It was another bright day in Richmond ranch and it was the day that Ziggy had resumed his treatments on Huzey. They were in the same room as the latter was checking on the files of the diamond prince treatments that were done on him for the past few years he was in Spain. The youngest sire wanted to know every treatment Huzey had undergone to make sure there won't be any complications in the future.

At the moment, he was carefully assessing Huzey's physical state, particularly his legs. Also with him were the records of how Huzey's condition improved while he was with the Acamilla Apparaus medication.

​​

"The Acamilla Apparaus is a miracle plant," Huzey uttered, "Together with your research, it works perfectly good on damaged cells. This is a great discovery Ziggy, you should be proud,"

"It was Xhemin who risked her life to get it on the island. It was she we should all be thankful about," Ziggy humbly replied. Hearing him, Huzey smiled knowing that if the one he was talking to was the Ziggy of years ago, the boy would certainly brag on it and would never pass the glory to others, even if it was Xhemin.

"You did a big part," Huzey pressed in to glorify his friend a bit, "You well deserve your title as a doctor and scientist. Too bad this country didn't acknowledge you previously,"

"I don't need their acknowledgement really," Ziggy replied giving Huzey a good glance, "I already have my prize and they are beyond everything this country could give me,"

"Willow and Wolfe," Huzey thought immediately that they were the prize Ziggy was talking about. Then he praised Ziggy further, "You raised them well,"

Ziggy smiled at his recognition and started asking questions about his health.

"Did you have any pain this week?" Ziggy asked. As per Huzey's records, Huzey's legs were recovering well but not fully. Sometimes he encounters chronic pain that makes him unable to walk and he can't do intense workouts and long walks like he used to before.

"Just once…and I think that was because I tried to chase Morgan when he went berserk," Huzey relayed.

"Told you not to exhaust your legs," Ziggy chided him mildly then started scribbling something on his chart. "Aside from your legs, did you have any other difficulty?"

"Nope. My breathing is fine. I sleep well and my appetite is good. I'm doing pretty fine," Huzey answered gently in his usual tone. He was sitting on a sofa looking up to Ziggy who was standing in front of him with his charts. In just a while, Ziggy didn't say a word as he busied himself taking down notes carefully.

Huzey smiled while watching Ziggy being overtaken by his charts and thoughts. It had been a long time since he had seen Ziggy work with his research again and seeing how focused his friend was, it brought back memories of him in the past.

"How about you?" Huzey tried to bring the conversation back.

"Huh?" Ziggy brought his eyes to Huzey's, confused of what he meant.

"I mean how are you?" Huzey cleared. He simply wanted to know how Ziggy was doing because ever since he came back, they didn't really have time to talk privately for long. "How things are going with you,"

"Well you know everything. What you see is what I am. I look pretty fine too right?" Ziggy replied brightly but Huzey wasn't sure whether his expressions were genuine or he just became too good in hiding his real feelings and thoughts. Ziggy had changed so much as per Huzey's view—it was most likely the fatherhood that changed him so.

"Seeing someone?" Huzey was curious then.

"Nope. The kids keep me busy, especially Wolfe's condition," Ziggy replied with some odd expression Huzey couldn't read. "Besides, women are headaches and I had enough headaches with Xhemin so…"

Huzey let go of a loud guffaw with Ziggy's answer. "Is she?"

"Well yes," Ziggy pressed, "Not to you probably but for me she is. She'd gone really bossy and crazier when you left. God! That big thug! She's… I don't know,"

"She'd gone through hell. You can't blame her though,"

"I know but she's really…" Ziggy wanted to talk much about Xhemin wanted to nag about her to his best friend like he used to but then he suddenly remember what Huzey told him few weeks ago about his intentions with Xhemin.

The hesitation in Ziggy's actions made Huzey realize that Ziggy wasn't comfortable yet with the idea of him and Xhemin becoming a possible thing. Wanting to know about Ziggy's real thoughts about it, he opened their conversation to it.

"I haven't really had time to ask about how you feel about it. About me confessing to Xhemin and the possibility that in the future maybe—"

"I admit it does make me uncomfortable," He cut Huzey off. "We are best friends and we looked up to you as our elder brother. You know that. Right now, it's kind of awkward to know that my two best friends are a thing. It makes me a little left out,"

"Left out? Come one Ziggorioh Montreal. Your words only make me think you are jealous because I might favour Xhemin all the time that you," Huzey smiled at his answer because it came as something funny to him as Ziggy intended it to.

"I'm not jealous. I'm just worried that since you guys might become a thing, you'll always be a team then and when it comes to arguments. It could mean me versus you two since you know, Xhemin already had wrapped you around her fingers," Ziggy replied cheekily.

"Seriously Ziggy…" Huzey's tone was becoming serious then, "I want to know your thoughts about my feelings with Xhemin and the possibly that we'll be together in the future,"

There was a short pause before Ziggy answered. "I think that you both deserve to be happy and so I promise my feelings or my opinions won't get in the way if you both decide to be together in the future. But it just…it just…made me a little sad… with the Lagdameo coach. I don't quite like him, Xhemin and you knew that. But, I think he also had sacrificed enough and it's devastating to know he'll not get a happy ending,"

Ziggys words made the room where he and Huzey's at, chilled. For a moment there was nothing but silence and sighs till Ziggy spoke again.

"Did Xhemin accept your confession? I mean did she—"

"If you are asking whether my confession led to any changes in our relationship, the answer is no. But with all honestly, for a moment I thought I could have her then but I was wrong. She's not ready for anything yet, so I told her I'll just wait for her answer…no matter how long it will take,"

"I see," Ziggy was unsure what to say with Huzey's revelation but he felt a bit of relief knowing that they all don't have to deal with any changes with Huzey and Xhemin's relationship yet because Ziggy thinks, no one, not even he himself was ready for it at the moment. "How about your guardian angel then?"

"How about her?" Huzey clarified.

"I mean, apart from your predicament with Xhemin. I think she's the one bothering you the most right now," Ziggy opened the fact.

"I would be lying if I say she isn't. But until then, I couldn't quite figure out the mystery of her," Huzey's head suddenly formed lines, "She's like some kind of a dream or a fairytale that I never once thought was true and now that I know she could be something real, I could not comprehend anything,"

"Even your feelings?" Ziggy wondered.

"Yes," Huzey paused, " At the moment, all I know is that I'm in awe of her. Like she's like something impossible that became real and that blows me away," Huzey added with honesty. His guardian angel was something Huzey didn't know how to deal with at the moment so until then, he couldn't still decide what to do with everything he knew about her.

"Did perhaps…at least once….saw her face?" Ziggy was dying to know.

"To be honest I don't know," Huzey said. "I might have seen her face somewhere. I'm not just aware of it. Or probably I had never seen her at all. But I do dream of her constantly, but her face was always vague to me. Perhaps that's part of the mystery,"

"The Lagdameo heir had seen her twice in a row. Perhaps you could ask him a description of her and have it sketched," Ziggy suggested.

"No thank you. Although I'm really anxious to know her, I don't want to see her face through other people's description. I wanted to see her on my own,"

"Whew. That's deep," Ziggy commented then moved to do more notes on his charts. Trying to alleviate the mood that was becoming too serious, he decided to joke about his friend, "But Huzey Montarini is a deep person so…it not really something shocking to be honest,"

"And that really makes a lot of people wonder why I had been friends with the ever so loud Ziggorioh Montreal," Huzey teased him back and they both smiled at the end.

They both felt satisfied knowing that, no matter how many things have changed, they can still be honest and truthful with each other like they had nothing to hide anyway. Their friendship had gone a long way and despite years of separation, their bonds remain strong and stand well.

***

Maggan Island

It was midnight and although it was dark and dangerous, it didn't stop Professor Owens from venturing the night. He was riding fast with a horse with nothing but a single vial from his pocket. He was in a hurry and his heart was beating wild like his horse. He was racing through time and his face bore the despair and thorough regret. He should have known better. He should have searched better. He should have spent days and nights without stopping until he found what he was looking for. And yet, many years have passed and only now did he realize he had spent those years away like it was nothing but sighs in the wind.

After a few hours, Professor Owens can be seen walking through a dangerous terrain. He was full of sweats and tears and went berserk all over the place, ravaging through dirt and grass looking for something or hiding from something. He was shouting a name, either calling for help or looking for someone until his eyes landed on something he surely did not expect, or at least hope so. Then all the light in his eyes faded and the wind took his breath away as his heart sank to its death.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!" Professor Owens shouted through the night like a wild animal being ripped apart. He wailed in pain and heartbreak as he jumped through a narrow hole like it was his grave. He kneeled on the ground as if he was in reverence of someone and cried in front of death, a death he refused to acknowledge. Then as his final ace card, he pulled a vial on from his pocket and opened it.

In it was poison.

A poison he made.

In his last attempt to save the life he had left, he opened the bottle and prayed fervently that God would at least be kind to him, his ancestors, and his siblings or even to the memory of a long lost missionary who faithfully served God a long time ago. As Professor Owens' mouth tinged with poison, his memory brought him to the memory of a woman whose smiles can take everyone's heart away and whose beauty revels as of the moon.

Tonight, the very last of her is being taken away but Professor Owens wouldn't let fate take too much pleasure in it. Tonight, he'll change fate either by his death or by his redemption.