Adonis, with his senses on high alert, began to gather evidence from the scene, realizing that what he had discovered might be the key to saving Vanya... or perhaps revealing a disaster far greater than he had imagined.
At that moment, Aunt Isolda entered, her steps quiet, yet they stirred a strange feeling in Adonis. He was in an unknown laboratory deep within a dense forest near a poisoned river, a place far from anything familiar, where no one dared to approach. How did she get here? How was she able to be in this deep, strange place?
Adonis (astonished): "How... how did you get here? No one comes to this place, and how did you manage to find it?"
Isolda smiled a mysterious smile, standing calmly before him, her eyes holding a secret Adonis couldn't comprehend.
Isolda (in a calm voice): "I'm always here when you need me, wherever you are, you'll find me waiting."
Then she advanced towards Adonis with confident steps, as if she knew exactly what would happen next. With each step she took towards him, he felt something strange fill the air, a feeling that something ominous was at play.
He didn't have time to anticipate what would happen next. Isolda gently embraced him, then he felt something sharp touch his neck. In a moment of betrayal, Isolda pulled out a sharp needle and quickly injected it into his neck.
Isolda (her voice beginning to turn malicious): "Finally, I got to test this herb on you. The Empress will be pleased... but you won't escape this."
As her words echoed in his ear, Adonis began to feel a heaviness in his body, and his eyes started to close little by little. Pain spread through his body as if the poison was seeping through his veins.
Isolda (in a harsh tone): "There's no hope for you... and you'll never get out of this."
Then she left him fallen on the ground, his body unable to move, as she slowly walked away, leaving him in a state of pain and betrayal.
At that moment, as she walked away with cold steps, Helibor suddenly entered the place, his eyes searching the dense darkness for Adonis. He didn't expect to find the army commander in such a tragic state, lying on the ground as if life had drained from him.
Helibor (astonished): "Adonis?!"
Helibor's cry was a shock, the sound of his footsteps on the ground couldn't hide the terror that spread in his eyes. He rushed towards Adonis, trying to reach him, but his eyes couldn't believe what they saw. Adonis was completely pale, his body trembling with pain, and his eyes closing little by little as if he were on the verge of drowning in darkness.
Helibor (astonished and confused): "This... needle?"
Helibor paused for a moment, his eyes darting between the wound and the needle lying on the ground. He quickly realized that the poison had seeped into Adonis's body and knew that time was not on his side.
Helibor (decisively): "I must act quickly..."
He looked around the laboratory, his eyes searching for a sterile medical tool. He remembered some books he had read about medicine and hurried to the tools on the table, where he sterilized a sharp instrument, then took it carefully. He didn't have much time and knew that any contamination could lead to serious complications.
He took the sterilized tool, then gently opened the wound where the needle had entered, trying to make a small opening to extract the poison. He moved with extreme caution, avoiding contamination of the wound as blood began to flow slowly, bringing the poison with it. His heart was pounding, but he focused on his task.
Helibor (in a calm voice): "Stay with me, don't go now..."
Every movement was carefully considered as he gently pressed on the wound with a sterile piece to try and extract the poison quickly. The dim candlelight illuminated the place, and the atmosphere was charged with tension and anxiety.
Helibor (with great concern): "Hey, Adonis, Adonis... can you hear me? Wake up!"
His voice trembled slightly as he called out to him, but Adonis remained still, his eyes closed without any response. Helibor's tension began to increase significantly. He quickly felt Adonis's nose with his hands, trying to feel his breaths. The situation seemed more dangerous with each passing moment.
Then he placed his hand on his chest, near his heart, listening for his heartbeat, but silence filled the place. His heartbeats were indistinct, as if life was beginning to separate from his body.
Helibor (his face beginning to show fear): "No... it can't be... no..."
And at that moment, as more time passed and the ground seemed to tremble beneath his feet, Adonis slowly regained consciousness. His eyes gradually opened, appearing blurry at first, then his awareness gradually returned, as if from a vague dream.
Adonis (in a weak, barely audible voice): "H... Helibor..."
Helibor smiled, a troubled expression on his face, looking tired from the intense tension as he replied.
Helibor (muttering with relief but concern): "Good, good... Thank God, I was worried... But now, forget the questions and the gold. You need a doctor first. I've extracted some of the poison, but it has spread... We need to get there quickly."
Then he hurried to help him up, holding him carefully so he wouldn't fall.
Adonis (trying to speak, but gasping): "So... why... are you...?"
Adonis couldn't finish his words, then he put his hand on his neck in an attempt to soothe the pain he felt, his eyes following Helibor in astonishment.
Adonis (in a broken voice): "...You... saved me...?"
Helibor (seriously): "Yes, for your sake. We need to go to your house now. I'll send for the royal physician... You're full of wounds, and the poison has already spread."
Then he extended his hand to hold him more firmly, helping him stand steadily. Helibor felt a mix of relief and concern.
The wind played with Adonis's hair as he clung to Helibor on horseback. The horse's heavy footsteps stirred up dust, while Adonis's body trembled slightly, unsure if it was due to blood loss or the cold that had seeped into his bones.
Adonis, in a faint but firm voice: "I thought you wanted to kill me, Helibor..."
Helibor didn't turn to him, but his voice came cold, bearing a hint of a faint smile: "That's a possibility... but not this way. Don't lose consciousness now, or you'll fall off the horse, and then I won't bother picking you up."
Adonis clenched his jaw, trying to stay composed despite the dizziness that began to creep in: "I'll head to the palace."
Helibor lowered his gaze slightly, looking at Adonis's fists clutching his robe: "Have you lost your mind? You can barely sit on a horse, and you're thinking of the palace?"
Adonis turned his face away, trying to hide his ragged breaths: "I have to... deliver the report, it's my duty."
Helibor sighed, hitting the horse's reins to increase its speed, his voice calm but tinged with impatience: "You're as stubborn as ever... Alright, but don't lose consciousness on me."
The palace's features began to emerge on the horizon amidst the flickering torchlight. The long stone path leading to the great gate felt as if the path itself was intentionally testing their patience. Upon arrival, Helibor dismounted gracefully, then extended his hand towards Adonis, but Adonis stubbornly ignored it and dismounted himself, despite his shaky steps.
The great hall was eerily quiet. The Emperor sat on his throne with a rigid face, and beside him the Empress and Hyacinth, while the atmosphere seemed charged with heavy anticipation.
Helibor paused at the entrance, then turned to Adonis with a look not devoid of suppressed concern: "Are you going in?"
Adonis replied in a low but decisive voice: "Go ahead of me."
With confident steps, Helibor entered first, but as soon as he crossed the threshold, the Empress's eyes widened in alarm.
She gasped, rising from her seat, quickly pointing to a servant: "Bring the doctor immediately!"
Then she rushed towards him, ignoring everyone's gazes, and clutched his arm with genuine concern, looking at his white shirt stained with blood, her voice trembling despite her attempt to compose herself: "What happened?! What is this blood?!"
Time stopped for a moment, as if everyone was waiting for his answer. But Helibor, instead of answering immediately, merely looked at her face, as if enjoying the worry that clouded her features. Finally, in a cold, deep voice, as if casting a stone into a still lake, he said:
"This is not my blood."