In the hall, Duozian was sitting down across from another man who had formal attire and a grim expression.

  Duozian nodded at him in courtesy, "They say you're one of the only doctors in this region... Do you have any idea how this can be cured?"

  The man wore ragged, sweaty brown clothes and had short brown hair streaked with grey. He sported a scruffy goatee and carried a briefcase. Adjusting his black glasses, he asked, "So you experience intense bodily pain at night? And this has been ongoing for a while?"

  Duozian nodded briefly, "That's right."

  He sighed and said without bothering to hide his displeasure, "This is just a simple case of muscle ache! Did you really need to waste my time!"

  Duozian's expression didn't change in the slightest. "Don't worry about your time, Doctor Chazos, I'll compensate for every minute."

  The man scowled arrogantly, "Then give me my money and let me be on my way because I have other clients to see!"

  Doctors were difficult to find in the Bloodmoon Region due to a lack of education and opportunities. As a result, most people resorted to crime to make a living, making doctors very expensive. The doctor before Duozian was eccentric and, while unqualified by the standards of most other kingdoms, was still highly sought after in the Bloodmoon Region.

  Duozian didn't say anything and slipped his upper garment off, showing off his muscular physique to the man. The instant he did, the doctor's eyes widened.

  "This... this is..." He quivered.

  Duozian looked at him grimly. Right at the centre of his body, there was a dark red patch the size of a fist, which formed a hollow in his chest, an inch deep. From within, leaked a very faint vestige of silver, but it was far too faint for anyone to notice.

  The doctor finally settled down, his expression turning from shocked to thoughtful. He then walked up to Duozian and closely inspected his scar, "Apologies... sorry for my disrespect."

  Duozian didn't respond and threw his shirt to the side.

  "In my thirty years of studying severe health conditions and seeing different illnesses, I've... never seen something like this in my lifetime." The doctor said thoughtfully before looking back up to Duozian, "How did this happen?"

  He returned the look and said expressionlessly, "I'd rather not say."

  The doctor looked at him for a second before going back to examining his wound, "This has dug deep into your chest... how long exactly were you living like this?"

  "For quite a long time now. But the pain only got severe quite recently." Duozian said calmly.

  The doctor looked up at him in shock, "A long time?! Why didn't you try to get this cured before?"

  Duozian didn't respond. The man stared at him in question, then went back to inspecting his wound. After a while, he got up and shook his head, "Even with my level of experience, I don't have what it takes to make a diagnosis..."

  Duozian closed his eyes slowly. Seeing that Duozian seemed disappointed, the man got filled with indignation. He cleared his throat, "However, what I do know is that the Dracoferus Tribe farms an orb called a Cryptic Amethyst. At first glance, it's just a small silver orb; however, its analeptic properties are otherworldly. There's no disease or illness that hasn't been able to be cured since it was discovered."

  "I see..." Duozian muttered before he got up and pulled his shirt back on. His eyes gleamed with a sorrowful light, "I already know of this Cryptic Amethyst, but I have my reasons as to why I haven't pursued one up until now..."

  "Then what do you plan on doing?"

  Duozian sighed, then threw him a pouch of Krecos, "Don't worry about me, doc. Thanks for your time."

  The doctor caught the pouch and then picked up his things before turning his back, "In that case, I'll be taking my leave. There are other clients I need to see."

  With that, he opened the door and left. Duozian stood there motionlessly watching the doctor leave with his unearthly eyes, deep in thought.

  Eclipse crept back to his bed, then lay down with his hands behind his head, conflict, confusion and even helplessness thrumming in his veins.

  Just what kind of an illness was he suffering from? Eclipse pondered.

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  Eclipse then suddenly thought of how Duozian looked worn out each morning.

  "No wonder he goes out every morning", he muttered, "He probably needed to buy medicine..."

  Time slowly passed, and Eclipse finally sat up on his bed. He noticed that the horizon was as dark as ever and the full moon continued to shine brightly; it was almost like a duvet made of vermillion jewel. Its red rays cut through the darkness and softly embraced Eclipse. He slowly raised his hand, as if trying to grasp the moonlight.

  Another hour passed by with the clock striking 4 a.m. However, Eclipse was sitting in the same position, deeply contemplating something. Finally, he got up and peeked into the hall. Seeing as how Duozian was no longer there, Eclipse soundlessly left his room.

  Eclipse and Duozian sat on the small dining table, quietly eating breakfast. Neither of them had spoken to the other since they had woken up. Eclipse constantly observed Duozian's troubled and gloomy demeanour as they ate.

  "Old man," Eclipse spoke, finally breaking the silence, and said in quite a stern tone. "Does it taste good?"

  Duozian looked at him for a while, seemingly quite lost, then realisation struck him. Every time Eclipse made breakfast, he would compliment his cooking, but this time he didn't say anything. Duozian had been thinking about his own problems so much that he didn't pay any attention to Eclipse.

  He put down his cutlery and smiled, "Yeah, not bad, brat. Somehow, it's more tasty than your usual cooking."

  After having finished their meal, Duozian stood up, "Come, let's go for a walk."

  The weather was cold and windy, but despite this, Eclipse decided to respect Duozian's wishes and stepped out, a gourd of water in hand.

  "The perfect day for a walk, I guess…" Eclipse muttered, his words dripping with sarcasm.

  Duozian chuckled, "A little wind won't harm an A-class trouble-maker like you."

  Eclipse shot him a fierce glare, and Duozian immediately stiffened, "Oops, did I say something I shouldn't have said?"

  "…whatever."

  They walked through the woods, opposite to the direction of the village. The earth was soggy, and moisture hung in the air, causing Eclipse to shiver. Duozian, however, was unfazed by all of this, almost as if he was used to this.

  "It's weird for us to take a walk like this. Something on your mind, old man?"

  Duozian chuckled, "Haha, it wouldn't hurt for you to call me grandfather for once in your life. But, no, not necessarily, I just want to show you something."

  They walked a bit more then finally reached a cliff. The swashing of an ocean resonated from below, clearly agitated by the unusually cold weather. The cliff itself seemed very spacious and isolated.

  Duozian took his gaze to a tombstone which was situated next to a large tree and began walking towards it, his hands behind his back. When he got there, he let out a sigh of grief, then said, "Eclipse, you've never really asked about who this tombstone belongs to, haven't you?"

  “You've never told me,” Eclipse slowly walked towards him, then sighed, trying his hardest not to sound awkward, "If telling me would cause you discomfort, then naturally you'd be at an even greater discomfort if I asked myself."

  Duozian didn't respond. He knelt next to the tombstone with his eyes closed, then, after quite a while, opened them once again. "It belongs to my lover from the past."

  Eclipse's eyes slowly widened, "Your lover...?"

  "This tombstone is merely a vessel of remembrance. Her real grave is somewhere else… quite far away." Duozian stood up, then walked over to the tree beside it and caressed the bark, seemingly deep in thought, "My mistakes led to her death..."

  Eclipse silently listened to him before he walked over and knelt down next to the tombstone. He then emptied the gourd of water on its surface and closed his eyes in silence for a good two minutes. He finally got up once again, "Old man… You don't need to tell me your life story."

  Duozian let out a weak smile, "You're right… I'm acting like an old man who gives life lessons to a wall, is what you'd say, wouldn't you?"

  Eclipse also returned a warm smile, "Well, aren't you an old man who gives life lessons to a wall?"

  Duozian suddenly froze, looking straight at Eclipse's face. Eclipse's face fell in confusion, "What's wrong? Is there something on my face?"

  "Yes, there is! You smiled just now." Duozian said, still unable to believe what he had seen.

  "Huh? How is that relevant?"

  Duozian's laughter rang out, "It's the most relevant thing I’ve seen! This is the first time I’ve ever seen you smile."

  "Wha- wait, now you're embarrassing me. Way to kill the mood." Eclipse grunted and then headed towards the cliff. The ocean reverberated beneath him, waves crashing to the shore, then getting absorbed into the ocean once again.

  Duozian walked up to him and patted him on the shoulder, finally having calmed down from his laughter. "I'm grateful to have a child like you."

  "This isn't the first time you've said this, so stop saying those weird things, old man."

  Contrary to Eclipse's expectation, Duozian didn't laugh, but instead, he let out a deep sigh, and his light-blue pupils reflected the wide ocean below him. "I am already an ancient fossil, so I'm bound to pass from this world soon. If, one day, I do pass away…then come to this same spot to let out your grief, after all, my heart rests here.”

  “Scream and shout as much and as loud as you can, but I'll allow you to do it once, after all, you have to move on with your life. Once you build resolve, look ahead… look far, far ahead; let your sorrows strengthen your mind and soar into the future… rather than letting the sorrows shatter you and drown you in endless darkness…"

  Eclipse was flabbergasted by his speech. He immediately turned to look at Duozian's face, and at that moment his jaws opened in astonishment. Duozian's flawless white hair fluttered in the wind, and his eyes sparkled with wisdom, but within them, Eclipse could clearly see droplets of tears which had not yet fallen out. Noticing Eclipse's gaze, he blinked once, and the hanging droplet disappeared.

  "Hey, hey, old man! Calm down. You're talking like you're already dead…"

  Duozian chuckled lightly, "You saucy brat, haha."

  The two then spoke and laughed with each other until the sun peaked, after which they came back.

  Eclipse decided to go to the village. As he left, Duozian looked longingly at his shrinking figure.

  He was then gone...

  As soon as he left, the atmosphere became gloomy once again. Duozian looked up at the sky, and his eyes glowed with an incomparably gloomy light. The palest flicker of blue crackled from the sky above. “It's gotten weaker.”

  "I'm sorry, Eclipse…"