Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

Chapter 345: Red crystal

"I hate this kind of situation... how the fuck that bastard is so cunning?" Rain thought.

Rain couldn't shake the troubling thought that the King might be the masterminds behind this situation. Without the royal family present, it appeared that the cunning monarch had intentionally left his daughter behind, likely planning to craft a narrative of her kidnapping, with the royal guards serving as witnesses.

This unsettling notion implied that those who should have been protecting Princess Esmeralda were now part of a complex scheme. If this was indeed true, its purpose seemed to be manipulating the entire kingdom into believing that the princess had been abducted. Such a fabrication could elicit sympathy and rally support for the king and Joanis' agenda.

As Rain contemplated this disconcerting possibility, he felt the weight of the intricate web of deceit that had entangled not only the royal family but the entire realm. Joanis had turned his own daughter into a pawn in his perilous quest for power, and the future of the kingdom hung in the balance.

"I should have killed both of them when I had the chance... making the entire country my enemy would be less annoying than this," Rain thought.

In any case, Rain dashed to where Branden and Esmeralda were and soon he realized that something was off... they weren't moving at all, even though they were alive. That was weird and concerning...

When Rain reached the room, Rain found Branden holding Esmeralda's hand while she was in her bed... she was unconscious. Branden was by her side trembling a fair bit... Soon, Rain understood why. Her condition looked bad... and Rain had seen that before... It was when Roswall and Melody had been poisoned.

"Why... why would he go to such lengths?" Branden asked. "She is his daughter!"

"... Let me check her for a bit," Rain said.

During this initial phase, the poison subtly infiltrated their system, gradually sapping the strength of their immune defenses.

As time passed and the victim's immune system weakened, the poison remained dormant, patiently awaiting the right moment to strike. Once the immune system had been sufficiently compromised, the poison would activate with ruthless precision, swiftly progressing to deliver a fatal outcome.

Surviving such a poison was a rare feat, achievable by only a select few. Throughout history, those remarkable individuals who had managed to emerge unscathed from its clutches became celebrated legends of their era. It was widely believed that only those blessed with extraordinary vitality and unwavering health could hope to withstand the relentless assault of this deadly toxin.

These survivors served as living testaments to the unyielding human spirit and the extraordinary power of exceptional well-being.

"I will need a bunch of your potions, Rain," Terra declared.

"No problem," Rain said. "I am a bit pissed, so I am going to steal a bunch from the kingdom to relieve some stress."

"Lord Branden, I will have to ask you to leave for a while," Terra said. "This might not be pretty and we don't want you to get emotional and we also need to avoid future problems..."

"Okay..." Branden said and then closed his eyes before letting out a long sigh.

"Please, call your sisters, they probably can help me with that," Terra said. "Asche, Liss and Reca are too clumsy for this."

That was weird, while they could use healing magic, it wasn't their speciality. Rain also felt a bit bad for letting his sisters seeing a person slowly dying like that, but perhaps such a thing would make them more eager to develop their healing skills than the fighting ones.