“Caitlin!”

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    Alicia hopped out of the car and waved. Caitlin smiled and went to greet them. “Aurelius, Alicia, Zeke, you’re here. Come on in.”

    She led them inside the estate, where Kelly was already in the living room, helping to wee the guests.

    “Caitlin, take me to see your brother,” Aurelius said after finishing his tea and rising to his feet.

    “Mom, please help entertain the others. I’ll take Aurelius upstairs.”

    “Alright.” Kelly nodded.

    Caitlin guided Aurelius to the second floor, opening the door to James’s room and letting him in. Once inside, she closed the door firmly and turned to face him.

    “Aurelius, I’m begging you. Please save my brother. I know you must have a way. He’s my only brother–I can’t lose him. Please, I’m begging you!”

    Caitlin never begged easily. Unless it was truly necessary, she never lowered her pride. Yet now, her eyes shimmered with tears as she pleaded with the old healer, hoping he still had some hidden means.

    “Caitlin, stand up,” Aurelius said softly. “I already gave you the prescription. Only by gathering all the ingredients and the catalyst can your brother be cured.”

    Hearing the same answer again, Caitlin rose slowly. Tears remained in her eyes, but her gaze had grown

    colder.

    “Is that really true, Aurelius? The Shard of Life you mentioned is too elusive, too mythical, like something out of a legend. In all your years, how many patients poisoned by Scentbane have you actually treated? Do you have any real cases to prove this?”

    Aurelius faltered. “I have encountered patients before, but none so severe as your brother. Others had milder symptoms, simr to the princess consort. With detoxification and antidotes, they could recover.”

    “So you’ve never treated a case this serious before, is that it? Then tell me, Aurelius, on what basis did you write that prescription?”

    “On past experience, and what I’ve learned from ancient texts…”

    “Aurelius, have you ever even seen the Shard of Life?”

    “No.”

    “Then how do you know it’s needed as a catalyst? Where did you find that it could treat Scentbane?”

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    Aurelius had no answer. His brows drew tight, the struggle clear in his silence.

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    Caitlin pressed harder. “When I studied under you, didn’t you teach me that a true healer carries the heart of a parent? That saving lives is the foundation of our duty? Then why now… why would you let my brother die?”

    “I truly have no way.” Aurelius sighed deeply, torn with guilt.

    “No! You do! Even if you can’t cure Scentbanepletely, you must know where to find Quarta, the woman who created it. If I can find her, surely she has a way. Just tell me where she is–I’ll go myself!”

    “I don’t know where Quarta is,” Aurelius said, shaking his head heavily. “After I cast her out, she surely bore a grudge against me. To this day… she may still hate me.” He sighed again, the sound weighted with sorrow.

    Caitlin studied him carefully. A man with such strict principles, yet bound by silence–it could only mean someone held a powerful threat over him. She remembered the Graystone guards stationed outside the Healing Institute in Santa Aurelia. Could it be Zorro’s hand behind this?

    She let the point drop. “Very well. Since you don’t know, I won’t press further. Please, at least examine my brother again. Perhaps with repeated treatments, there’s still a chance he might wake.”

    Aurelius had no choice but to agree. He went to James’s bedside and began his examination, while Caitlin sat close, watching anxiously.

    As Aurelius cleaned and redressed the wounds, a small gold pendant slipped from James’s neck. Aurelius picked it up, and the moment his eyes fell on it, his face froze in shock.

    “This… this… he… he…” His voice stuttered in disbelief.

    Caitlin’s heart lurched. Thinking something had gone wrong with her brother, she rushed forward. “What is it, Aurelius? What’s wrong with my brother?”

    Aurelius turned toward her, his usually calm face now trembling with emotion. His hands shook as he held up the pendant. “This medallion… how does your brother have this medallion?”

    Caitlin’s suspicions surged. Why was the old man so shaken by the sight of it?

    “Aurelius, what about this medallion? Do you recognize it?”

    Tears welled in his eyes as he nodded. “Yes… yes, I know it.”

    Then, before Caitlin’s astonished eyes, he pulled out an identical pendant from beneath his own cor. Caitlin’s breath caught. Could it be… Beatrice and Aurelius were long–lost siblings?

    “Caitlin… you and James… you are my…” Aurelius’s voice broke, his emotions too tangled to continue.

    Caitlin quicklyposed herself. She knew he had mistaken them, but she decided to use the moment. Perhaps this was her only chance to uncover the truth.

    “Aurelius, this pendant was passed down from my grandmother. I never expected you would have one too. Could it be… you are her brother, the one who was lost long ago?”

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    Aurelius, tears streaming, nodded. “Yes… yes, I am.”

    Seizing the opening, Caitlin pressed on. “If you truly are my grandmother’s brother, then we’re family. So please, tell me honestly–can you save my brother?”

    “Caitlin, I swear to you, I am not lying. I cannot cure such a severe case of Scentbane. But if I could–if I truly could–I would give my life to save him, because you are my kin. I would not need you to beg me.”

    His words, choked with grief, carried the weight of his heart.

    It seemed Aurelius truly was powerless against the poison in James’s body. Caitlin no longer forced him. She lifted the medallion from James’s neck and exined, “Forgive me, Aurelius. I lied. My brother and I are not rted to you. This pendant did note from my grandmother.”

    “Then… then how did youe to have it?” Aurelius’s voice trembled, equal parts fear and desperation. His eyes burned with a single question–was his sister still alive, somewhere in this world?

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