It's already nighttime when Zemeth, Jegun, and Ramza arrived at Immortal Vearah's place.

They gathered in the living room to discuss the new development in the castle.

Jegun released a deep sigh. "Last night is a nightmare...we finally witnessed how destructive the monsters can be if they are released in public. They will eat humans and animals, no exemption!"

"Yes, and I'm fearing for the worst-case scenario when they released more monsters that we can handle," Ramza said.

"We should assign someone to patrol the castle just in case they released another batch of monsters so that we can prevent the slaughter," suggested Vearah.

"Ah, regarding that suggestion...I already assigned two of my men to guard the castle day and night. They will report to me if they will detect something unusual happening around the castle," Zemeth said.

"That's good!" Esmeralda spoke. "Regarding entering the castle, we don't have to worry about that issue anymore. We can enter the castle once the vampires will release the monsters by passing through the opening created by the golden sword. We just have to do it in a stealth way..." she suggested.

"Good idea!" Zemeth agreed. "I will enter the castle to save Ivy!" he said.

"Me too! We will enter the castle together, Zemeth. We don't need to bring Kate with us anymore because it's too dangerous for her. Our goal is to save Ivy, retrieve the golden dagger, and escape the castle. Once we will achieve our goal, the vampires can no longer release monsters and they will be forever trapped inside that forsaken castle with no way out," Esmeralda added.

"How are you gonna do it, guys?" Jegun asked. "For sure, the vampires will be there in the area overseeing the event along with their dark armies while the monsters are exiting the castle. They will be able to detect your presence if you enter the opening. And how are you gonna avoid the monsters that you will meet along the way while entering the castle? You have to solve these pressing issues first before going through that risky plan or else you will end up in the vampires' hands, and that would pose a much bigger problem than they already are," he reminded them.

"Of course, they wouldn't hurt me if they will see me," Esmeralda said confidently. She looked at Zemeth and addressed him. "You... on the other hand will have to think of a good method to enter the opening without the vampires noticing you," she told him.

Zemeth smiled. "Yes, of course, Granny. I already have a better plan on how to enter the opening undetected by the vampires. That is why you have to go in first and create drama to hold their attention. I will let the spotlight shine upon you so that I can enter undetected. When you got all their attention, they won't be able to see me coming in. I will find a way how to snatch Ivy and the golden dagger, then kill the leader of the vampires and escape the castle quickly. Of course, you also have to hurry and escape the castle as well..." he said.

Esmeralda smiled brightly. "Good idea! I think that would work. I'll go in first and you have to enter quick and do your thing at lightning speed. I suggest that you will focus on Ivy and the dagger, just leave Maxwell and his brothers alone, they will only delay your escape. The important thing is Ivy and the golden dagger!" she reminded him by emphasizing her last sentence.

"Okay, I'll do that," Zemeth lied. He swears to himself that once he will lay eyes on that vampire who cuts his neck he will do the same to him.

"We also need everyone's attention and effort to wait outside the opening to annihilate the monsters before they can get away from the castle. It will be hard to find them once they already covered several miles and scattered everywhere. The best way to prevent them from venturing far is to strike them while they're still at arm's length," Jegun pointed out.

"Don't worry about that, Grandpa. My men will watch the monsters and slaughter them as soon as they are already twenty meters away from the opening," Zemeth said.

"That's a good plan! We can't allow the monsters to massacre the innocent people again!" Jegun said.

"I volunteer to be on the front line because I have a poison powder that I can spread over the monsters faces, once they will inhale the poison powder they will die in seconds. Then if some monsters were able to get away from the poison powder, Zemeth's men can tackle them one by one. This way... we can kill many monsters in a short time!" Vearah suggested.

"That's a brilliant plan! Much better than what I have in mind," Jegun raved and gave the immortal a thumb up.

"Anything else? Let's hear any suggestion..." Zemeth asked everyone.

Suddenly, Aspen arrived in the living room with a flustered face. "Guys! You won't believe it! Rumors are circulating right now in towns that monsters are coming out during the night and already terrorized several villages and killed many people last night. Guys, are you aware of this news?" he asked them in alarm.

Esmeralda nodded her head. "Yes, it's true. The castle released more or less two hundred monsters last night. My mentor and I together with Zemeth, Jegun, and Ramza hunted and killed monsters all night long until the break of dawn. We witnessed the opening of the blazing barrier and saw those monsters rushing excitedly out of the castle like wild horses. So, we ran after them and hunt them down one by one," she concluded.

"Oh boy, I miss the action and fun! You should have informed me guys so that I can contribute something for the greater good of mankind," Aspen joked.

"Alright, just stay here with us beginning today. We need many hero's to fight the monsters because the biggest war is about to happen and we need all the help we can get," Esmeralda said.

"Okay, I'll fight the monsters, side by side with you guys," Aspen declared his support for the good cause.

"Good!" Esmeralda smiled feeling happy to see her friend again.

"Since we already agreed on everything... let's rest early and wait for the news from my men," Zemeth said. "We'll take our leave now and return to the island," he said.

Jegun rose to his feet. "Good night, everyone," he bid them good night.

"Good night," Esmeralda and Vearah replied in chorus.

Ramza and Kate looked at each other and smiled secretly.

The women sent the men outside the house and watched them enter the portal going back to the island.

They all went back to the house to retire for the night.

Kate and Ella approached Aspen sitting on the wooden chair in the living room.

Kate introduces Ella to Aspen. "Bro, meet my sister, Ella," she told him. "Sis...this is Aspen, Granny Esmeralda's twin," she joked.

"Hello, Aspen..." Ella smiled cheerfully at the visitor.

"Nice meeting you, Ella," Aspen replied.

"I'm going to the bedroom," Ella told them while yawning.

"Okay, go ahead, sis! I'll rest later. I still want to have a chat with Aspen," Kate said.

Ella sauntered towards the bedroom and entered it.

"What's wrong with your sister?" asked Aspen.

"She's the one that got bitten by a monster inside the cave," she said with a gloomy sigh. "From a pretty girl, she was now an old woman," she said sadly.

"Sorry to hear that, Kate," Aspen said.

"So...what's the latest news regarding your girl?" Kate asked curiously about the latest development with Aspen and the girl.

Aspen grinned. "I followed your brilliant advice from A to Z. I'm just lucky because there are a house and lot for sale near the market, so I bought it right away. It's just a small house... but spacious enough for the girl and her family. Big money can indeed bring wonderful changes to a poor girl's life," he said.

"Exactly!" Kate responded with a smile. "Good thing the girl trusted you right away," she commented.

"Of course, I didn't ask for anything in return for helping her. I told her that I'm a businessman and travel all over the country to conduct business with my partners... that impresses her. She agreed right away to work for me. I help her set up the store and prepare everything for the store opening, it was a big success. Her face sparkled and happiness illuminated her face the entire day..." Aspen narrated animatedly.

"I'm happy for the girl and you as well," Kate told him.

"Hmm, so how are you and your boyfriend?" It's now time for Aspen to ask.

Kate shrugged and released a deep sigh. "With the current situation right now... my sister Ivy was trapped again in the castle...and the monsters unleashed...well... we have no time for loving. Maybe after the problem is over, Ramza and I can finally look forward to our good future. For now, we need to focus on the crisis first, right?"

"Agree, we are facing tough times right now. But I'm sure Esmeralda can solve this crisis. We need to support her all the way," Aspen said.

"Of course, I will always support Granny Esmeralda. I'm even willing to go back inside the castle to help rescue my sister," Kate told him.

Aspen shook his head. "Nah, that's not a good idea, Kate. If you enter the castle, you might be trapped there again, along with your sister Ivy. That's adding to the already existing problem. Good thing Esme changed her mind and no longer wants you inside. That's the wise thing to do. Let's just leave everything to Esme and Zemeth since they know what to do. They already have a solid plan in place," Aspen said.

"Okay...I'm willing to follow the seniors' orders. They know how to analyze the situation better than I do," Kate said while yawning. "I'm feeling sleepy already. I'm going to sleep. Good night, Aspen!" she said.

"Good night!" Aspen replied.

They walked towards their respected room to retire for the night.