THE MOMENT she was inside the spacious hall of the library, Elise turned to the two women who were an expert at acting invisible behind her. Both corners of her lips raised as she observed the cowering maids. Aricson did not tell her anything but she could definitely gain information somewhere else.

"Do you have an idea what happened to that woman's husband? I believe her name is May."

"I heard he is fading, Miss." Dell answered.

"Fading? Is that the name of the disease?" she probed further and took a seat.

"Yes, Miss, but it is not a disease. May insisted it is poisoning."

"You're wrong, Dell. Lord Gustavious himself confirmed his fading came naturally," Aya inserted.

"It's only because Lord Gustavious cannot do anything regardless if it's poisoning or not—"

"Dell!" Aya quickly bowed and lowered Dell's head as well. "I beg for forgiveness, Miss! Dell is not usually like this. She is just new so we hope you don't misunderstand her words."

A smile became more evident on Elise's face. Her first impression of them was timid but she did not know that Dell had some bluntness on her.

"It's alright. You two can leave."

She already got the information she needed and she worked best alone.

"Yes, Miss," the two spoke simultaneously and ushered themselves out.

After the door clicked closed, she dashed to the row of shelves and overhauled the whole medicine section.

IT DID not take long for Elise to find the meaning of the term 'fading'. Most of the books generally wrote it was the phase when the magic left the body but her forehead wrinkled as she read more.

Pages fluttered before they joined the pile on the floor. The whole section was a complete clutter but she still could not find anything relevant.

Everything was too vague yet very specific. It stated the process in detail but not a single book mentioned a cure. She grabbed another only to find the same content.

Fading was defined when a person with magic suffered insurmountable pain, disabling them to move and their skin became sensitive. It could be caused by poison or when the magic was depleted and the body could not handle the change. Their elements were their life force and when fading began, it disrupted the flow and would cause death exactly eight hours after it started.

From Elise's understanding, it was basically an illness with a ticking time bomb. Unlike other ailments she encountered where there were still days or even months, this consisted of only hours.

If she gave a conclusion on the best method to handle it based on the symptoms, one should mollify the pain and fix the erratic elemental flow. The only problem was the elemental flow was a special vein that only existed in this world.

A deep exhale reverberated in the empty room. There was nothing she could gain from reading if she did not see it in person.

"I guess, I really need to meet the patient..."

Aricson warned her several times before they separated but she was not the kind to sit idly when there was a patient in hand, especially one that was begging for help.

She may be in another world but she proved their medications were similar to her world and that boosted her certitude. She was aware of the limitations and she could not just rely on luck but for the past month, she had proven that this case could be solved easily.

They may have magic but hers had the technology. Her world had more advanced techniques than theirs and she was positive she could make a difference with her absolute confidence in her skills.

Elise shot up and rushed towards the second-floor lounge and prepared the medicine box. It was a gift from Aricson that she once deemed useless but who knew it would actually come in handy.

She put everything inside the varnished wooden compartment and filled the tiny drawers with all the herbs she might need. The mortar and pestle were stored in the bottom and she strapped everything up.

With the heavy luggage in both her hands, she made her way downstairs and opened the entrance. She did not even have half of her body out when she was stopped by the knights.

"What on earth are you doing?"

"We apologize, Miss Elise. Rei Aricson ordered us not to let you leave the library."

"Wha—" Both knights ushered her inside without even completing her sentence and the door closed right in front of her face.

'Dang it, Aricson!'  He may think he could stop her but she would prove him wrong. She mastered how to sneak outside when she was at the peak of her rebelliousness. If her parents could not stop her, no one would be able to.

THE WINDOW was the perfect exit. It did not take much effort when the library was located on the ground floor. Elise headed out, carrying the medicine box on her back as she made her way to the cabin she went with Erkhan.

"Daniel!" she called out to the blonde hair guy tending to the Vermilions.

"Miss Elise? What may I help you?" he asked as he approached her.

"Can you take me to May?"

"May?" He frowned. "We have two Mays in the village, Miss. Who do you refer to?"

"The one with the fading husband."

"Ah..." His eyes peered at the medicine box on her back. "Pardon my curiosity, but Miss, can I ask what are you going to do?"

"I just want to see her husband's condition. Please bring me to her."

Daniel appeared reluctant so she grabbed both his hands and mastered the most pleading expression.

"Please?"

Redness rose on his cheeks as he backed away. "Alright, Miss."

"Thanks!"

"However, I cannot go with you, Miss. I will just send an orb to lead you there."

She nodded in approval. "That'll be fine."

"Ferios." Daniel muttered a spell before a glowing red orb appeared. "You can just follow it, Miss."

"Okay, thanks again. I owe you one, Daniel," she said and left to follow the roving fire.

ELISE ARRIVED at the village that resembled a scene out of a picture book. Several single and two-story houses made of a colorful paint finish with pointed roofs covered in various kinds of shingles could be found. The large windows and huge wooden doors were very welcoming and the brick road tied everything together.

The orb continued its way as she met people along the street. Most of them wore the black and gold uniform like Daniel while the others had the same garments as what she saw when she visited Blaze.

She strolled further and reached the deepest parts where there were mostly greeneries and the houses became farther apart. The orb disappeared when she reached a small cottage with picket fences at the front.

She entered and knocked on the door. Elise could hear rustling movements before the woman from earlier appeared with red swollen eyes.

"Hello. What may I help you?" she spoke with a raspy voice.

She put on a smile and offered her hand. "I'm Elise. I saw you in the palace earlier and heard your situation."

"Oh, you were the one who offered help. I'm May, my lady," she said and did not take her hand but gave a curtsy instead.

"Oh, I'm not a lady."

"Pardon my rudeness, Miss Elise. Can I ask what brought you here? I'm sorry I won't be able to accommodate you at the moment."

"I want to see your husband."

Seeing the hesitation, she immediately added. "I may not look like it but I'm a Healer."

Like a magic word, May beamed and widened the door. She led her to the bedroom and Elise saw a man's body emitting a faint glow. What stunned her more was the fact he was floating naked and spread-eagled. 

She moved closer as the man thrashed himself and struggled with inviable chains. His eyes went on her and her feet stepped away in an instant. There were no whites in his eyes, just complete blackness.

'What is going on?' She mumbled to herself and recalled that this happened during the last stage of fading when there were only two hours left.

"The other knights cast a spell since a slight touch has become a torture to his body and bound him as he grew uncontrollable."

Elise realized she spoke out loud when May started explaining herself. She inclined and carefully touched his pulse but then he jolted. What she said was indeed true. It was exactly what the book described.

"When did it start?"

"It came all of a sudden, Miss. We were preparing for lunch when he suddenly collapsed and started glowing."

She observed the man whose body writhed every now and then. It was layered with the sheerness of sweat but the most fascinating was the white glow covering his whole physique.

"Did he hit his head when he fainted?" she asked as her gaze lowered to the bump on his forehead.

"Yes, Miss. He hit the corner of the table."

After hearing that, she concluded the swelling was not part of the fading. It was mostly body pain as the skin became hypersensitive to touch. This case had some similarities to allodynia and she could not do acupuncture to alleviate the affliction.

Elise opened her medicine box. First, she needed to soothe the pain and then think about the cure next. She had brought a pain reliever and May helped her to feed it to him.

Her fingers caressed the man's cheek but he violently turned his head, growling like an untamed animal. Pity crossed Elise's eyes. How terrible it was that she could not touch the one she loved who was in grave danger.

May tried again and successfully did it on the fourth try. Minutes passed but as predicted, there was no effect.

She pondered on what substitute herbs could she use in this world. She knew she needed to negate all the effects to restore the normal condition of the body. The symptoms usually helped her identify what treatment to do however, the only visible symptoms were the fainting glow and the black sclera and she had no idea what caused the body spasm.

She was in deep thought but still had no clue. "Can you tell me more about fading?"

"It is said that the agony happening is what the soul had suffered. The light spirits gather and help dissolve all the impurity of the body so the soul will be cleansed."

The book never mentioned anything about it as it was written in more technical terms. At the mention of the light spirit, Elise had a sudden inkling. "So, is this like purification?"

"Yes, Miss. The body is purified so the soul can be reincarnated which needs a massive amount of spirits. Their huge numbers make the body glow so that even a Mundran like myself can see it."

If this was a purification involving magic, then that meant she needed to alter the result. She could produce a poison that the body could not purify and nullify but it could also cause to have stronger purification that he may not handle. It would be much easier to have magic to counter it.

An idea abruptly flashes on her mind.

"That's it!" She excitedly turned to May and asked. "Do you anyone who uses dark magic?"

"No, Miss. Most people here are fire type and dark magic is rare."

"I have."

A baritone voice interrupted without notice. Elise swiveled to meet two different colored irises which had mesmerized her the first time they met. He was the drunkard she encountered at the guild.

"Who are you?"

His mouth was fully upturned as he walked toward her with an assertive gait and ignored May. "I believe we haven't been formally introduced."

"You are... Exel, right?"

"I'm honored you remember me but I can't seem to recall your name."

"You're drunk so it's understandable. Anyway, enough chitchat. You have the dark magic so I need you to do something about the light that surrounds him," she went straight to the point causing the man's brow to arch.

"But this is natural and I cannot intervene with the force of nature."

"That's not what I mean. I just need you to surround him with your magic before the light."

"I am confused. Care to explain further?"

"It's like this. Based on my understanding, light magic triggers the purification of the soul. It is like a layer that covers the body that causes discomfort. Thus, I need you to penetrate that layer with dark magic and no light spirit shall permeate as I let him drink the concoction. Understand?"

"Do you know the amount of magic needed to produce that glow that Mundrans can see? It's thousands and thousands."

Her shoulders drooped at his statement. "So it's not possible..."

"Yes." A wide smirk plastered on his lips. "For others but not for me. You're in luck, my lady, you met the most amazing dark mage in the whole of Elith."

She almost rolled her eyes at his boastfulness but he needed his help.

"If that's what you say then I ask for your assistance," she implored before facing May. "This is a high-risk treatment and I need your consent. Do you want me to proceed? This is my first time doing this procedure and I cannot guarantee you anything."

"I trust you, Miss. He's in your hands. Please do everything you can to heal him."

"Okay. I will also be needing your help to feed him medicine so stay here."

Elise turned away and prepared the herbs. She had to make a more potent body pain reliever, a mild poison, and its cure. This was a huge gamble but there was no time to think about failure. Success should only be the result.

"In my signal, you do your thing, okay?"

He just nodded with amusement in his eyes.

She gave May the poison and the body reacted aggressively. This was to direct the power to a certain part. The most toxins were, then the light should concentrate on it and it should be easier to penetrate.

"Now do it," she ordered and placed an hourglass. They needed to be done in an hour.

'Denos.'

Gradually, black smoke surrounded the body.

Just as she thought, the light was the one that triggered the pain after the man calmed down. She glanced towards Exel who had an indifferent face but it was only minutes yet he was already perspiring.

"Please hold on to it," she said as she ground the herbs.

The following step would be difficult. Once the dark magic disappeared it would be back to square one. They needed to cover the whole body until the light spirits leave. The body was said to have irregular elemental flow when fading happened but what if it could be fixed?

"What's the element of your husband, May?" she questioned and gave him the pain reliever and the cure to the poison.

"He's a fire type, Miss."

Elemental flow controlled the life source as well as allowed the spirits to be converted with magic from what she had read. If she could make the elemental flow back to normal, then she needed to supplement the magic that was lost, and the only way to do it was by using artificial magic.

After the case of Hadrien, Elise had been researching how to substitute magic with plants and it could actually be done and proven when she took the Healer examination. But unlike natural magic, the artificial magic made from a plant was just like a drop from the vast ocean. It could not produce the magic that could make a spell but it could help in healing.

She opened the drawer containing dozens of molten flowers. It had a fire attribute and she could be able to use it. She pounded the plant and diluted it with water.

"Is it done yet?" Exel asked.

"Just a few more minutes."

She stared at the hourglass as it drained from the bottom. Once its last grain dropped, she took the glass of molten water and let him drink it.

She waited for another couple of minutes and told Exel to release his magic. Her hands clasped together, hoping very hard it would work.

When the black fog disappeared so did the light shimmer.

She heaved the breath she was holding and her knees gave up but Exel caught her in time.

He held her on his side and guided her out while her eyes glued on the couple embracing.

"You really did it, huh?" he spoke with a hint of admiration as they both sat on the couch.

"Don't be complacent. I need to observe him before I can be relieved."

"You're truly astounding," he continued. "I've seen a lot of experiments and never have I witnessed someone stopping a fading".

Exel was endlessly moving his mouth but his voice waned as weariness had engulfed her and unknowingly drowsed off.