Aspen arrived in the mountain. The girls stopped what they\'re doing and flocked around him.

"Any fresh news for us?" Ella asked.

Aspen shook his head. "Nothing much. But the men are planning to dive into the bottom of the lake tomorrow hoping to see if the coffin will magically appear in there. Of course, we can\'t say if it\'s going to happen for real, we are waiting for a miracle. We just hope the heaven won\'t disappoint us," he said.

Kate breathed deeply. "Ella and I want to be there beside the lake when the men dive into the lake!" she declared.

"Okay, no problem. Tomorrow morning, after breakfast, let\'s go together to the lake," he said.

"Thank you, Aspen," Kate said, feeling relieved.

Aspen watched the girls, sighing. They become his responsibility after Esmeralda left. Once everything will be over. They won\'t be his responsibility anymore since there are Ramza and Agran too take care of them. For now, he continues to look out for their welfare. "Girls, is there anything you want, like salt, rice, or anything that I can buy in the market? Just tell me, I\'ll buy them for you," he offered.

"We still have enough salt and rice that will last for a few months. Thank you for your offer, Aspen," Kate said.

"Okay, since, you don\'t need anything, I will just go to the fruit garden for while and eat my favorite fruits. If you need something, find me there, girls," he said and walked away, going to the fruit garden.

The sisters looked at each other.

"Do you think we will see the coffin tomorrow?" Ella asked.

Kate sighed. "I dunno, there\'s no guarantee. We can only hope and prepare for disappointment. But I believe that before Granny Esmeralda killed herself, she had a solid plan. That is the reason why she put herself and our sister in the crystal coffins. She won\'t undergo the hassle of putting themselves in the crystal coffin if she knows that they won\'t stand a chance in surviving the blazing barrier," she shared to her sister her analysis regarding granny\'s motive.

Ella pressed her palms in prayer.

The sisters resumed their household chores while Aspen was enjoying eating his favorite fruits in the garden.

One hour later.

Jegun appeared in the mountain outside the house, Aspen saw him when he was about to take his leave.

"Grandpa, nice to see you here!" Aspen said.

Jegun smiled. "I want to return this crystal ball and Esmeralda\'s clothing," he said and handed the items back to Aspen.

"Let\'s get inside the house, Grandpa," Aspen said, accepting the crystal ball and clothing in his hands.

They proceed to the living room upstairs.

Jegun sat on the wooden chair while Aspen brought the items back to Esmeralda\'s room.

The girls went to greet Jegun.

"Grandpa, I\'ll bring you tea and carrot cake," Ella said.

"Okay, thanks, child," Jegun replied with a smile.

Ella went back to the kitchen, while Kate remained on the old man\'s side.

"Grandpa, my sister and I will go to the lake tomorrow to watch the men dive the lake. Hopefully, they\'ll find the coffin," she said.

"Ah, okay, no problem girls. Let\'s all go to the lake tomorrow and hope for the best," Jegun replied.

"Grandpa, do you think the men will be able to find the coffin tomorrow?" Kate asked.

Jegun was silent for a moment. "I dunno, child. But there is a 50% chance we will see the coffin tomorrow, but if indeed the coffin can be found, I\'m not sure if the women are still alive. But at least we can bury their bodies properly," he said.

Kate bit her lip. Grandpa isn\'t keen on giving her false hope. "Will you be staying with us for dinner?" she asked.

Jegun shook his head. "Not really, I just return the crystal ball and Esmeralda\'s clothe. I\'ll stay for a few minutes. Is everything okay here?" he asked.

Kate smiled. "Yes, grandpa. We\'re fine here. Aspen visits us here every day to check on us and provide everything we need," she replied.

"Good!" Jegun said.

"Grandpa, I take my leave, I\'m going to the backyard to sweep dried leaves there," Kate said.

"Okay, go ahead, child," Jegun responded.

Kate left Grandpa\'s side and went to the backyard to resume her chore.

Aspen returned and sat beside Jegun.

"What will happen to this house after we located the coffin and bury the women\'s body?" asked Jegun.

"The girls can continue living here if they want while I travel the world," Aspen answered.

"And what will happen to the girls?" Jegun said.

"That\'s not a problem. Kate has Ramza and Ella has Agran, the girls are in good hands," Aspen answered confidently.

Jegun wore a troubled look on his face. Ella doesn\'t know yet that the one who bitten her was Agran. Their friendship would be affected badly after the girl knew about the truth.

Aspen noticed the troubled look on Jegun\'s face. "What\'s wrong, Grandpa?" he inquired.

Jegun whispered the truth to Aspen\'s ear.

Aspen was no longer surprised because he knew the truth from Esmeralda and Immortal Vearah when they were still alive. "Grandpa, healing should start with Agran\'s heartfelt apology. But Ella\'s forgiveness will come later. Things like that can\'t be rush. That\'s the way it should be..." he said.

Jegun smiled. "You are correct, Aspen."

A few minutes later. Ella returned with refreshment.

The men enjoyed the delicious carrot cake along with the refreshing tea.

After they finished eating, they bid the girls goodbye. Aspen and Jegun went their separate ways. Aspen went back to the lake while Jegun returned to the island.

~~~

When Jegun returned to the island, he found the men outside the house, discussing the mysterious lake and their scheduled activity tomorrow.

"After breakfast tomorrow, we will go to the lake with you, guys," Simuz said.

"Sure, you will see the latest developments in that area," Ramza said.

"Who will dive to the bottom?" Ogeme asked. "I can dive..." he volunteered.

"Me too!" Bhork and Dredo volunteered.

"Bothers, no need. Aspen, Ramza, and I will dive to the bottom of the lake. You guys will wait and on standby mode, just in case something comes up and we need your assistance," he said.

"Okay," the men replied.

"Since you guys will dive tomorrow, I can lend you three pearls that were owned once by a merman. My grandmother fell in love with a merman during her youth and gave her the pearls as a gift. My grandmother gave it to me as a gift before she died. Once you put the pearl inside your mouth you can breathe underwater for several hours. You just have to be careful not to lose the pearl," Ogeme said.

Zemeth smiled. "Thank you for entrusting us such a valuable gift, bro," he told Ogeme.

"Wait, I\'ll get it from my knapsack upstairs," he said and left the gathering, he went back inside the house and climbs the stairs.

A few minutes later, Ogeme returned holding a small pouch in his hand. He gave Zemeth and Ramza their pearl. "Since Aspen is not here, I\'ll give it to him tomorrow in the lake," he said.

"So...what\'s going to happen tomorrow? We aren\'t expecting any monsters and dark shadows at the bottom of the lake, right?" Jegun asked them.

The men looked at each other in the eyes.

"Judging how mysterious that lake is...we can never be sure..." Ramza said.

"But one thing I\'m sure, there\'ll be no more monsters and dark shadows for sure, they already get fried by the blazing barrier," Zemeth replied confidently.

A few minutes later, Aspen appeared on the island. "I\'m sorry, guys, I\'m late," he said and joined the meeting.

"Where have you been, lad?" Simuz asked.

"I went to the lake for a quick visit, unfortunately, when I arrived there the rain was about to fall heavily, so I teleported here," Aspen explained.

"Good, now that you\'re here already, Ogeme will lend you something," Jegun said.

Ogeme went to Aspen\'s side. "Since you will dive to the bottom of the lake tomorrow, I will lend you this pearl, a gift from a merman..." he said and put the pearl in Aspen\'s hand.

Aspen smiled. "Wow, so cute! What are the uses of this pearl? Please, enlighten me," he said curiously.

"Jut put it in your mouth and be careful not to lose it. Once this pearl is inside your mouth, you can breathe underwater for several hours," Ogeme explained.

Aspen\'s eyes sparkled. "Wow, that\'s great! Thank you for granting it to me. Don\'t worry, bro, I won\'t lose it! I\'ll take good care of it," he said, feeling grateful for being entrusted such a valuable item that can help him tremendously when it comes to his breathing while diving to the bottom of the lake.

The men discussed further the arrangement for tomorrow.

Their discussion lasted for two hours.

After their discussion, some of the men took a dip in the ocean while the others went hunting for wild animals in the forest.

Jegun and Agran went to the kitchen to start preparing food for dinner.

"Lad, when are you going to tell the girl about the truth?" Jegun asked.

Agran looked at Jegun. "If we found the coffin or not tomorrow, I plan to confess to Ella the truth after one week. That\'s my plan," he replied.

"And what if Ella can\'t forgive you?"

Agran sighed. "I\'ll keep asking forgiveness until she will forgive me," he said.

"You won\'t get tired?"

"Yes, I won\'t," Agran responded.

"Let see..." Jegun said with a smile.

The men began their chores.

Agran started cleaning the fish, he will need it for roasting later.

Jegun on the other hand starts the fire, intended for cooking the rice.

While Agran was preparing the fish for roasting, he was thinking about Ella and their uncertain future together.