----
“Where is he? Where are they?" Jason’s voice echoed as
he rushed in, his footsteps frantic.
Orion smiled, his voice calm despite the tension. "Inside
the house.”
As Howard stepped forward to greet Jason, the old man
seemed to glide into the room, a blur of speed. David
followed closely behind, his face filled with more concern
as he saw how pale Danielle had be in just a short
time.
“Let me see her," Jason demanded, immediately assessing
her condition.
He took her pulse, lifted her eyelids, his brow furrowing
deeper with each moment. "This shouldn’t be happening.”
After a moment, he produced a silver needle and drove it
into one of her pressure points.
"Ugh..." In the next instant, Danielle vomited another
mouthful of ck blood.
Jason pulled the needle out and dipped it into a bowl of
water. Within a second, the clear water turned a dark red.
----
“Has she shown any signs of this before she passed out?"
Jason asked.
Vivian’s voice trembled. "Yes, a few times. When the
poison red, she was unconscious and didn’t recognize
anyone. Her pupils would turn red. After the third time, the
vomiting started, and she fell into aa."
Jason shook his head. "This poison
is called Lun@Stalk. Normally, she
would hayeSumbed to it by now,
but she’sbeen holding it back. The
reasomShe’s in aa now is that
she’sbeen continuously “
suppressing the poison in her body,
afd it’s finally overwhelmed her."
----
"Luna Stalk has no cure. In her
condition, sh won’t survive more
than three Months. Even in these —
three maniths, her suffering will only
increasé—her awareness will fade,
and when the poison res, it.will
feehas if her bones are being”
crushed, and all her senses will fail."
----
“Who would be so cruel to poison her like this?" Jason’s
words hit David like a knife to the heart. Danielle had been
fine just a week ago—how had it escted so quickly?
Vivian copsed in tears, unable to
bear the weight-of the news. Howard
nearly fainted; his voice broken.
"Jason, ptease! Save my daughter
She’s stilso young! She’s been. ?
suffering her whole life. She ha$n’t
evervhad a chance to experience
iness or feel the love. of her
parents. Please, I beg yotn n Save her.
Whatever you need, I’ll give it to you."
----
Tears streamed down Howard’s face as he clutched his
daughter’s hand. He’d dly take on her suffering, even if it
meant enduring it himself.
“Jason, what do you need? Anything. Just save her."
David’s voice was tight, his heart heavy with grief.
----
Jason sighed, his tone full of regret. "I can suppress the
poison for a while and wake her up, but Luna Stalk has no
cure. If you want to find out who’s been helping her
suppress it, that’s your only hope."
David refused to believe that a poison could have no cure.
After all, if a poison could be made, so too could an
antidote.
Jason quickly retrieved a small medical kit and mixed
together some dark, viscous substance in a bowl.
"Give this to Danielle. She’ll wake up within five minutes,”
Jason instructed.
David took the bowl and tried to feed it to Danielle, but she
was unconscious and couldn’t swallow. With urgency,
David took a sip of the medicine himself, gently prying
open Danielle’s mouth and passing the medicine to her.
----
The room fell into stunned silence. The old, isted vige
saw its two vige leaders blushing with embarrassment,
while Howard and Vivian watched in shock, helpless.
But at that moment, none of it mattered. All that mattered
was waking Danielle up.
David painstakingly fed her the entire bowl, and soon,
Danielle’s eyes fluttered open.
"You’re awake, Danielle.”
“Danielle, you’re awake!"
“Are you feeling okay?" they all asked in unison.
Danielle, still groggy, her mind foggy, looked up at David
with distant eyes. She handed him a remote control and
whispered, "Save Matthew."
“How is Matthew? Is he okay? Did you save him?"
Danielle’s first words were a question about Matthew, even
though she herself was suffering.
Vivian’s eyes welled up with tears once again, her heart
breaking. Danielle, poisoned and near death, was still
worried about Matthew.