“Damn it!” The words burst out of me. I can’t find it. Why can’t I find it? What am I missing? It's been months now and I have nothing to show for! I stretch out on the desk. I stare at the flickering candle.

“What am I doing wrong?” I ask nobody.

“No regular antidote works.”

“No new combinations work either.”

“Every attempt to break it down fails.” What else do I know?

“I can control it.” While chanting only though…

“So, part of it is poison…” Part.

“So, then what's the rest of it?” I keep asking myself. I watch the light dance.

“I should be better at this… I should be able to figure this out…”So why can't I?

“Maybe I'm not looking at this the right way…” But what else is there? I keep talking to myself. I lean back in my chair. The Castle…

“What do we know about the castle?” It's technically not a Castle.

“It resembles one…” In a way…

“It has the shape of it?” Why?

“Let's put that aside for now.“ What else?

“The inside is ever changing…” Why?

“No clue.” Ok, set aside.

“What else?” I think for a painful moment. “It’s reoccurring?”

“Ok. Why? What else in this world is reoccurring?” Life? Not really… The seasons? Doesn’t help… Reoccurring… Reoccurring… Rejuve… No. That’s not it. Re…Re… What else is reoccurring but different?... I feel my heel tapping the ground. Think! Think damn it! Re… Re..Renewing? Huh.

“Renewing. What else is renewing?” The sun? Not really… The water? Water…Water… What else is like water? Blood? Wait.

“Mana is like water. It flows through the body. Like blood. It’s renewing too…”

“But what is mana exactly?” Hmmm… Power? Magic power. Life force… Wait.

“Life. Mana. Force. Source!” Mana needs a source. Mana is power. Mana can be restored… It can be renewed… I grab my cloak and leave my room. I need a second opinion… I make my way to the stables. The sun is barely out. It’s early but by the time I’ll get there… I get on a horse and make my way through the forest. If I’m right then the Rebirth and the Castle… Well, it would make sense… Kind of? But… What else am I missing? It does explain part of it… I jump off the horse as soon as the cabin falls into my view. It’s way too early.

“But this is important.” I knock on the door. Nothing. I knock again.

“Percival?” I hear someone above me. Sir Marcus.

“I know it’s early but I need to speak to Miss Laira.” I tell him. He stares at me for a second.

“It’s not locked.” He tells me and disappears from the window. I try the handle. It moves. I open the door and go inside. Miss Laira and Sir Marcus come down too.

“Percival, what’s wrong? You look horrible.” Miss Laira looks me over.

“Oh, no, don’t worry about me. I’m fine, just been busy.” I shake my head.

“If you say so. Would you like something…”

“What’s the noise here?” Sir Jack and Sir Rixa walk downstairs too.

“Oh, I didn’t know you were here as well.”

“Kid, we’ve been here since the battle.” Sir Rixa tells me. Oh right.

“My apologies, I’m a bit distracted.” I lower my gaze.

“You look like Hell.” Sir Jack sits down on the couch next to me.

”Do you people not realize what time it is?” Lady Culebra.

“My apologies!” I stand up and bow. “It’s all my fault!”

“Percival. Relax.” Miss Laira sits me back down. “What’s wrong?”

“Well, I have been thinking, about the Rebirth…” I look down at my feet as I speak. “I have been doing a bunch of experiments with the samples that I brought back with me but all attempts have been in vain… So, I started thinking about it from a different angle…” I wait a moment.

“I have reason to believe the Rebirth has a source of magic power… Or the Castle itself is one.”

“What exactly are you saying?” Sir Marcus asks.

“Kid, are you telling us that that THING is alive?” Sir Rixa asks as well.

“I wouldn’t say it is alive but…”

“Then what are you saying?” Sir Jack leans forward. I feel his hard stare.

“Percival, what makes you think that the Castle has a magic power source?” Miss Laira sits next to Sir Marcus. I don’t dare to look at her…

“Because it is a reoccurring event. There are very few forces that are able to renew themselves and it does, well did make sense… In my head…” Maybe I shouldn’t have come here…

“Yes. You are correct. It is reoccurring.” Miss Laira agrees with me.

“Exactly, so maybe we need to ask why? What makes it reoccurring?” I look at her briefly but she has her gaze down. Sir Marcus has his arm around the Miss’s waist…

“Ok, I’ll bite. Why?” Sir Rixa is not pleased…

“The only way I can think of it, is that it has to have a source. A source of magic power. Mana.”

“How would it have that?” Sir Marcus asks.

“I don’t know… That’s why I wanted to discuss this with Miss Laira, I wanted to get a second opinion…”

“I mean, yes, the fact that it repeats itself is weird, only nature does that…”

“Exactly!” I jump off the couch.

“Easy, kid, you’ll hurt yourself.” Sir Jack pulls on my robe.

“Sorry.” I sit back down. “Also, according to the records – the Castle is ever changing…”

“Which makes it not so natural…” I can tell miss Laira is picking up on something.

“Well, I mean, the one stable and renewing force is mana – which is like fuel for the magic power…” I try to make sense of it but…

“What else can have or need a power source?” Sir Marcus is asking the right question…

“A curse…” I hear my own voice in a whisper.

“Are you saying the Castle is cursed?” Sir Jack asks me.

“Curses need a condition, don’t they?”

“Yes, you are right.” I look at the Mage. “But they also need a source. Or an item to what the curse would cling to.”

“Let’s assume for the moment that the Castle is cursed.” Miss Evergreen looks at me. “Would that be able to explain why the Rebirth repeats itself?”

“Perhaps.” I nod… “If the curse has a power source, and the conditions are met, then, perhaps that is why…”

“Why do you think that the curse has a power source? Can’t it be some sort of a thing? Something that is not alive?” Sir Marcus makes a good point…

“Because it keeps changing…” I mumble…

“Like it’s alive… Or part of it?...” I hear Miss Laira’s voice.

“Can you prove any of this?” Lady Culebra asks.

“I would need to do more research…” I keep my head down...

“Well then, it’s a good thing we have another fifty years to figure this out…”