappeared from the terrace.

"Wait...!" Veronica pouted. Dang! She wants to go back to the cave with Elva and visit that wonderful place again!

Better luck next time.

She stood up, gathered the glasses, and went to the kitchen. She's going to check the pantry and make a mental list of what she's going to buy in town later.

~~~0~~~

That night.

Zero was hovering above the forest looking left and right trying to find the old woman's house which was hidden by a concealing spell. He raised the amulet in the air indicating that he's around the area.

The amulet glowed and produces a thin light that disappeared after a few minutes.

Time to wait.

He hoped the old woman is still awake.

He roamed his eyes around him, darkness is everywhere.

Unknown to him.

A hundred meters away, hovering in the air is a figure wearing a cloak, he's watching Zero intently. A few seconds later, the figure disappeared from view.

Back to Zero.

He didn't wait long enough because Menedelia appeared in front of him and waved her hand at him.

They suddenly disappeared from the area.

The two appeared in front of a hill overlooking a calm ocean.

Menedelia faced Zero, a smile emerged on her lips. "Nice to see you again, lad! How are you nowadays? How's life? How's Nini?" she bombarded him with questions.

"I'm fine, Granny, and so is Nini. How about you and Rebecca?" he asked.

"Well, for a start, Rebecca doesn't want to see you again. She holds grudges against you. You two had a deep history together. So, it's better that you avoid seeing her again. I don't want you and Rebecca fighting and hurting each other," Menedelia explained.

"I got it, Granny. Thanks for the head-up!" he said.

She asked, "Why did you suddenly come to my place and seek my presence? Did something happened to Nini?"

Zero shook his head. "She's fine. She loves bonding with her family, especially with her mother and sister," he replied.

"That's good! I'm happy for her, she deserved it. Poor child, her happiness won't stay long though!" Menedelia said with a deep sigh.

"The family rewarded me her hand for marriage. We are getting married in a ceremony attended by families and the special guest next month. This Friday, the clan leaders will announce our wedding to everyone in a dinner party," Zero elaborated.

Menedelia smiled broadly. "Congratulation on your upcoming wedding! I'm happy for you and Nini," she said cheerfully. "So, did you come to invite me to your wedding party?" she asked.

"Besides that... Nini's father ordered me to invite you to the manor so that he can talk to you. He's seeking your expertise on what can be done to counter Nini's bad luck and make everyone safe," Zero explained.

Menedelia smiled. "I have no problem with the invitation. I can go with you anytime...but..."

"Don't worry about your time, you will be paid monetary rewards every time you come with me and talk to Nini's father as compensation for your services," Zero said.

Menedelia's face brightened up upon the mention of monetary rewards. "I'm glad to know that, lad. In case you don't know yet, I no longer plan to open a Fortunetelling shop in the meantime because our unknown enemy might already be hunting me down at this very moment and I can't put Rebecca in danger all the time especially that she is pregnant with twins. So, I need a steady income to sustain our needs while keeping her safe and hidden from dangers as well," she explained.

"No need to explain, Granny. I understood very well your difficult situation. I assure you that if you prove yourself useful to Nini's father, you will be greatly rewarded as long you can make a good contribution to the poor girl's condition," he said.

"I will try my best, lad. And thank you for trusting me because I'm your first choice when it comes to solving Nini's future problem," she said feeling grateful for the trust and golden opportunity that he bestowed on her especially that she needs a constant source of income nowadays.

Zero scratched his head. "Um... there is something you need to know..."

"What is it?"

"I'm sorry to say that... Nini's family summoned five other great oracles all over the land to diagnose her condition and also seek their help to counter the prophecy," he said sheepishly.

Menedelia's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, I thought I was your first choice?" she spoke with a voice hinting great disappointment.

"Of course you are!" Zero said. "But you can't also blame Nini's family because your prophecy is horrendous, it scares them to the bones. They just want to make sure that any future tragedy can be prevented. They will seek a second opinion from other oracles to make sure there are no mistakes. Please don't be offended, Granny. As a parent, they only want what's best for their long-lost daughter. That is not hard to understand, right?" he defended the decisions of Nini's father.

Menedelia released a deep sigh. "Of course, I understand, lad. By the way, how's Nini? What was her reaction after her parents informed her that she's going to get married to you next month? Did she jump with joy?"

Zero sighed and shook his head. "On the contrary, she's not happy and she detested the marriage between us! She's been crying in front of me and begging me to talk to her parents to cancel the wedding, but we both know that it's impossible. So... I made her an offer..." he paused for a minute to catch his breath.

"What offer?" Menedelia asked.

"We will get married for two years only, and after that, I will give her her freedom. And we will have a separate bedroom after the wedding, it's just a marriage to please her parents. That's all," he concluded his explanation.

Menedelia breathed deeply. "Poor girl. And how about you? You don't like marrying her?"

Zero shrugged. "Yes. Honestly, I don't like marrying too early but now that it comes to this, I just have to make the best out of it," he said in a flat voice. Besides it's just two years to bear, it's not like I'm going to live forever with her. So, I'm fine...I guess..." he said.

Menedelia raised a brow. "Interesting! Hmm, a marriage of two parties who don't love each other, what kind of ending it will produce in the end?"

Zero cleared his throat. "It's getting late, Granny. Let's go back to the topic. I'm here to ask if you can come to the capital with me tomorrow after lunch so that you can talk with Nini's parents. Are you free tomorrow?" he asked.

"Yes, of course. After lunch then?" she said.

"Okay," Zero replied. "I'll go back now to the capital..." he said.

"Ah, wait...before you go...I want to tell you this..."

"What is it?"

"Next time, if you come back again to the forest, make yourself invisible. And let the amulet do its thing. I'm just being extra careful so that no one will know I live there. I don't like the thoughts of you leading the enemy to my doorsteps without your knowledge. It's better to be safe than sorry. I hope you get my point, lad," she said.

"Okay, copy that. So, where are our next meeting will take place then?" Zero asked.

"Here at the top of the hill overlooking the ocean. I'll meet you here after you send the signal to me," she replied.

"Okay, got it! Bye for now, Granny. See you tomorrow!" he said and vanished from the place instantly.

Menedelia spent a few minutes admiring the peaceful scenery in front of her. She looked heavenward, nice, it's full moon today! That is why the whole place is looking beyond beautiful tonight!

Too bad she can't stare at the moon for a long time.

Time to return to her fortress!

A few seconds later, Menedelia vanished from the hill.