There was an eerie silence inside Caleb. He felt like those fallen leaves on ground that was covered with ice. His blood chilled and the coldness extended to his mind. He couldn't speak. Seeing Elize in this state was so painful that every other thing seemed like false hope. He was standing in the winter of his life experiencing a dark void, a never ending void that consumed him from the inside.

"How did this take place?" she asked.

​​

"I don't know," he replied in a barely audible voice. He was nursing her with a moist cold towel, sponging it on her body swiftly in order to reduce her fever.

"Let me help you," Dawn offered. She went to the bathroom to get a bucket of tap water. Caleb was so engrossed in sponging Elize that he didn't notice her. "Give me the towel. Let me soak it with fresh water."

Caleb looked at her with a dazed expression and handed it to her slowly. Dawn soaked it and gave it back to him after wringing. However, when she gave it to him, she noticed a drop of tear on the outside of his left eye, and it rolled out. Caleb took the towel to face and a sob escaped his chest. His shoulders shuddered and he started to cry.

"Caleb…" Dawn touched his back. She had never seen a man so broken. It was such a miserable sight that she had no words for it.

His body trembled as he broke down with his hands covering his face. "I— I ho— hope she becomes well."

Dawn bit her lip as her heart plummeted because she knew that the scenario was bleak. Caleb's situation made her feel that she was lucky to have Daryn as her partner and that she was alive after all that Sedora had done to her. Else even Daryn would have faced the same misery. She was happy that Daryn survived the plane crash in Amazon jungles. Everything flashed back in her mind and even she started to cry.

"Dawn!" Daryn called, making her jerk in surprise.

She turned back to see that he had entered with the doctor. She had messaged him to tell about Elize's condition and he turned half way back to home.

Caleb got up from there, wiped his tears and didn't even attempt to hide them. Daryn immediately went to his brother and held him by wrapping his arm across his shoulder. "She will be fine…" he comforted him.

The family doctor took her temperature. "She is burning. I have to give her an intravenous to lower her fever." Saying that he took out the medicine and injected it in her arm as the rest continued to see what he was doing. Once he was done, he said, "Daryn was telling about her ailment. Can you elaborate more?"

Dazedly, Caleb ambled to the writing table, took out all her reports and handed them to the doctor. "She has a brain tumor and the doctors in Yorkshire, her native place, have given up." He paused to catch his breath. "They have said that she would barely live a month or two…"

Taken aback, the doctor took the reports and read them thoroughly. "It is a grim situation Caleb," he said after reading them and keeping them on his lap. "Pray for her… These tumors only increase in size…"

Caleb swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. He wondered if he could trade his magic with God for her life.

When the doctor left, Daryn said, "Caleb, you must go to Ixoviya for crowing."

"Are you mad?" Caleb snapped. "She is almost dying here and you want me to become the king? And even if I do take the position, for how long is it going to be? I already feel so dejected seeing her. I wish I were the one suffering instead of her. Everyday I feel I am being dragged to an abyss of darkness with her. Can't you understand? I won't leave her even if she dies. I will protect her after she dies and for that I will follow her to death and beyond." He went to sit next to Elize and held her hand as fresh tears came out of his eyes.

His words were like a dagger to Dawn's heart. She started crying hysterically and Daryn had to hold her tight. The whole situation was so hopeless because they felt helpless. When Dawn calmed down, she walked to Caleb and said, "Daryn is right. Let's go to Ixoviya. Even if you don't want to be crowned, it is possible that there is a cure for her condition."

"I don't think there is," said Caleb. He was simply too disheartened.

For the entire day, Caleb was next to Elize. She hadn't woken up and he hadn't eaten a single morsel.

Elize woke up the next day in the morning to darkness. She blinked her eyes repeatedly but the action didn't help her. There was a crooked, rough blotch in her vision that obstructed her view. It was as if ink had dribbled over her vision. She rolled her head and the blotch seemed to follow her. It had completely obstructed her left eye and she blinked and rubbed to remove it, but the bloody thing remained. She turned her head more to the left in order to see Caleb who was still sleeping with his hand on her stomach. She felt bad for him. He had fallen in love with a girl like her and she didn't even have the time to reciprocate it let alone feel the love. A man so handsome and powerful as him, deserved much better.

"Hey beautiful," Caleb said when he sensed that he had woken up.

Elize turned her head more to the left in order to see him properly. His eyes appeared swollen and so did his lips, like that of a toddler who had cried. She chuckled wondering how their kids would look. She had begun to like him a lot, actually more than a lot.

"Hey!" she rasped with a smile although she sounded as if she was struggling to speak.

Caleb's brows furrowed. "What is wrong? Why are you holding your head like that? Can't you see straight?" His heart pounded heavily against his ribcage.

"No… I see a dark blotch in my vision…"

A gasp left Caleb. He was so helpless. "What can I do baby to ease you out of the pain?" he asked.

"You've done a lot already Caleb," she said with a smile.

He decided to not go for the training to Ensmoire that day. So Daryn went instead of him. However, he returned within half an hour. His face was scrunched and he looked too stressed. He went to Caleb's rom and said, "One of the factions have already started a revolt. I have to go to Ixoviya. Canton is waiting for me in Ensmoire."

Caleb had just given bath to Elize and he was feeding her with soup.

Elize frowned. "What is Ixoviya? What factions?"

Dawn came into the room and her face was pale. "I heard from Quetz about—" She became quiet as soon as she saw Elize's confused expressions.

"Let us go back to my room and talk!" said Daryn, feeling frustrated about the circumstances.

When they reached their room, Dawn was wild. "This is very bothersome and simply not done!"