Thud Thud Thud Thud!

Chrisfold and Alisha heard the massive shake inside the chamber where Cabel entered.

​​

"His test must have started now."

Chrisfold only looked at the iron door to where he was sitting. They could only hear the after effects of the fight and wait for him.

A few hours later, Alisha and Chrisfold heard nothing from the outside of the chamber.

They grew nervous as each passing minute passed by.

"Will he be alright?" Alisha asked.

"We could only hope and pray to Goddess Lelulah." Chrisfold answered.

Pacing back and forth, Alisha has been biting her fingernails as she is getting anxious as the sun will start to rise any moment now and Cabel hasn't still left the room.

"Is he really alright? Wh-what if…? What if…"

Alisha stutters, they can't afford to fail again this time.

"Stop being negative… have faith in him…"

"Yeah… Alright, I'll do that."

After she took a deep breath could only make Alsiha's nerves calm down. While Chrisfold has also been feeling anxious he can't let it be seen outside as it would only affect Alisha.

'That's right, let's bet on his ability…' Chrisfold tells himself.

Alisha and Chrisfold knew that this is the last time that they could do this again. That they could meet Evelyn again.

That is why they are more anxious at this time. There will be no second chance again and worse, they could lose someone who Evelyn cherished.

***

Meanwhile, Cabel slowly opened his eyes. The white horizon was nowhere to be seen as well as the flower field where he met the Duchess.

That made him wonder if all of the things he saw were true or he was just dreaming.

But when he looked at the crystal ball that was in his hands, he understood that what he just experienced was all reality.

He saw the familiar room with many slashes and scratches. And he was now standing at the altar and in front of the pedestal where the basin was basically flowing with clear water.

He remembered what the Duchess said.

"Once you get out of here, you will see the container that was at the top of the altar. It will have clear water in it. You can have it, it has a power to heal wounds and internal injuries when taken. It's my gift to you."

Cabel stare at the clearwater and dip his thumb that has cut and saw that it majestically healed after.

"This is amazing…"

However, he doesn't have anything where he can store this so he decided to freeze it and take the clearwater outside and let the spirits store it for him.

***

"Hey~ You're here. You got me worried there for a minute…"

Chrisfold was the one to greet Cabel after he noticed that the iron door opened.

"You told me to get back before the sun rose so I did…." Cabel was still cheeky answering Chrisfold.

Though he looked kind of tattered and battered, he still kept his promise that was why he also felt relieved.

"Hmm… what's that in your hand?" Alisha asked as she noticed a block of ice.

"Oh… this? It's like a healing potion, I guess?"

"There's something like that inside?"

"Yes… I was also surprised…"

"Then, did you get…?"

Caleb brings out the crystal ball with the size of his fist.

"I got it after I met the Duchess in her domain…"

Alisha and Chris Fold smiled.

"The Duchess said to give her regards to the people who helped her daughter….""

"I see…"

Silence fell to them momentarily… they knew it was something to be relieved and celebrated for.

They retrieved the Duchess's soul however, the celebration needs to be postponed right now, because they still have problems that keep on increasing by hand.

"Let's go… I already informed the others about it. Will move to the next phase… let's go and rescue our princess…"

Chrisfold said and they immediately left the academy with a magic scroll.

***

They return to one of the rooms of the mansion that Evelyn designated as the entrance point whenever they use teleportation scroll.

Looking at the room with no furniture and only the lights from the curtains penetrating through them, Chrisfold and Alisha knew that they arrived in time.

One by one, they left the room and saw the hallway where the few maids and servants of the Drivas mansion were running and seemed to be busy for an early morning.

"What's happening?"

They followed the maid's and servants who were running back and forth and stopped one of them.

"Did something happen while we're away?"

Gasp! The maid was shocked… no, actually, they didn't know that the other master's had returned with the Duke of Sigrid looking like he was tossed around in the dirt.

But, of course, the maid was professional and greeted the three first.

"I apologize, we didn't even get to welcome the Duke and the Master and the Lady."

The maid held her head down. They were too busy because of what happened ever since the crack of daylight.

"Don't bother with the formalities and just answer the question."

Chrisfold sternly said as he had a bad feeling about it.

"Lady Cassandra was injured after the explosion that happened in her laboratory… The knight that was also with her was also injured…"

"The Knight?"

Suddenly, Alsiha, Cabel and Chrisfold remembered who the knight was and what he was doing with Cassandra and for what purpose they were researching.

"Wait… don't tell me it's that knight Edrich from the Perspiru Kingdom?" Alisha said.

They all knew what those two were researching… it's about the grimoire that they found in one of the forbidden cities.

"Shit…!"

"Take us there now!"

Chrisfold thought they could have a momentary peace before they summoned everyone and commenced the meeting of taking Evelyn out from Prince Adley's side.

However, it seems that their problems increased yet again.

They quickly ran to where the patients were staying.

Alisha and Chrisfold knew right away what was the cause of the accidents. It's because outside the door, they can feel a dark influence.

"What the heck did they even do?!"

Cabel doesn't know what Chrisfold was saying but based on the reactions of the contracted spirits of Evelyn, it doesn't seem to look good.

Gil welcomed them with furrowed brows on his face. He looks exhausted that the three knew right away that Gil also didn't have enough sleep like them.

"What happened here?" Alisha asked as she stepped in front of the door that was close but still leaking of dark energy.

They knew that the condition of the two people is what is important right now.

"We should talk in the other room and let the healers do their job…"

At that moment, one of the maids opened the door and the surge of black energy came from the room.

"Is this alright that the maids are just entering "that" room?" Cabel asked.

After the maid opened the door earlier, only Cabel could feel the dark mana that was surging the entire room.

"We have already taken precautions about that… the maids, servants and healers would be fine…" Gil assured Cabel.

They quickly changed their location and entered the meeting room located at the ground floor of the mansion.

"So, did you succeed?"

The smokey pair of eyes of Gil was looking at them with expectations and anxiety.

"Didn't I come back? That means I succeeded." Cabel quickly took his anxiety away.

"Phew~..."

Gil felt relief for the first time in a long while.

"Gil, can you tell us what happened after we left?" Chrisfold asked.

While seated, one of the maids entered and brought tea as well as good news.

"Master's… Lady Cassandra and the Knight are now stable. The healers are still staying in the room and are observing them."

"Good work… Thank you. Tell the healers to rest and make one of the maids to standby outside the room of the patients…"

The maid nodded and left right away.

Gil immediately tackled the happenings after they left to do their mission.

"Where do I begin? Well… Cassandra and Sir Erich have been holed up in the laboratory trying to figure out the black liquid that Evelyn brought from the temple of light, when they discovered that there was also similar case that was written in the ancient texts in that grimoire that the Crown Prince of Perspiru let us borrow..."

"Is that the reason why they are affected by the dark magic?" Chrisfold asked calmly while Alisha and Cabel are listening quietly.

"I'm not in the scene at that time but based on the energy and the residuals of the explosion, I could say that it was because of the black liquid that they are testing."

"How great was the explosion?" Cabel asked, curious as to how powerful the black liquid that the temple of light is using.

"Enough to make the whole laboratory room of Cassandra and the other two rooms beside it to be scorched in black and become rubble."

"Then… is Cassandra and Sir Edrich really alright?" Asked by Alisha as she became worried after she learned how severe the result of that small portion of liquid can make.

"Fortunately, Cassandra noticed the danger and quickly made a spell and barrier to counter it but it seems that it was not enough for the two of them and they flew from the second floor and onto the garden outside."

The three were quite in shock and became worried but after they heard about the news earlier they seem to have taken a relief that the two are now stable and safe.