Rayna hummed softly; she could guess just how sharp Elara's predictions and sixth sense were. The woman sitting across from her was already among the youngest billionaires in Floravia.
Elara caught the hesitation flickering across Rayna's face. "At least let us try," she pressed. "You've failed before, so if we fail again, it won't harm, right?"
Rayna sighed, taking both cups from the table. "Call Anya and start searching the books we need. Then we'll think. Okay?" With that, she walked toward the kitchen area.
Elara made her way to Anya's door and knocked firmly. "Anya, wake up. We need to work." Several knocks later, the door creaked open. Anya rubbed her eyes, hair tousled, the soft glow of morning lending her an innocent, sleepy charm.
But for Elara, nothing was charming until Elara did something for the woman who had risked her life for her.
"Freshen up quickly, then help me find the book," Elara said sharply.
Anya stretched and yawned. "What book?"
Elara clenched her jaw. Normally, anyone might find this morning-bluntness endearing, but to her, it was irritating.
"A book that can tell us how we can suppress a powerful spirit." Her tone carried a snap, exhaustion threading through it. Anya rolled her eyes but didn't argue and walked off to freshen up.
After a while, she returned, and Rayna arrived with breakfast. They ate in silence, though their eyes kept drifting to Elara. She barely touched her food, lost in thought, pushing bites around her plate.
"Senior, eat," Anya urged gently, patting her shoulder. "We have also been doing this work for years, and trust us, you need to be fit to actually handle all the maddening things here."
Elara nodded and finally picked up a fork. Swallowing was hard, but somehow she managed to finish her breakfast with them.
Once they finished their breakfast, they started searching for books and notes that might help.
Zara had already updated them about Arin's condition. According to her, Arin was normal and had gone to the hospital as usual. The trio felt a small relief that the soul wasn't trying to take over Arin, at least for now.
After hours of searching and skipping lunch, Anya finally exclaimed, "I found something!" Her voice drew Elara and Rayna closer.
Rayna took the notebook. "Hmm… written by Ezra. Then for sure, it's going to work."
Elara frowned. "Isn't he the man who senses spiritual ruptures in nature?" Both Rayna and Anya nodded.
Rayna walked to her desk and sat down. "I've worked with him once," she said, flipping through the pages and adjusting her glasses.
Elara sat across from her. "You mean that famous mission in Mireveil?"
Rayna chuckled and nodded. "Yes, that one… He's exceptionally skilled at what he does, and I believe we will…" Her eyes caught something, and she smirked, pointing to a line. Elara and Anya bent to see it.
Elara smirked, while Anya frowned. "Silver Dusk?" she asked, unfamiliar with the term.
Elara, who had once heard about it, decided to confirm. "Yes. Silver Dusk… it's actually a burn of a silver leaf."
Anya looked at Elara with a raised brow, and Rayna hummed, "She's right. It's an ash."
Anya rubbed her forehead, "How is it even made?"
Rayna understood the confusion and explained patiently. "They say when the first light of dusk touches the silver-leafed tree in the spirit realm, the leaves catch fire…"
Elara and Anya leaned forward as Rayna continued, "…and drop a glowing ember called Silver Dusk."
Both nodded, and Anya leaned against the chair, crossing her arms. "Moondust made that spirit stronger… and now we're going to try this Silver Dusk? So it finally kills us?" her voice dripping with mockery and frustration.
Rayna glared at her while Elara closed her eyes as a faint smile tugged at her lips despite herself.
Rayna stood up, "Follow me..." She ordered, and both started trailing behind her.
Rayna walked to the far end of the lab and closed her eyes. Anya and Elara exchanged a look as the floor trembled beneath them.
Anya gasped and grabbed Elara's hand, but Elara pulled away. Her jaw was tight in annoyance. Anya rolled her eyes, staring as a circle drew itself around them and the floor slowly descended.
"Professor… are we going to the spirit world?" Anya asked in panic.
Rayna shook her head at Anya. "No, we're not. We're going to the secret lab I told you about." Anya nodded in relief.
When the floor stopped, they entered another room. It was beautiful and well-organized. Rayna approached an almirah and whispered words neither Anya nor Elara could catch.
Soon, the almirah opened, revealing rows of glowing glass jars. Anya's breath caught. "Wow… they're all glowing! What are they?"
Rayna smirked. "These are made from metals and other materials. You could call them dusts of metals. This one," she pointed, "is Ember Spark. It looks like ash, but when activated, it creates a protective shield."
Elara stepped closer, frowning. "They're beautiful… but where is Silver Dusk?"
Rayna lifted a silver-glowing jar. "This. I don't have much. A university professor once gave it to me."
Elara hummed, and Rayna added, "Shall we try?"
Elara and Anya nodded together. Rayna used a small funnel to scoop some of the dusk before returning the jar.
After that, they returned to the main lab the same way. Anya chuckled and added, "The floor was like a lift, going up and down."
Rayna and Elara huffed but let it slide. They were too focused on Ezra's note to argue.
Elara bit her lip, glancing at Rayna. "Should we spread some on the book? That might help."
Rayna retrieved the book from the shelf and flipped through its pages until she reached a blank one. The trio exchanged a tense look.
Anya finally looked at them seriously, "We can't waste it because it's limited. Just a pinch on a single page?"
Her words caught Rayna and Elara's attention. Both nodded in agreement. Rayna stepped forward and carefully sprinkled some of the dusk onto the page.
The page began to burn almost immediately. Their jaws dropped as panic surged through them. Elara lunged forward and tried to remove the dusk with her hand, which burned her hand too.
She hissed, and at the same time, the funnel beside the book cracked as the particles of dusk touched it.
Anya covered her mouth as a small scream escaped her lips, while Rayna flinched, her mouth agape in shock.
Meanwhile, a shard of the glass funnel had cut the back of Elara's hand. She yanked her hand back to her chest, but a drop of blood had already fallen onto the page.
Rayna stepped closer to inspect the wound. Anya's gaze, however, was fixed on the book.
"Get the first aid, Anya," Rayna ordered urgently, but there was no response. She glanced at Anya, ready to snap, and saw her frozen. Anya was staring at the open page.
She lifted a shaky finger and slowly pointed. Both Elara and Rayna turned to the book, just to gasp.
"It… showed up?" Elara murmured, glancing at Rayna, whose wide-eyed expression mirrored her own shock.