His body was weak. He felt that if he succumbed to the desire to take a good sleep, he'd never open his eyes again.
For the entire night, he resisted this urge as much as he could.
He slowly shifted his eyes towards the window as morning sunlight sank through the leaves onto his face.
Feeling the warmth on his cheeks, he felt a bit better.
He was so exhausted.
Did he succeed?
Can he finally stop?
Vincent didn't know, but his resistance was almost about to shatter.
He hoped this was enough.
Vincent couldn't move a finger as he lay on the bloody table surrounded by his dry blood on the floor.
'I can't continue anymore…'
He was unable to resist the urge anymore and gradually closed his eyes.
At this moment, he didn't care anymore if he succeeded or not, he only wanted one thing right now.
A looong sleep.
…
Meanwhile, as Vincent drifted towards unconsciousness, inside a certain house, a young woman with silver hair was lying on a bed.
Her gorgeous face was changing from time to time as if she was experiencing some moments of pain.
"Vincent…"
"...You…"
"Don't leave…"
"Me…"
Her eyes briefly shook and then suddenly opened, shouting.
"My love!!"
Mireth abruptly sat on the bed.
Hastily looking around, she became confused.
"He's not here…"
Suddenly, she heard a calm and indifferent voice behind her so she turned around.
Behind her, stood a tall woman beside the window. Her long silver-gold hair flowed under the calm wind.
Mireth immediately understood who this person was, but instead of respectfully greeting her as she should, she…
"What do you mean he's not here? Where is he? I want to see him. Immediately! He's in danger! My love needs me!" she shouted in anger.
Mireth immediately afterwards stood up from the bed and went outside.
The woman beside the window didn't reply nor stopped her.
After leaving the house, Mireth froze in place.
She blankly stared at where she was and trembled.
Wherever her eyes looked, everything around the house was covered in water straight to the horizon.
Mireth wasn't a fool. She knows that this is the place where… the High Elf resides.
But there shouldn't be so much water.
She was once visiting this place with her parents and clearly remembers a small lake and a lone house at the center of it.
This means…
Her heart trembled upon realization.
This is an illusion.
"Why are you doing this to me?!" Mireth raged.
At this moment a hand was placed on her shoulder.
"I know… what you did."
Mireth's body suddenly shook.
"She's alive…" the woman calmly spoke.
"Though I didn't interfere with your matters with Vincent… but ignoring your attempt to kill your sister… would be unacceptable," her gentle hand rested on Mireth.
Mireth gritted her teeth, "I didn't do anything wrong! She betrayed me by wanting to take away my love for herself! I'm the victim here!"
Lythaera calmly looked at her angry outburst that was a result of a complete misunderstanding.
She can see that whatever she says, it will not help and only makes Mireth sink further into her delusion.
"You know that you crossed the line."
"The attempted murder is… not tolerated here."
"You'll stay here until you truly understand that what you did was… wrong."
"I didn't do anything wrong! Let me go!" Mireth rudely pushed Lythaera's hand off her shoulder.
She cannot accept this.
Vincent is dying and needs her right now.
Lythaera didn't react in any way and after she said what needed to be said, she went inside.
Mireth's chest was rising up from anger as looked at her departure.
But inwardly, despair began to grow in her heart.
If someone like Lythaera is saying that you will stay here then it means… you will.
There's no way of escaping.
She was a High Elf, an immortal person that already reached an immense spiritual power and will grow even stronger with time.
Mireth gripped her fist tightly, unable to accept this, but what could she do?
There's only two ways now left for her.
Either hope that Lythaera lets her go, which is very unlikely after what she did, or… she has become stronger than her and forcefully undo the illusion and kill her to free herself.
This option was even more absurd.
At this moment, Mireth truly understood what helplessness feels like.
"My love…"
…
Within another building, a young man with long messy hair lay on a bed. His skin was pale from lack of blood.
He was calmly snoring, deeply sleeping.
Beside the bed, the young-looking man with silver-gold hair stood calmly.
He took the arm of the pale-skinned man and held it for some time before releasing.
'A success,' The High Elder, Vaelorion, couldn't help but be surprised.
He can feel that Vincent's blood vessels, though barely filled with blood, had successfully transformed by the world essence.
Elves, like him, could never accomplish such a thing, sadly.
Vincent's bone marrow was replenishing the blood, but the process is very slow. To fully recover, it'll take around 4-5 months.
Vaelorion was instructed by Lythaera to take care of him while he recuperates.
He was oblivious to what Vincent's plan was nor what Mireth had done to her sister.
But since Lythaera spoke to him, he'll listen.
Vaelorion gave Vincent one last glance and left the room.
He had other more important matters that required his attention.
…
Meanwhile, in a certain location quite far away from the hidden elvish community, a middle-aged woman was sitting in the restaurant.
In front of her were fresh bread with other steamed food. Beside them lay a little notebook.
The woman calmly ate her food as other clients went in and out of the restaurant.
Her meal lasted several minutes.
She paid for the food to the waitress and left.
Going through the streets, she read the notebook.
'If the information here is accurate then it should be not faraway from here,' she thought.
The woman flipped another page and a certain name came into her view.
Her heart can't help but skip a beat upon seeing it even though she read it numerous times already.
'My dear…'