Beep! Beep!
The sound of the heart monitor echoed through the hospital room, where Philip lay pale beneath the sheets, IV tubes coiled around him, and an oxygen mask covering his face.
Beside the bed stood Patricia, her red-rimmed eyes betraying the tears she had shed.
On the other side, the doctor examined Philip carefully, jotting notes onto his medical clipboard.
In the corner, Isaac and Peter watched with concern as the doctor worked.
Finally, the doctor finished his examination. He shook his head, sighed, and slipped his pen back into his pocket.
Peter approached slowly. "Doctor… is he alright? Is he going to be okay?" he asked in a broken voice.
The doctor looked at him, sighed, then turned to Isaac.
"It seems we have another case of the Sleeping Prince on our hands. Although those grotesque veins inside his body… I've never seen anything like them in all my years of medical practice. I can't make sense of what they are—or what they're doing to him. They're just… there."
"He said it was some sort of curse. A Time's Curse or something," Patricia added, her voice trembling. "He didn't tell us the details, but he said it meant his time was running out. And… he was…" She paused, glancing at Peter with a worried expression. "That he was going to die soon."
Peter drew a shaky breath, tears spilling down his cheeks. He moved closer to his father and clasped his pale hand.
"Oh, Dad… why? Why?" he sobbed.
Patricia's heart broke at the sight of Peter crying over his father. It felt as though she were reliving the same wrenching pain she had endured when her own father, Simon, died.
The memory was agonizing, and she could relate completely to what Peter was feeling. She stepped closer, gently rubbing his shoulders in comfort as her own tears fell.
Isaac sighed as he watched the scene unfold. It was truly heartbreaking. Losing a loved one was a wound time could never easily heal.
He exhaled and turned to the doctor. "So… what should we do now?"
The doctor looked at him and shook his head. "I don't know, Captain Phillips. This issue is far beyond my control. We still haven't truly understood the Sleeping Prince case, and now this… a curse? Forgive me, sir, but I am a doctor. My belief and expertise are rooted in science, not supernatural mysteries. But… I promise that my team of highly skilled, specialized doctors and I will work tirelessly to find answers to this mystery—so that he can be saved."
Isaac nodded. "Thank you, Doctor. We truly appreciate this. Truly. Thank you."
The doctor nodded in response. "It's my pleasure. Now, if you'll excuse me."
He walked out of the room.
Isaac turned to see Patricia and Peter still comforting each other. He sighed.
"I'm going out to see Davis. I'll be back soon," he said.
Patricia turned to him with teary eyes. "Of course. See you soon."
Isaac nodded, hummed softly, and walked out of the room.
He closed the door gently and stood in the dimly lit hallway.
Slowly, he lifted his hands and stared at them intently before letting out a bitter chuckle.
"What have I done?" he whispered.
He sighed, closing his eyes as tears slipped onto his palms.
Exhaling, he wiped them away and began walking down the hallway.
.....
"What! Are you insane? Do you know what you're doing? No, I can't let you do that, Isaac. I can't. You mean so much to everyone here—especially Patricia. And now you want to break her heart? What gives, man?" Davis demanded, staring at Isaac in disbelief.
They were sitting in an office inside the hospital.
Isaac sighed. "You know this is the only way, Davis. Even if it's selfish or wrong…"
"Selfish? Wrong? Isaac, it's beyond stupid—and painful! My God, can't you see how this will break Patricia? She's just accepted you into her heart, made you the love of her life, and now this? How do you think she'll survive after you do this to her? The poor girl lost her parents, was betrayed by the man she loved before, lost her precious horse, and now another father figure in her life. She's devastated, Isaac. She needs you now more than ever. And you want to add to her sorrow with this? What is the reason to fear so much that you'd run away?" Davis pressed.
"Oh, there is a reason to fear, Davis! A reason to be very scared. And that's why I have to. I have to," Isaac retorted. "As long as I'm here, everyone is in danger—including Patricia."
He paused, exhaled, then rose from his chair, running a hand through his hair in frustration.
"Listen to me, Davis," Isaac said, locking eyes with him. "This… this is all my fault. Do you hear me? It's because of me. My fault for touching that bloody cursed thing! Ever since then, one mysterious event after another has unfolded—things that can't be explained, but are hurting our loved ones."
He paused, sighing as he shook his head. "I felt it, Davis. I felt the power—the force—coursing through me as it squeezed the life out of Saccoth right in front of me. I tried to stop it, I tried to fight against it, but I couldn't. It was as if my soul was frozen inside my body. I couldn't do anything but watch helplessly as the force used me to harm him."
Isaac's voice trembled as he continued. "And now I wonder… what it can do to the others. To you, Zach, Alisha, my family—even Patricia. If it manipulated Saccoth to try and kill her, and then destroyed him in the end, what do you think it will do to me? It already used me to kill Saccoth, silencing him before he could confess what it was. What if it uses me to kill more people who know about it, Davis? What then? What then?"
He exhaled sharply, frustration etched across his face. "I'm sorry, but I think the best solution is for me to leave—go far away, where I won't hurt anyone else. Where it won't use me to hurt the people I love. I have to leave."
Davis sighed, staring at Isaac's determined expression. It seemed there was no reasoning with him. But he had to try—for the sake of their friendship. He hated to see Isaac falling apart like this. He had to make it right, for everyone.
He stood from his seat and moved to stand beside Isaac.
"It's okay, Isaac. I understand this is very difficult for you. It's difficult for me too—because we don't know what we're up against, or why of all the people in the world it chose us as its victims and pawns. We really don't know. And I understand that you want to protect us, to keep us safe. But Isaac… do you really think running away will solve the problem? Do you really think everyone will be safe if you leave? Most importantly, do you think this… thing, this entity, will leave you alone or stop using you if you run away? Do you think it will just let you go?"
He leaned closer, his voice steady but urgent. "Think about it. You said yourself this entity is manipulating events—manipulating our lives. It knew we would be at Blake's mansion that day. It knew you would touch it and free it. It knew we would take it with us, and that we would bring that man here who later disappeared with it. It knew everything. Think about it.
From Alisha's kidnapping, to the old McCoy mansion, that hideous chest, the strange articles, the letters, the golden box, Viper's disappearance, McGuillary, Patricia's accident, and now… Saccoth. It knows everything."
Isaac's eyes widened, his expression shifting to panic at the mention of all those events.
Davis sighed and gripped Isaac's shoulders, turning him to face him.
"Do you really think it will let you go? I can't help but feel it already knows about our conversation—that you're planning to leave, trying to defy it. Do you think it will allow that? Do you think it will let you defy its will, defy what it wants? Do you?"
Isaac didn't reply. He only sighed, shook his head, and closed his eyes as silent tears slipped down his cheeks.
Davis exhaled, his own eyes stinging with tears. "Go back to Aphilis. Go back to Canada. Go back to your family. Take a couple of days to rest. But take Patricia with you—she needs a break from all this too. She needs you. I'll stay here with Alisha and Zach, and I'll keep an eye on Saccoth and his family. I'll keep you posted on everything. But don't cut your trip short because of it."
Isaac exhaled and wiped away his tears. "It's okay, Davis. Thank you. I guess you're right. Maybe a break could… could be good for me. For Patricia as well. But either way… it's not going to stop us from finding a way to rid ourselves of this thing, right?" He chuckled faintly.
"Right. This is a mess that needs to be solved after I get a thousand kicks, kisses, and hugs from my sweet hooligan. I didn't get enough time with her at the derby. And I'm more sorry that she didn't even get enough time to wait until Patricia woke up and recovered at the hospital. She had to take Jonathan and his daughter out of there as soon as possible—otherwise things would've gotten complicated," said Davis.
"Mmm… yes. But you should also get some rest, Davis. You two deserve quality time together. Your relationship is at a critical starting point, and it needs a strong foundation. So why don't you two be the first ones to go on a trip, and Patricia and I will follow, huh?" suggested Isaac.
"Mmm… no, no, no. You and Patricia deserve the trip even more than Nicole and I. The two of you have been through so much lately, and you need a break. Besides, have you forgotten that Patricia is now the world's second champion derby racer? It's only a matter of time before she's required to race again. Not to mention, she's now the Silver Horse of that club. She'll be facing Montenegra soon and needs to be fully prepared. Those events might make it difficult for the two of you to meet frequently. So you need to make the most of your time together. That's why you should take this trip first."
"Aaah…" Isaac exhaled. "Okay, fine. We'll go to Canada on the eve of her succession ceremony next week. We'll spend at least two weeks there, then come back just in time for her birthday. That will be good."
"Yes, that will be great. I'll also ask Mom to bring Tanya over. Since she's the same age as Alisha and Zach, maybe they can get along and have some fun for a while," said Davis.
"Okay. But isn't Tanya supposed to be at school? You know, at college like Alisha and Zach?" asked Isaac.
"Mmm… yes. But the thing is… Tanya is not much of a school person. Trust me, it's a miracle she even graduated from high school. Mom wants her to take some professional courses and at least earn a degree in something. But… haa, it's complicated," replied Davis.
Isaac chuckled. "Talk about rough brotherly luck. I'm also struggling with Ian. Can you believe he wants to drop out of school to become a club DJ? A DJ! Can you believe it? Ian is a whiz when it comes to computers and software engineering—a solid profession that could earn him a lot of money. But he wants to throw it all away to become a DJ. Unbelievable. He's going to hear a piece of my mind when I get back home. The kid is going to get what's coming to him."
Davis chuckled. "Well, can you blame him, man? In Aphilis, you can earn about three hundred thousand bucks in one night as a club DJ. That's three grand! A salary that would take us months to make here—and he can earn it in one night."
"Yes, but still… that's not a steady job or profession. In Aphilis, he could earn about five million dollars per month as a software engineer. That's real money, Davis. The DJ business is like breadcrumbs from the elite table. So why settle for breadcrumbs instead of the main feast? I mean, come on. Seriously." Isaac shook his head. "Some things just need common sense, you know."
"Mmm… don't worry, my friend. Ian is lucky he's going to meet his feisty future sister-in-law. Trust me—if anyone can reason with him, it's definitely Patricia. You'll see," said Davis.
Isaac chuckled. "You're right. My Sweeches really is a tough nut to crack—and I'm glad. Hopefully she'll agree to go away for a couple of days. Unlike me, she might need a lot of convincing."
"Don't worry. I'm sure she'll agree. Just don't rush it. Ask her after a few days—at least until this chaos with Saccoth has cooled down," said Davis.
"Yeah, sure," Isaac replied.
Just then, a knock sounded at the door.
Isaac and Davis exchanged a glance before Davis moved to open it.
On the other side stood a woman with ginger-colored hair, brown eyes, a flat nose, and pink lips, dressed in a black WFAB uniform. A look of worry clouded her face.
"Tess?" Davis said in surprise. "What's wrong? Why are you here?" He stepped aside to let her in.
Tess stepped inside and looked at Isaac before saluting. "Greetings, Captain."
"At ease, Tess," Isaac commanded.
She relaxed her stance.
"What is it, Tess? Why are you so gloomy?" Isaac asked.
Tess took a deep breath. "I came to tell you something very serious." She paused, glancing between Davis and Isaac. "It's bad."
Davis and Isaac exchanged a worried look.
"What happened, Tess? What's going on?" Davis pressed.
Tess sighed, tears spilling down her cheeks. "It's Andrew and Sebastian—I mean, agents A-3 and A-4." She paused to steady herself. "Captain… they've caught the Sleeping Prince condition. Roy as well. They all collapsed earlier this afternoon…" Her voice faltered as she lowered her eyes. "The same time Congressman Saccoth collapsed."
The room fell completely still, as though the tension had sucked the very air and life from everyone inside.
Isaac's face was ashen, though a glint of fury burned in his eyes.
Davis looked even paler—like a ghost.
'A-3, A-4, and Roy came into direct contact with that thing… they also experienced the horrors at the old McCoy mansion. If they collapsed with the 'Sleeping Prince' condition because of it… does that mean… does that mean…'
His eyes widened.
"I'm next!" he realized, the words escaping in a scream as Tess and Isaac stared at him with ghastly expressions.
Isaac had been right. There was indeed a reason to fear—a big one. And now… it might be coming for him.
Davis averted his gaze, muttering under his breath.
"Fuck… I'm doomed."