"Haures,how are you feeling?",Paimon asked, concerned and with a hint of panic in his voice.

"Moments ago I fainted in the hallway from the breakage of the energy lines. I just woke up to realise that I can't move which means my entire body and energy supply are preparing to extract the foreign energy from my body. In more simple terms,our brother is going to be reborn in the Queen's quarters. Did that calm you down a bit so you will stop asking meaningless questions?"

Paimon felt offended by his brother's sarcasm but before he had a chance to reply,the door burst open and Eve came running into the room.

"Eve,we have a problem." Paimon started to explain but he was interrupted.

"Indeed,more than you know.I can imagine the lines are already broken?"

"How would you know?",Paimon asked

"It turns out that the positive energy inside this palace attracts the pure negative energy of Thanos. The good news is that because of this,the extraction will be over sooner than expected. Unfortunately,this is also the bad news. We don't have the luxury to wait for Johanna. I sent her a message telling her to return to the palace immediately but she might be late. Also we can't transport medical equipment here. It would draw too much attention."

"So what is your suggestion?"

"I have to perform the extraction."

"Hilarious. Now tell me your real plan."

When Eve didn't answer, Paimon's smile disappeared.And for the first time this year Eve saw fear in his eyes.

"You must be drunk.You can mean what you are saying."

"I have studied the theoretical background. And I spent a few months as Johanna's assistance. It may not be the ideal solution but right now options are extremely limited. Also,don't forget that I'm partially human. This means that my human side contains part of the positive energy I'm emitting. So my energy can still attract Thanos's negative energy but slowly and with more control. In the end I can perform the extraction quickly and efficiently."

"You didn't even remember a basic physics' law. How can I trust you to recall the entire book in Energy Manipulation which you read years ago? Also you weren't assisting Johanna,you were merely observing her. You don't have the experience or the knowledge to perform a quick extraction like this one. If your hands are slower than Thanos's energy as it comes out, even for two seconds,you could lose control of the entire energy supply and I don't even want to think the consequences it could have on the body."

"Paimon,will you please calm down? I should be the one panicking, not you. I understand your concerns but I also agree with the Queen's reasoning.",Haures spoke with admiring calmness.

In truth he was the most scared of them all but he knew strong emotions right now might disturb the energy it was trying to leave his body. So hearing Paimon explaining, in an elaborate manner,to the Queen what could go wrong wasn't helping him in the slightest. Haures didn't tell him but Thanos's life wasn't the only thing in danger right now. If something were to happen,Haures would not be able to survive a second heartbreak.Either he succeeds in reviving his brother right here and now or he might as well die with him.

The strange thing was that this determination that he was feeling also gave him hope. There was nothing he wouldn't do for his baby brother, especially now. This made him realise that this new profound selflessness,despite being out of character for him,that drove him to disregard his own life for the sake of Thanos, made the chances of his brother's survival higher than his.That conclusion calmed him down a bit.

Unfortunately this moment of peace didn't last as he soon felt his energy bend and his energy lines being concentrated on his abdomen where Thanos has been safely rested for a year. This could only mean that the transformation of the matter of his body to energy was nearly complete.It didn't hurt but it still felt uncomfortable. It was progressing much faster than expected. Johanna wouldn't make it in time.

"Eve,would you be so kind as to stop bickering with my brother and check the energy levels of Thanos because I don't think there is a body left anyway?"

Eve ran panicked. She transformed her hands from matter to energy and by doing so she could put them inside Haures's body and they could interact with Thanos's energy. The conversion was progressing smoothly. Eve could still feel a hand,a leg and some parts of the chest but all the others were already converted into energy. But then why was Haures yelled? They still had some time left.

Suddenly her hand touched the walls around Thanos and she understood the reason behind Haures's alarm. His energy had become tangled with the energy lines in Haures's body. That way with any sudden movement these lines were pulled. They had to get untangled.

"Paimon. I need your help. Thanos's energy is twisted together with Haures's. Inside the cupboard there is a pair of scissors. Bring it to me."

Then she turned to Haures who had become alarmed by these news

"Dont worry. Nothing is wrong. I just want to separate them because it will make the extraction easier. The transition is going smoothly. Most of the body is already in energy form. You will have him in your arms before you know it."Eve tried to calm him although she knew that words don't mean anything to the Prince, especially now.

At that time Paimon returned with the scissor. She pulled a hair from her head and tied it around the scissor,which was still closed. She filled it with her positive energy allowing it to pass through with her hands.As she was expecting,Thanos's energy interacted mostly with the positive energy in the hair(and a bit with the scissors) allowing her to gain control of its monuments. Slowly and VERY carefully she untangled the lines.However,Thanos's energy was still connected to the hair(and the scissors). Eve chose to leave it this way.She pulled the pair of scissors out of the body and handed it to Paimon who was shocked,to put it mildly.

"Relax. It is actually good news that the energy will be coming out in lines. This way I can control it and manipulate it easily and with more efficiency. I didn't extract that line from the pair of scissors because I can use it to guide the rest of the energy out of Haures's body and as a way to measure the energy levels of Thanos without me having to touch it every once in a while thus disturbing it."

Eve continued to measure the energy levels for another thirty minutes or so.In the meantime Paimon was holding Haures's hand trying to comfort both of them.After that time,Eve did a last conversion check by checking Thanos's energy inside Haures and sighed.

"Okay.Its time. All the matter is converted into energy and I don't feel any part of the body that is still intact. The energy levels match the present situation. So far everything is progressing normally. Paimon,come here. I am going to take the energy out bit by bit and I will hand it to you to hold it.If nothing happens after that it means that the energy will transform itself into a body after it is extracted,which is good. However,there is a chance that each line of energy that will come out will automatically turn into the body part it corresponds to. If this were to happen,it will be your duty to make sure the body is recreated as a whole with no problems. Be very careful. I will not be able to look behind me to check on you because my hands will be running to catch the lines.You know anatomy perfectly right?"

Eve felt a little bad for sounding so harsh. Paimon was in an unimaginable situation where he faced the risk of losing both of his brothers because the one was trying to save the other. But she had to be honest and act professionally. She really hoped that was the reason for her attitude and not fear.

Paimon nodded with confidence and that gesture calmed Eve a bit.

"Okay. Let's get started."