Chapter 4: A strange cure 
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In a dimly lit room, at a restricted area of the Flavius’s estate, Marks was laying on a bed, and at his side, as it has been for every night of the past 2 years, Domi was reading him a story. She was still as beautiful as always with her dark long hair and her silvery eyes, but a clear sign of fatigue could be seen on her face due to the constant feeling of sadness and worry. 

To her, none of the pain she was experiencing could be compared to her son’s, and she was determined to do whatever she could to reduce his burden.

‘He must be feeling lonely.’ she thought while turning the page of the thick book she was holding. 

“Heavens, what have we done to deserve such a punishment!?” she murmured. This is not the first time she has blamed the heavens for the fate of her son. How can she keep believing in the Wolf God if despair is the only thing sent her way.

Knock knock knock

Suddenly,  knocks could be heard followed by the sound of the door opening. Domi was a little surprised because Veris rarely comes to visit their son at this time of the night. Moreover, her sharp female sense of smell could trail a strong scent of alcohol emanating from someone a few feet away.

‘Don’t tell me he is drunk.’ she thought. As she was getting ready to nag at her husband for what she thought was his irresponsible behavior. Strangely, she saw him following an old and seemingly drunk old beggar with a respectful attitude. Domi thought she was dreaming, and her surprise turned into anger.

‘How can he bring a drunkard of all people in this room and at this time of the night?’

“VERIS, What’s the meaning of this?” She said with a questioning tone. 

Veris, who knew his wife’s temper like the back of his hand, could at a glance understand what Domi was thinking. He knew how protective she was, and by bringing a stranger who looks like a drunkard in Marks’s room, he has with no doubt angered her. However, he cannot let his wife offend Bobinus; the only hope they have to save their son. At first, he wanted to have the immortal wait for him in the hall while he updated his wife on the situation, but he quickly changed his mind fearing how this excentric immortal could react to his proposal. Therefore, he had no other choice but to have an awkward discussion with Domi in Bobinus’s presence, and hope that her emotions won’t prevail on her reason. He hurriedly replied.

“Domi, this is lord …” Veris scratched his head. He realized that during all the time he has spent interacting with this immortal, he has failed to ask his name. He was embarrassed, but fortunately, Bobinus introduced himself.

“My name is Bobinus, Madam, and  I am a venerable immortal.” The introduction would have seemed flawless if Bobinus wasn’t so drunk.

Once Domis heard Bobinus’s words, she was strangely calm. Unlike, her husband who reacted recklessly, she proceeded to observe the old man carefully, taking every detail of his frame and behavior into account. Then, she addressed him with a respectful tone, “Venerable Immortal Bobinus welcome to the Flavius’s estate”. Veris was surprised by his wife’s reaction, but what he failed to realize is that Domi is the most rational in the family. Of course, she acts emotionally sometimes when she is dealing with Veris or her son, but when it comes to the people outside of the family, she would take the time to observe them before adjusting the way she interacts with them. She didn’t know what an immortal was, but she has seen how respectful her husband was when talking to this old beggar, convincing her that there must be something special about him. Moreover, Bobinus claimed he could save her son, turning her greatest wish into reality. Why shouldn’t she take the gamble and be respectful to him? Plus, If she ever senses something is wrong with the treatment,  she could intervene at any moment to prevent him from hurting her son. She didn't care how he looked or acted. The only thing she cared about was whether he could save her son or not.

“We should get started on the treatment. I have a few important matters to attend.” Bobinus cut short Veris and Domi's threads of thoughts. Having been an immortal for so many years, how can’t he have noticed what was going on between this pair of husband and wife. To him, Veris was worrying for nothing, making him wait in the hall would have just been another opportunity to take a nap. For him, Calling him a drunkard or gambler is not an insult to him but the truth since he likes drinking and gambling more than others.  

“Certainly Venerable Bobinus, Please Proceed.” Veris Replied.

Bobinus stood at the side of the bed and started to concentrate. This was a simple procedure for someone at his realm, but he was still careful. 'We never know what can happen when dealing with a Death Butterfly.' he thought.

Indeed, what Marks was suffering from was a disease called the Blooming of the Death Butterfly. These insects are beautiful with blue color and their wings shaped like flowers. They like living in places rich in sunlight and dense in spiritual energy. The clearing of Lumiere, where Marks liked to hang out, is such a place. During their mating season, the female butterflies would look for hosts that they can use to incubate their eggs. These hosts are most of the time spiritual beasts because they are the closest to them, but they can also choose humans as is the case for Marks. During the incubation period, the larvae would suck the spiritual essence of their hosts reducing the connection between the soul and the body. The connection is not completely cut off because this would mean the death of the hosts, but it is reduced to a point where their souls become isolated making the victims unable to use their senses. 

The incubation is usually 7 days for animals because they are not taken care of by their peers, but in the case of humans it can take around a year because of the care they received. An incubation period of 2 years just like Marks is extremely rare. Bobinus has never heard of such a thing, but he has heard that people with strong willpower can last longer when they contract the Blooming of the Death Butterfly. This is also one of the reasons he decided to help Marks. Of course, money was the most important factor. It is too hard to resist the taste of a well-fermented wine, the thrill of gambling, and the heat of a beautiful woman.

When Bobinus started his treatment, his aura changed. His drunkard presence was replaced by a noble one, indicating his venerable status. Veris and Domi felt it and were in awe of his dignified presence. The immortal proceeded to cover Marks with his spiritual energy, but he was still careful not to startle the sleeping larva, forcing it to panic and cut the connection between Marks’s body and soul. Slowly, he started to infuse Marks’s body with his spiritual energy starting from the extremities and reducing the possible location where the larva could be hiding. 

After a few minutes of probing, he finally discovered the insect which was obviously in the final phases of its incubation. The insect, which was as big as an adult fist, was located in Marks’s chest area close to his heart.

‘Huge, Is that how a 2-year incubated death butterfly looks like? I have to be careful or this kid might die’ he thought. Bobinus increased his level of concentration, startling the Flavius, and with a quick and decisive move, he pierced Marks’s chest with his right hand. The immortal grabbed the cocoon with his hand and tried to pull it out as fast as possible while dissolving a medicine he coated his hand with previously. 

When Veris and Domi witnessed Bobinus’s actions, they screamed and rushed toward him to prevent him from doing further harm to Marks. However, they were push back by Bobinus’s spiritual energy who did not hat time to care about these two morons. All his attention was on the larva which reaction he was expected.  He didn't have to wait long when the insect, feeling threatened, decided to end its incubation prematurely to fight back or at least escape. However, how could Bobinus, with his years of experience allowed it to do as it pleases? 

“Power comes and goes.”  After saying those strange words, the insect was surprised to see its strength dwindling. It became frenetic and tried to cut off the link between Marks’s soul and its body. This was what the old immortal was waiting for. Once he saw Marks’s tread of life, he wrestled it away from the insect with decisiveness. 

In an instant, the pressure in the room suddenly vanished, and Bobinus was standing at the same spot with a translucent cocoon in his hand.

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