The following day, after breakfast.


    To avoid being near Laura, Graven assigned Reba to bring her to the cave.


    ??


    "Reba, you will bring Laura with you to the cave. Horace and I will check the cave first. Youdies cane if you''re ready," he said.


    "Okay, I''ll take care of Laura. Don''t worry, she''s in good hands," Reba assured him.


    "We will teleport to the cave now," Graven said and looked at Horace.


    The men activated the teleportation process in their minds and gone in seconds.


    Reba picked up the knapsack and exited the room, going to Laura''s room. When she arrived there, Laura was already waiting for her inside the room. "Are you ready to go to the cave?"


    "Yes!" Laura nodded her head. "Let''s go!" she said and put the knapsack on her shoulder. She rose to her feet and asked her, "What I''m going to do now?"


    "Just close your eyes," Reba instructed.


    Laura shut her eyes. Reba holds her right arm and closed her eyes as well. They disappeared from the room.


    A few minutester, they appeared in the forest a few meters away from the mouth of the cave. Graven and Horace were waiting under the shade of the tree.


    "Laura, we already arrived at our destination. You can open your eyes now," Reba told her.


    Laura opened her eyes and was shocked to find herself in the middle of the forest. "Oh! Where are we?" she asked. Her eyesnded on Graven''s face, their eyes locked for a few seconds, she tore her gaze away from him.


    "We are in the forest," Reba answered. She pointed her index finger at the wild bushes behind the tree. "Over there is the mouth of the cave. We will enter that in a moment. We have to rub our body with the oil first," she said.


    Laura looked at the overgrown bushes and beyond. Inside the cave is the body of the man she loves, Luke! She can feel the rapid beating of her heart. Finally, she will see him again!


    "Here''s the oil. Rub it on your body," Reba ordered and put a bottle of oil in Laura''s hands. Then she began spreading the oil on her skin and all over her clothes.


    Laura followed Reba''s instructions. she rubbed the oil all over her body and even on her hair. She ns to get out of the cave in one piece, so she has to cover her body with the miracle oil that will repel the snakes.


    Graven and Horace were also rubbing oil on their bodies.


    Ten minutester, they''re done with the oil. They put the oil bottle inside their knapsack.


    Graven looked at them and asked, "Ready?"


    The trio nodded their heads in response to his question. "Yes!"


    He looked at the apple of his eyes. "Sister-inw, follow behind me," he ordered.


    "Okay," Laura replied and went behind Graven.


    Reba was behind Laura, and Horace wasst on the line.


    Graven moves forward, going to the tall bushes. He pushed the bushes away using the stick that he''s holding in his right hand. They finally reached the mouth of the cave. He looked at the people behind him. "Get ready, guys! We are going into the cave!" he looked at Laura. "Don''t mind the snakes, don''t run and panic. They can''te near us because of the smell of the oil that repulsed them," he reminded her.


    Laura nodded her head. "Okay," she replied, ready to go.


    Graven stepped into the mouth of the cave and walked ahead as their leader. Laura was following behind him. To avoid seeing the scary snakes, she focused her attention on Graven''s back, not minding the surrounding.


    Graven assisted Laura every time they encounter a slippery or hard walk passageway that only one person can pass at a time.


    asionally Laura can''t avoid looking at the snakes lurking in the corner, watching them like a hawk to its prey as they pass their hiding ces...she can even hear the scary hissing of the snakes looking like they are ready to attack them...their frightening sight truly terrifies her...but she chose not to get affected by what she saw and hear inside the cave. She focused her eyes on Graven''s back.


    A few minutester. They arrived at the only chamber in the cave that contains knee-deep spring water.


    "We''re here!" Graven announced. He looked at Laura. "That is my twin brother''s coffin!" he said, pointing at the coffin floating in the water.


    Laura looked at the coffin and took a deep breath. "I want to see him!" she said excitedly.


    The four walked towards the spring water, which is the size of two ordinary rooms.


    Horace and Reba lifted the coffin from the water and ced it on the dry ground. Graven removed the cover and put it aside to return itter.


    Laura''s eyes widened in shock upon seeing Luke''s physical body for the first time.


    Luke was wearing a ck long sleeve polo, ck ck, and ck shoes. His hands were grasping an antique mirror resting in his stomach. He got long nails that need trimming. His hair was growing long that settled on his shoulder. His skin was paperwhite. His chest was rising and falling, which means he is breathing properly. But his eyes were closed.


    Graven pulled Luke''s pants up to his leg so that Laura can see the overall condition of his brother''s body.


    Laura gasped in horror and covered her mouth with her hands to stifle her scream after seeing Luke''s leg, it was just bones and thin skin. It shocked her to the core.


    Graven saw the shock on Laura''s face. "My twin brother''s upper body was generating new tissues, skin, organs, and so on. The rest of his lower body still has to catch up. But based on the overall progress of his condition, I''m sure his lower body willplete regenerating after a few months," he exined.


    Laura was at a loss for words on what to say at this moment. This is what Reba has been asking her about. Can she stomach to see Luke''s condition? How about her feelings for Luke right now? Are there any changes after seeing him in his current condition?


    "You want to talk with him in private?" Graven asked Laura.


    Laura was unsure, she was cared, what if Luke will suddenly open his eyes? But she needs privacy because there is something she needed to tell him. She gathered her strength. "Okay, leave us alone for a few minutes. I''ll call you after I''m done," she responded.


    Graven, Horace, and Reba left the area. They stationed themselves near the entrance of the chamber.


    Laura was staring at Luke''s handsome face. "How are you? I finally see you for the first time. Honestly, I don''t know what to feel right now," she confessed. A tear fell from her eyes. If she has to be honest with herself, the truth is, she falls in love with Luke that is alive, not with the dead Luke. And right now, although he was breathing, he looks dead to her.


    "I''m sorry..." she said. Her hands move, she wrapped them around Luke''s cold hands. "But don''t worry, I will wait for youre back. Let see what will happen after you wake up..." she said softly.


    ...


    A few minutester.


    Reba nced at the coffin...her eyes widened in shock because Laura was no longer sitting beside the coffin. "Laura is gone!" she eximed.


    The men scrambled and rushed to the coffin, only to find Laura, lying sprawled above Luke''s body, her eyes closed. She seemed to lose consciousness.


    "What happened to Laura?" Reba saw the rise and fall of Laura''s chest. "She''s still breathing!" she said.


    Graven lifted Laura''s body from the coffin. "Put the cover back on the coffin, we''re leaving the cave!" he ordered.


    Reba saw the blood on Luke''s hands, her eyes widened.


    Horace put back the cover in the coffin. He and Reba put the coffin back in the spring water. Then they left the chamber in a hurry.


    Outside the chamber.


    Graven looked at Laura''s closed eyes. Then he noticed the blood and the cut on her palm. How did she get herself cut? He will ask her once she regained consciousness. He looked at hispanions. "I''ll teleport back to the house, see you there!" he said. He closed his eyes and initiated the teleportation process in his mind. He disappeared from the cave in seconds.


    Horace and Reba nodded at each other. They''re ready to go! They closed their eyes, a few secondster, they disappeared from the cave.


    ~


    Graven appeared inside his room. He ced Laura on the bed and took a clean towel from the closet, and began wiping the blood on Laura''s right palm.


    He felt relieved after finding out that it''s not a deep cut. He cleaned the cut with water and a clean towel. He grabbed a medicine bottle from the drawer and poured it on Laura''s wound. A few secondster, the blood finally stopped flowing out. He wrapped a bandage on her palm to avoid infection.


    There was a knock outside the door.


    "Graven, how is Laura?" asked Reba in a worried voice.


    Graven opened the door and let her inside the room.


    Reba rushed to Laura''s side. "How is she? What happened to her?"


    "She''s fine. Maybe she got terrified and passed out," Graven said.


    "But why?" she asked.


    Graven scratched his head. "I dunno, we left her alone so that she can talk to my brother. What we didn''t expect is what happened next..." he responded.


    Reba sat on the chair. "Yeah, what could go wrong when Laura was only talking to a corpse? Don''t tell me that she wants to join Luke in the coffin? Do you think that''s what happened there in the cave?" she inquired, doubting it.


    Graven breathed deeply. "I think my twin brother detected Laura''s presence in front of him and wielded his weak power, trying to embrace her and ended up getting Laura on top of him. Laura passed out due to fear..." he exined his theory.


    "That''s also possible...but how about the blood on Luke''s hands?" she asked.


    Graven pondered for a moment. "Laura got a cut on her palm. It must be due to my brother''s long nails!" he said.


    "That''s it! Maybe Laura was trying to get the mirror from Luke''s hands and identally got cut by the long nails!" she said. "That''s the only logical exnation I could find. I''m sure Luke won''t hurt Laura intentionally," she added.


    "Yeah, that''s also my guess," Graven said. "I''ll bring Laura back to her room," he said. He went to bed and lifted Laura''s sleeping form carrying her in his arms effortlessly.


    Reba opened the door wide for him to get out.


    Graven exited the room and walked into the hallway, followed by Reba and Horace.


    When they arrived at Laura''s room, Graven ced Laura''s body gently on the bed.


    Reba looked at Graven. "Don''t worry much. I''ll stay here in Laura''s room to keep herpany. I''ll inform you if she wakes up so that we can ask her what happened back there in the cave," Reba said.


    Graven and Horace left the room.