The following day, early in the morning, when the sun alreadyes up in the sky. Graven and Calder teleported back to the dpidated castle to get a sample of the ck liquid.


    They hovered in the air outside the castle.


    ''?''?


    They can hear the sounds of birds chirping in the branches of the trees, as well the sound of streams gushing against the rocks.


    "My Lord, what if we just st this whole area? That would solve our problem with the cursed King," Calder suggested.


    "I''m tempted to do just that but what if what he told us is true? That we will be poisoned by the ck liquid and he is the only one who got the antidote? If the cursed King dies, we will perish along with him. Let''s just wait next month, if nothing happens then the King was just bluffing, we can proceed to burn this whole ce down without hesitation," Graven replied.


    "Okay, you got a point, My Lord!" Calder said.


    "Let''s lower ourselves into the ground and find the ck liquid," Graven said and lowered himself into the ground.


    Calder picked up a stick from the ground loitering nearby.


    The men walked towards the entrance of the castle and went inside.


    They went to the area where they saw some of the ck liquid, they can''t find anything on the ground. Yesterday there is an abundance of them scattered everywhere, but right now, they had a hard time finding the ck liquid anywhere.


    Graven''s brows furrowed. "Where is the ck liquid? Yesterday we saw them scattered everywhere," he asked.


    "Hmm... I guess the cursed King is still sleeping during this time?" Calder spoke.


    Graven took a deep breath. "Maybe. Let''s check the rooms!" he said.


    The men went to the rooms.


    Calder went back to the room where he saw the ck liquid oozing from the toilet bowl. When he checked the bathroom there is a pool of ck liquid on the floor but none on the toilet bowl!


    He squatted and took the bottle from the pocket of his ck hooded cape, he holds it firmly with his hands and used the stick he picked outside to push the liquid inside the bottle.


    A few minutester, Calder managed to fill the 500ml bottle with the ck liquid, he sealed it with the cap. He exited the room and went outside to find his master. He found him in the next room. "My Lord, I found a pool of ck liquid in the room before this and filled the bottle with it," he said.


    "Good!" Graven replied. "Go and fill this bottle with another sample and after that, we will leave this ce before the cursed King bes aware of our presence here," he ordered.


    "Yes, My Lord!" Calder took the bottle and went back to the room and filled it with the ck liquid. After he is done with the task, he returned to where he hadst seen his master.


    Graven was roaming his eyes around the area, studying its crumbling structure. ''It would be easy to destroy this ce," he thought to himself.


    "My Lord, I''m done taking samples!" Calder said.


    Graven looked at him. "Give me the bottles," he said.


    Calder handed the two bottle sample containing the ck liquid to his master.


    "Let''s leave the ce and go home!" Graven said.


    "Yes, My Lord!" Calder responded.


    The men walked towards the main door and exited the castle. They hovered in the air facing each other.


    "Go back to South Pond Town and wait for me there. I''ll bring these bottle samples to the healer so that he can investigate theposition of this ck liquid," Graven stated.


    "Yes, My Lord!" Calder responded.


    A few minutester, the two men disappeared from the area.


    Graven reappeared hovering in the forest where the healer Terros lives. He lowered himself on the ground. He nced at the bamboo hut and saw the old man on the balcony, sitting on the chair, facing the table. He walked towards the wooden stairs. "Old man, I''m back with the samples!" he said.


    Terros looked at the visitor climbing the stairs in big steps. "Good! Let me see it!" he said excitedly.


    Graven reached the side of the table and lowered himself on the chair.


    Terros set aside the basket filled with dried herbs and roots for medicine making.


    Graven ced the two bottles of ck liquid on the table in front of the old man.


    Terros frowned. "Where is the ck liquid? I thought you brought two bottles of the ck liquid sample? Where is it?" he asked.


    Graven stared at the two bottles filled with the ck liquid before they left the castle but now it''s empty. "Huh? Where the ck liquid has gone to?" he asked in confusion.


    "Are you sure these bottles are filled with ck liquid?" Terros asked him.


    "Yes! I''m sure of it 100%! Why would I bring you empty bottles? I''m not ying games here!" he insisted.


    "Alright, maybe the ck liquid disappears or disintegrates after it is taken outside the castle''s premises," Terros exined.


    "I guess that is the right exnation to it. The cursed King told us the truth. The ck liquid is his life source and if he will leave the castle''s premises he will die because the ck liquid won''t survive outside, therefore he can never leave the castle unless the curse put upon him will be destroyed and my wife''s blood was his only means to break free from the curse," Graven said.


    "Whoever put the curse on him wants him to suffer for a long time. One thousand years below the ground is far too long, but then I guess it''s only fitting for such a ruthless King," Terros expressed his views.


    "So... how are you gonna study theponents of the ck liquid? How are you gonna make an antidote or cure if you can''t study the ck liquid itself considering that we can''t gather a physical sample?" Graven asked.


    Terros stroke his long beard and pondered for a moment then he spoke. "Hmm... this is mind-boggling... let me think for a moment," he responded.


    Graven let the old man think of a solution.


    "Ah! I have a better idea!" Terros exined.


    "What is it?" asked Graven.


    "Take me with you to the ruined castle, I wanna see the ck liquid with my own two eyes!" Terros suggested.


    "Sure!" Graven replied.


    "Wait, let me get something from the house first," Terros said and rose to his feet, he moved forward, going in the direction of the door of the bamboo house.


    Graven watched the old man entered the door and disappeared inside.


    A few minutester, Terros exited the door holding a bottle made of crystals. He looked at Graven. "I will try to put some ck liquid inside this bottle," he said. "This is a special bottle that can hold some weird stuff for a few hours, maybe it can allow me to study the ck liquid even for a few minutes before it will disappear into thin air," he exined.


    "Okay, shall we go now to the castle?" Graven asked.


    "Let''s go! You have to guide me because I don''t know the location of the castle," Terros said.


    "No problem, we have to go by teleportation, it''s a much easier and quicker way of going there," Graven replied.


    "Alright, take me there now!" Terros ordered excitedly, wanting to see the ck liquid with his own eyes.


    Graven holds the old man''s right arm and initiated the teleportation process in his mind. They vanished from the balcony in the blink of an eye.


    A few minutester, they appeared above the castle, hovering in the air.


    Graven lowered themselves on the ground.


    Terros roamed his eyes around the area. The dpidated castle was an imposing sight to behold, dark and mysterious. "It''s hard to believe that such a powerful vampire king was living below the ground in this ruined castle and was imprisoned for one thousand years!" he gushes.


    "Indeed!" Graven replied. "Follow me..." he told the old man.


    He walked towards the entrance of the castle, Terros was following behind him, they disappeared inside the dpidated structure.


    Inside the castle.


    Graven brought the healer inside the room where Calder saw the pool of ck liquid. They went to the toilet, there is no ck liquid in the toilet bowl but there is a pool of ck liquid on the floor. He pointed his fingers on the floor. "That''s the ck liquid that I''m talking about!" he said.


    Terros smiled. "Finally! I got to see it with my two eyes!" he roared. He squatted on the floor and opened the lid of the crystal bottle and position the mouth of the bottle facing the ck liquid. The crystal bottle automatically sucked the ck liquid inside. When it''s already filled to the brim, Terros closed the lid right away. He looked at hispanion. "We''re done!" he said, smiling.


    "Alright, let''s go back to your home!" Graven replied.


    The men walked in the direction of the door and exited the castle. They hovered in the air and looked one more time at the crumbling castle before they teleported back to the forest.


    The men disappeared from the area.


    They appeared in the forest, outside the bamboo house.


    Terros raised the crystal bottle in the air and stared at the ck liquid. "Interesting..." he murmured.


    "So... what''s next?" Graven asked.


    Terros looked at hispanion. "Son...e back another day. I still have to study what the liquid is made of so that we will understand it better, that''s the only way I can make an antidote or cure to counter its harmful effects on your body," he exined.


    "Okay, I''ll take my leave now, I''ll be back some other day," Graven said.


    "Go now!" Terros shooed him away.


    Graven vanished from the old man''s vision instantly.


    Terros climbed the wooden stairs going back to the house, eager to start analyzing the ck liquid.