"Your late, my son!... Why?" The King asked, as soon as Evan comes in with his servant in the dining room.
The dining room is huge with a very long, wide table, and a big, beautiful chandelier in the center of the ceiling, just above the table. Delicious foods are already lined in the table, with servants
standing formally near the wall.
The dining table's seats are occupied by Evan's Family, his Uncle's Family and Helen, who we're waiting for him.
Evan bowed, so as Nino, in an apologetic manner; "I'm very sorry for my tardiness, everyone" Evan apologize, "I just stumbled on something on my way" Evan took his seat, while Nino joined the other servants, who was standing formally near the wall.
Above the table, just near the chandelier, is a bee-like creatures that has green skin and black stripes. Their clear wings glimmer beautifully with the help of the scented candle lights on the chandelier that illuminated the entire room brightly. There are groups of them, and they are so breathtaking to watch, as their wings continued to glimmer.
"The Veescents are looking breathtaking tonight" Evan complimented, looking up at the beautiful group of Veescents above.
"They always do look breathtaking, brother" Evy agreed, touching gently a little Veescent, with her finger, that was near her. "And cute" She added.
"They are entertaining and also a big help" Stevan stated, "They can scent any venom or poison on the food, warning us the danger" he explained.
"They are like our guardians, don't you all think?!" the twins asked in unison happily. And everyone nodded in agreement.
"What kind of 'something' did you stumbled to, Evan?" The Queen asked.
"You don't need to worry about it, mother" Evan avoided her question.
"Alright... Well, let's eat"
Suddenly, they heard a very loud scream from outside the door. "Help! Ms. Helen!!!...Help!" Lissy came in, panting and screaming her lungs out.
Everybody stood up in shock and with a worried expression. "Lissy, what happened?!" Helen Finally asked.
"It's Ms. Mayari..." She's still catching her breath, "She vomited blood!" Lissy shriek it out. Helen was the first to bolt out of the room, followed by the others.
"Nino, call a Royal Physician!" The Queen ordered, and Nino nodded before running out of the room.
"Stephanie, Stephania, Stephan stay here. Maids assist them" the King also ordered making sure that his younger children wouldn't see the horrifying scenery to come, before following the others with his wife.
Helen run as quickly as she could to reach to Mayari's room, with Lissy and her nieces.
Mayari's bedroom door is widely open, Helen quickly get in, the room's light was all out, illuminated only with the moonlight. Mayari is lying on her bed: she looked lifeless with her eyes shut. Her face was pale, and her cheeks are flushed. She's heaving heavily, and her lips was stained with blood.
"Mayari!!!" Helen loudly called out. Holding Mayari's hand, trying to wake her up but to no avail.
Mayari's hand is ice-cold and the made Helen flinch. "Mayari look at me! wake up! hold on!... be strong! Like you always are..."
"Don't worry, Helen. A physician will be coming short" The Queen's assured, her voice was calm as she tried to ease Helen who was shaking beside the bed.
Evan looked around and saw the undigested food with blood on the carpet, near a table full of dishes. He furrowed his eyebrows and narrowed his eyes.
But before he could step closer towards the table, he saw glimmering wings passing him by. It was the Veescents, they followed them.
The Veescents are all circling around the dishes on top of the table, and it caught everyone's attention.
"The Veescents are warning us!" Stevan informed, "There are poisons added to the food"
"That's why, she's poisoned" Oliver stated the obvious.
"Your majesty, the Royal Physician has arrived" Nino suddenly informed in the doorway, with an old man dressed as a doctor and is carrying a big handle bag. Then everyone stood back to make way for the Royal Physician to treat Mayari.
The physician forwarded his hand, that was glowing with a blue light like Dr. Milan, above Mayari's stomach to examine her condition. Then after a few seconds of silence, the physician's expression turned into confusion and shock that he let go of the bag he was holding and used his free hand to also examine Mayari. His sudden change of expression made Helen and the others more worried.
"What's wrong?!" Helen asked after seeing the physician's expression of confusion.
The physician didn't answer immediately and gave a heavy sigh; "I am not familiar to this poison" he answered seriously. Motioning his hand from Mayari's stomach to her mouth, while the other hand focused on her heart.
"What do you mean?" Helen asked again.
"This poison is none of the venom, toxin, or contagion I have studied and learned about" the physician stop examining Mayari and turned to face Helen, "therefore I can't cure her for the lack of knowledge about this poison and it's antidote" he then bowed, "I'm very, very sorry"
"What?!" Helen was in the state of shock and fright.
"Are you sure about this, doctor?" the King confirmed.
"I am very positive, your majesty" he answered still bowing his head in an apologetic way.
"There must be another way" Evan utter.
But the physician just shook his head, "No, there is not. If we study about this poison and learn it's cure, it will take months or years, she will still die in waiting".
"What if we let her drink other poison antidotes, maybe that will work" Fernando suggested.
"That's suggestion a wise suggestion, Prince Fernando. But there is a low chance that it will work" The physician looked over to Helen, who's still holding Mayari's hand, and was about to cry.
And Helen nodded in agreement.
The physician then took the medicine from his bag and poured it on Mayari's mouth. He keep on examining Mayari's condition, in each antidote she drinks, to see if the poison have been lessen or cured --- but to no avail.
It was the last medicine in the physician's bag, everyone is watching patiently with wide eyes and fast heart beating rate. They all hope that the poison will be cured by this last medicine or Mayari will surely die.
Helen still keeps on holding Mayari's hand, hoping and praying that she'll be cured. The physician poured the antidote on Mayari's mouth, he slowly forwarded his hand and examined her.
After a few seconds he stopped, lowering his hand as the
Glowing azure light faded.
There was a few moments of silence until the physician face Helen again and spoke; "The last medicine..." he inhaled before continuing; "didn't work" he then bowed, "I'm very sorry".
Helen's hope shattered in her heart, the tears she's been holding back slipped from her eyes down to her cheeks.
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Meanwhile...
-In Mayari's head-
Everything is dark, Mayari's eyes are closed, her head felt heavy and she can't move.
"Mayari!!!" Helen's voice screamed.
"Mayari... " her own voice called out, with nothingness.
She slowly opened her eyes, the first thing she saw is her subconscious, looking above her, and next is the pitch-black of darkness surrounding her.
She tried to move but she couldn't. Then she found herself hanging above, tied by an unknown vine. The vines came from the endless darkness from her back. It has a heliotrope purple color mixed with a dark shade of grass green and bloody red. It tightly holds Mayari, that she couldn't even move her own fingers.
Mayari felt weak and heavy, she can't even open her eyes widely and just hold it with daze.
"What's happening...?" Mayari's tone is weak and tired, it is as silent as a whisper that it could be hardly heard. The vine strangling her neck became tighter every few seconds.
"You've been poison and in near death" she answered, "The vines restraining you there is the poison and it's absorbing your life bit by bit" She explained, doing nothing but just look at her.
Mayari felt very heavy and exhausted, she can feel pain everywhere in her body where the poison vines grip tightly like it was netted against her skin. She couldn't do anything as the vines tighten their grip more, making it harder to breath air for her lungs.
-She's suffocating.
"There's no time, you need to find a way to push out the poison from your body" her subconscious informed.
Mayari tried to move again but to no avail. She can no longer move with her condition, she felt so tired and weak. "I'm poisoned, there is nothing I could do for myself?" Mayari admitted defeat.
"Mayari look at me! wake up! hold on!... be strong! Like you always are...". Mayari suddenly felt warmth in her hand, as Helen's voice ringed like an echo throughout the entire space of darkness.
"You admitted defeat but is that really what you wanted?" Her subconscious asked still looking up at her. "...she's waiting for you"
"I don't want to admit it but there is clearly no other way for me to survive unless there is an antidote" She answered timidly. She herself don't know what to do, so as her subconscious.
There was a few seconds of silent before she utter again "My only reason I survived and chose to live is because of father" her tone and eyes hold a blank of nothingness, but buried deeper beneath it is great sadness and sorrow.
"Yes..." Her subconscious sighed before continuing, "We chose to live for him... to kill for him... and to die for him just to regain his love and affection toward us, but it was worthless"
"It got us nowhere..."
"We tried another point of view in life, to live for no one but for yourself, peaceful and free but... it was already too late, we can no longer escape our hell-like life in the organization"
"Till now... in this new world of ours, we didn't expect that a new life begins but was a tragedy in the end" there was a spark of happiness in Mayari's eyes that instantly vanished in a second. "I'm not surprise though, even how hard I try my faith always has been this pitiful..." Mayari then closed her eyes, pure disappointment and pity is what she thought of herself as she give in to death.
The poisonous vines are growing thicker, as it tightens its grip more and more, tightly asphyxiating Mayari and engulfing her to die.
"It was taken to fast... This is one of those problems of ours that there is no other way to escape... looks like faith don't want us to live happily..." her subconscious hopelessly said, looking down at her side, where she started to fade away along with Mayari's life. "If there is only a way to push out the poison from our blood...".
Mayari opened her eyes once more, those words gave an idea to her, it isn't really a good idea, but she don't care as long as there is another way she'll do it.
Her subconscious look at her; "You came up with a plan... try not to die with your idea" she wished her lock before completely fading away.
"If it won't work so be it" Mayari close back her eyes concentrating to wake up.
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"Doctor, there must still be another way" Helen cried out.
"I'm very sorry, but there is none this time" he shook his head and sighed heavily, "The poison is spreading rapidly in her body she only has a few minutes to live... I'm very deeply sorry".
"No, it can't be..." Helen mumbled. Tears are falling down her cheeks as se look back at Mayari, holding her hand tightly to hers.
Everyone in the room felt pity for Mayari and sad for Helen, they didn't expect this to happen. And Lissy felt guilty for she became very careless and let the enemies take advantage. Though she remained silent, she couldn't find the words to tell of how sorry she is for being careless.
The King's blood are boiling in distress that how could something like this happened in the palace, he feared for his families safety and felt sympathy for Mayari, who once saved other lives.
The room was quite, only Helen's silent sobbing are visible through the heavy atmosphere that is filling the entire room. Cold wind are gently blowing through an open window, lightly lifting the white displayed curtain.
"I'm very sorry Mayari... I shouldn't have dragged you here. You tried your hardest to live but you died because of me" Helen whispered silently that no one but herself could hear, while still sobbing in Mayari's hand.
"You and I know that it's not your fault, Ms. Helen" A gentle faint voice spoke breaking the silentness in the room. Everyone, instantly, focused their gaze to the owner of the voice: Their eyes widened to see Mayari slightly opening her eyes in daze.
"Mayari... your wro-" Helen was cut off.
"I'm dying. I have no time for this" Mayari weakly said, "Ms. Helen lend me your spiritual energy"
"Huh?! What are you gonna do?" Helen and the others was confused of Mayari's request. "Your gate isn't fully healed yet, if you perform magic in your state you might di-"
"I might die, correct? I'm already dying... At least if you lend me your strength I might survive, though I am not certain" Mayari said, with a doubtful tone behind her cold voice.
What Mayari said gave hope to Helen, even thought she already said that she is uncertain; "Alright, may your plan succeed your life depends on it" Helen mellowly said, wiping her tears away, and hoping Mayari's plan will work.
Helen gently pressed Mayari's hand. A clear bright light started glowing in between their tightly clasp hands, as Helen let her spiritual energy flow to her like a connected river.
As soon as Mayari felt the spiritual energy flowing through her body, she then begun her plan.
*The moon has a special energy towards any form of liquid- you, who use it, have a connection to the moon that made your magic in- any kinds of liquid advance and powerful*
She closed her eyes again, and gently laid her free left hand to her abdomen. As she concentrated, everyone watched patiently with concern, confusion, and curiosity embed in their minds. They continue to think what will Mayari do that might make her escape death, and hope that she will.
After a moment of silence, Mayari's left hand gleamed a dark red color along with her crescent moon birthmark that also had the same gleaming light. However, no one notice her birthmark was blocked by her dark hair making the light obscure.
Everyone's eyes are locked to Mayari's hand as it moved in a gesturing way. Mayari opened her mouth, and with just a movement of her gleaming hand... crimson fluids started to rise out from her mouth, lots of it.
Everyone we're shock, as Mayari's blood, following the movement of her hand, gathered and formed an immense floating orb glistering beautifully like a ruby, above her.
Mayari formed her guiding hand into fist, and the ruby orb disperse into a group of beautiful little butterflies fluttering their crimson wings with elegance.
Mayari flatten her palm and with another gesturing movement of her hand, showing the way, the butterflies obediently obey and made their way out through the open window of the room.
Their fluttering wings shimmered throughout the bright silver night of the illuminating moonlight, making it a scenery to remember.