Kate turned around and saw an old woman smiling happily at her. A frown appeared on her face. "W-who are you?"

Ella smiled and hugged her sister tightly. "I\'m Ella... can\'t you recognize my voice? It\'s me!" she said.

Kate looked at the old woman\'s face closely. She can\'t be mistaken, she was indeed hearing Ella\'s voice correctly. But the woman hugging her... is certainly not her! This baffled her mind and confuses her. "What happened to you? Why are you looking like an old woman?"

Ella released a deep sigh. Tears welled in her eyes. "It\'s a long story sister. When I entered the castle to inform you that Aunt Margie passed away, I didn\'t expect that the castle was teeming with mysterious beings and creatures. I got bitten by a monster and ended this way. His bite was poisonous that is why my skin shriveled horribly like that of an old woman," she explained between sobs.

"Oh my..." Kate hugged her sister tightly, she pitied her tragic condition. "Is there anything we can do about it? We must find someone who can help restore your youthful look!" she said.

Ella sighed. "I honestly dunno...I\'m afraid we can\'t find anyone capable enough to restore my looks. I feel like I\'m going to be stuck with this curse look until I die," she said in a distressed voice.

Kate rubbed her sister\'s back to sympathize with her condition. "Let\'s not lose hope yet, sister," she said. "By the way... Is it true that sister Ivy is alive?" she asked.

Ella nodded her head. "Yes. We were holed up in the cave together with Ramza and his friends. Then after we successfully escaped the castle, someone abducted sister Ivy and slit open her boyfriend\'s neck, we believed that she was now back in the castle," she explained.

Kate\'s eyes widened in confusion. "Huh? Ivy\'s boyfriend? Since when did our elder sister have a boyfriend?" she asked.

Ella was shaking her head while smiling in amusement. "Ah... it\'s a long story, sis. A love story was developed inside the cave between Ivy and Zemeth, while we are hiding in the cave from the vampires who are after us. Don\'t worry I will tell you everything from the start to finish the moment I stepped into the castle and escape it with the others," she said.

"Okay...so what happened here during Ramza\'s absence?" Kate inquired.

Ella\'s face grows sad and worried. "It\'s all about Zemeth, Ivy\'s boyfriend, I think he was dying..." she replied.

"Huh? What happened to him?" asked Kate.

"You have to see him, sister! Let\'s go to the house, his condition is really bad!" Ella said.

"Okay, lead the way!" Kate said.

The women walked towards the house.

Meanwhile, up on the second floor of the brick house.

Jegun was sighing heavily while staring at Zemeth\'s sleeping form.

Ramza was inspecting his friend\'s feet with horror in his eyes, they were turning black. He looked at Jegun. "Grandpa, since when this blackness of his feet started?" he asked, alarmed.

"It was just pea-size yesterday, I didn\'t give it much attention. But when I checked it today his feet were turning black, I\'m afraid that it will spread soon all over his body," Jegun said worriedly.

Ramza\'s brows knitted together. "Why the magic healing potion didn\'t have the same effect on my friend\'s body?"

"I think Ivy\'s body has its healing effect because her father is a healer, it was somehow sped up by the magic healing potion. While Zemeth\'s body is different, I\'m afraid that the weapon used in cutting his neck was mixed with poison and entered his bloodstream and created havoc in his internal system," explained Jegun.

Ramza agreed. His grandfather who is a poison healer expert sometimes brings him when he was attending to his patients and he often sees victims with black feet lying on the table, they were unconscious, looking like dead people. But they always walk out healthy a few days after his grandfather treated them inside his makeshift wooden clinic.

"You told me once that your grandfather is a famous poison healer. We should bring Zemeth to him at one before it\'s too late!" Jegun said.

That\'s also my thoughts, grandpa. Unfortunately, now that I remembered it, he told me that he was going on a one-year meditation in the mountain of Terrechster Peak. That was the last time I saw him because he starts his journey the day after we bid goodbye to each other. And every time he meditated once in every ten years, he doesn\'t want to be disturb. And I have no idea where is that Terrechster Peak located. I haven\'t been in that place," Ramza elaborated.

Jegun sighed heavily. "Then we have to go back to the Nephilim world and find somebody that can heal Zemeth\'s condition. I\'m afraid that if we don\'t act fast, we will lose him!"

Ramza examined his friend\'s face. He was looking like he was just sleeping. He was about to get out of the room to discuss things with his comrades so that they can find and locate the best healers in the Nephilim Kingdom when the girls burst into the room.

"How is Zemeth\'s condition?" asked Ella worriedly.

"Not getting better," Ramza replied sadly.

Kate saw Jegun in the corner and they nodded their heads acknowledging each other\'s presence. Then Kate\'s gaze landed on the guy sleeping on the wooden bed, her eyes traveled down to his blackened feet. Her breath was caught in her throat.

Ramza went to her side. "Kate, the guys, and I will go back to the Nephilim Kingdom to find the best healer that can help save Zemeth\'s life. I want you to stay here with your sister Ella. Don\'t leave the island without informing anyone," he said.

Kate pondered for a few seconds, then she remembered that Immortal Vearah has a healing room that cured Granny Esmeralda\'s illness. "Let\'s bring Zemeth to the mountain first! I\'m sure Granny Vearah can help save his life!" she convinced them.

Jegun looked at Kate. "What happened to Esmeralda?"

"After we escaped the castle, Granny Esmeralda has difficulty breathing. She was nearing death, so we brought her to her teacher in the mountain to Immortal Vearah\'s place. She stayed in the healing room for more than five days. Miraculously, her health was restored in full," Kate narrated Granny\'s near-death experienced.

Jegun looked at Ramza. "By all means, bring your friend to that place now! Every second count!" he said.

Kate looked at Jegun. "Grandpa, you need to come with us so that you will meet Immortal Vearah," she said.

"Okay," Jegun said. "I\'ll just talk to the boys first," he said. He exited the room and found the rest of the gang sitting on the floor waiting for news. He addressed them. "Guys, I will entrust the island to you while I\'m away. We will bring Zemeth to the mountain to seek an Immortal\'s help to save his life. Take care of the kids," he gave them his instructions.

"Yes, grandpa. Don\'t worry about the island, we will take care of the kids," the men replied in chorus.

Satisfied, Jegun went back inside the room. "I\'m ready to go," he said.

Kate looked at Ella. "Sis, I\'m going back to the mountain where I come from. Don\'t worry as long as Zemeth\'s condition is already stabilized I will return here. Then we\'ll have a long conversation, okay?"

Ella nodded her head. "Okay," she replied.

"Wait...will you be okay, here?" Kate asked \'coz she was worried since Ella is the only girl among the group of strangers. Then she looked at the handsome young man standing beside her sister. "Who is he?" she asked.

"I\'m his boyfriend," Agran replied proudly, smiling. "Don\'t worry about Ella, she\'s my responsibility. I can guarantee you her safety," he said.

Ella blushed and pinched Agran\'s side. "Shut up! He is a friend of mine. His name is Agran, Grandpa\'s nephew," she said.

Kate smiled. Aww, her sister was blushing. She was amused.

Ramza looked at his girlfriend. "Kate, ready the portal now! I\'m going to carry Zemeth in my arms," he commanded and went to the bed. He picked up and carry Zemeth in his arms effortlessly.

Kate removed her necklace from her neck and open the portal. "Portal, take me back to Immortal Vearah\'s place now!" she commanded.

Suddenly, a neon opening materialized in the middle of the room.

Ella and Agran watched as Zemeth, Jegun, and Kate entered the portal. A few seconds later, the portal disappeared from the room.

Ella and Agran left the room and went downstairs. They found the men outside the house.

"Children, don\'t wander in the deepest part of the ocean. Be aware that Dredo discovered mermaids swimming nearby the other day. They might not be good mermaids, they might be harboring bad intentions and abduct you and then bring you to their kingdom below the ocean and make a pet out of you," he warned them.

Ella\'s eyes widened in shock. She looked at Dredo for confirmation. "Is it true?"

Dredo smiled. "Well...I don\'t know... it\'s dark, all I see are huge tails and women\'s laughter...but when I looked behind the stone, I didn\'t\' see anyone. But the women\'s laughter is real as well the tails that I have seen hovering above the water... Ah, don\'t mind my words, maybe I was just hallucinating," he said.

Agran shrugged his shoulder, he ignored Dredo\'s claimed. "Where are you going, guys?" he asked them.

"We\'re going to haunt foods in the forest and bring firewood when we come back," Bhork said.

Ella and Agran watched as the men walked towards the back of the house where the thick forest was located.

Ella looked at the clear blue water of the ocean. The afternoon is hot. "Are there really mermaids out there?" she asked, squinting her eyes while looking at the sea, wanting to see real mermaids.

Agran was looking at her face with amusement flashing in his eyes. "I don\'t believe such creatures exist in the ocean," he said.

Ella smiled. "Alright...what do you want to do? Take a nap or swim in the ocean?" she asked him.

"Let\'s take a swim in the ocean!" Agran replied.

They dashed into the ocean in a playful mode.