Vera went on a rendezvous around the town. She sought for every scribe in the city, yet none can restore the smudged scroll.

"It's a fine piece of work," they said. "It is protected against any charms and magic, so we can't really do anything for you."

She never gave up, though. After exhausting every single scribe from the city, she proceeded to visit every single antique store and library. However, none of those bore any fruit.

"We're sorry," they said with a sheepish face. "That must've been the original and only copy of that scroll. I've never even heard of that. It's sad that we've lost another piece of knowledge."

She also went to every doctor, medic, potioneer, ritualist yet they haven't had any clue about the potion.

She felt despair.

---

She was sulking as she went back at the apothecary. 'Why aren't there any plausible solutions? Just when I've found a ray, then it was gone so quickly. Meda, what should I do?'

As she was marching through the uphill pavement, she saw Lumi and Rhys pacing in front of the apothecary's entrance. 'What are they doing here?' Her heart started beating quickly. 'I don't have a good feeling about this.'

"Rhys! Lumi! What are you doing here?"

The frantic couple stopped pacing and stared at her image. Vera saw their tear-stricken faces. Vera braced for the worst.

"Sarah!" called Rhys. "We have a bad news for you. The throne has spoken."

Vera couldn't control her nervousness. "W-what did it say?"

"Next week." Lumi's feeble voice sailed through the air. She looked at her with her bloodshot amethyst eyes. "The throne demands that I must've conceived an heir by blood by next week."

Vera's ears rang at the news. "B-but... Is the-there any way we c-can delay?"

"No. The throne always knows, Sarah." Rhys engulfed Lumi in a hug. "No one can escape it."

Lumi just cried silently as Rhys consoled her. "I don't want to die, Rhys. I don't want to lose you."

"Shhhh, you won't die. I won't lose you. I promise."

"Four days," said Vera with a quivering voice.

The shaken couple just looked at her. "What?"

"Give me four days. If I haven't found any other solution," Vera gulped at her next words. "We'll do the Forbidden Fruit."

Lumi tried to argue. "But Sarah---"

Rhys cut her off. "Fine." Lumi gasped in shock.

"What!?"

"I won't lose you, Lumi. I won't let anyone, anything take you away from me."

---

Her next two nights were spent restoring and searching for the smudged scroll, to no avail. She resigned herself to doing the Forbidden Fruit. Lumi did not agree, but Rhys managed deceive her.

"It's for her sake," he said.

"Should I gather the ingredients, Rhys?"

"No, I'll take care of the other ingredients. I'm sure the royal storage has them." Rhys paused slightly. His demeanor cracked. "I'll also take care of---"

"No, I'll take care of the unwanted child's heart. The book says that it must be harvested personally by the brewer."

"Are you sure, Sarah?"

Vera gathered all of her courage. 'Please forgive me for what I'll do.'

"Yes."

---

Her fingers traced each of the letters inscribed on the old parchment of Olde Noire Family Magycks by Aren Brooke. Bloodsworn. Charm Against Will. Dreamscape. Enamoure. Familia: Cruorem Ascio. She stared at the Familia: Cruorem Ascio, fearing the text that would come next, that would haunt her dreams. Hesitation was evident from her eyes as she gathered courage to turn it to the next page. 'Forbidden Fruit. I still don't know how I'll do this. But I promised.'

She just sat, there, contemplating the foreboding atmosphere, Meda's death, the couples' plight. 'I just want some peace, before I do the deed.'

And she sat there in the meadow, in her sanctuary for minutes, for hours. She drowned herself in the sounds of nature. The whistles of the wind tickled her ears as it made the dandelions dance with glee. Birds happily sang as they flew on the bright blue sky. Everything was mocking her and her selfish choice, yet she did not care.

The butterfly on her finger suddenly glided away as the surroundings, her sanctuary, was disrupted by something. 'Huh? What happened?' Everything was silent.

Then she heard something. A soft sniffle, coming from behind the magnificent oak trees that stood proud, reaching for the skies. 'Not oak trees,' she thought, 'but something grander.'

A sniffle sailed through the wind once more. Followed by another. And another.

Out of curiosity, she tiptoed over the grass, making sure that she would not surprise the one that trespassed her sanctuary, for it was hers and hers alone.

'A child?' questioned Vera. 'What is a child doing here?' Another tremble wracked the child's thin frame. 'The child does not seem familiar. Must be lost.' She continued observing the distraught kid whose back was facing her. She only saw the child's blue shoulder-length locks. The child shivered once more.

She approached the crying child. "Are you lost?"

The child shrieked in surprise.

"Woah, woah, woah!" Vera took a step back and raised her hands. "Calm down! Calm down!"

The child fainted.

---

'He's too skinny!' thought Vera as she carried the child to the huge rock in the meadow. 'Why is he this light?'

She sat down and placed the child's head on her lap. She examined the child. The child's chest still rose and fell. Vera sighed in relief. 'He's still alive. I thought...'

Her eyes travelled to the wounds and bruises that littered the child's body. Her sisterly instincts flared in response. 'He must be an orphan, he looks so starved... and fragile...' She gently touched the child's face that reminded her of her interactions with her sister. She felt tears gather beneath her eyes. 'I really miss you, Helena.'

She was shook out of her stupor as she felt the child stirred. His cobalt blue eyes just stared at her worried ones in confusion. "Are you fine?" The child just nodded.

"Where am I?"

"We're in the middle of the forest standing on the hill, near the orphanage."

The child clutched his wrists. Her eyes widened as she realized where this child was from based on the marks. 'He's from Mana's orphanage!?" She looked at his face once more, trying to remember if she had seen him before. 'How come I don't remember him!?'

The child just remained silent. It bothered her a lot. She tried to show a kind smile.

"Why are you here? Are you lost?"

She strained her ears as he mumbled something.

"Can you please repeat that?"

"I ran away."

"But why?"

"They don't like me there!" Vera was surprised at the child's outburst. The child was oblivious to her reaction, and just continued. "No one notices me! Mana is always angry at me!" Vera just listened at his childish anger until he ran out of breath. He was on the verge of tears once more. Vera was unable to come up with an acceptable response, so she proceeded to do the one thing that she did when her sister was angry: she engulfed him between her arms. The child broke down.

"It's just so unfair!" the child wailed. "Everyone hates me wh-while---"

Listening to him, she thought, 'I can use him for the Forbidden---'

She almost slapped herself from thinking about that.

Vera just embraced him tighter as he unleashed all of his tears.

---

"Sorry for imposing," the child said weakly.

"It's fine," said Vera. 'I'm sorry, too.' She tried looking at him, but she couldn't, she won't as she remembered the heinous thoughts that crossed her mind earlier. 'I am crazy for even considering that.' She turned her attention back to the child as she tried to distract herself from those thoughts.

"Do you feel better?" The child nodded. "Do you want to return at the orphanage?" He nodded once more. "Should we go now?" She offered her hands. The child hesitantly took it.

---

The walk towards the orphanage was long and difficult. The guilt gnawed at her soul for the evil, evil thoughts that crossed her mind. The child seemed like a frightened animal ready to flee at the first signal, but he continued on walking with her. A heavy silence weighed between them. Vera tried to break it.

"So, what is your name? I did not manage to catch it earlier."

"Harrison."

"My name is Sarah." Harrison just let out a soft hum. "How long have you been staying in the orphanage? I don't remember seeing you there when I last visited there."

"Around a month and two weeks."

Although the interaction was brief, the atmosphere between the two became lighter.

---

"We're near."

They sped up their pace. A few branches blocked their path, but they did not bother them a lot.

A few moments later, Vera inhaled the smell of something suspicious. 'What is that?' She inhaled even more. She gasped as she came to a conclusion. She dragged the child even faster. 'I hope I am wrong. Please, please, let me be wrong.'

The scent became even stronger as they went closer towards the orphanage. Her heart pounded in fear of what lies ahead.

"Sarah, what's happening?"

She ignored him. The smoke clouded their vision. Crackles and sparks sailed through the wind. 'Oh no.'

Her head turned towards the child, whose eyes were wide open at the chaos that appeared before them.

"Lotte," whispered the child.

They stood there in shock as hellish flames mercilessly consumed the entire orphanage.