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After telling Raymond all he had to, Nova kissed Lia's forehead softly and quietly left.

And now, Raymond was left alone, with Lia unconscious, on the brink of the Death Lake. He went to Lia and sat beside her as he looked at the rippling water of the lake, reflecting the light from the stars. The silence of the night prevailed and Raymond sobbed in the starry night.

Lloyd was diving quite deep. He could hold his breath for a long time with the help of mana. He wasn't talented enough to be called a mage, but he could utilize enough mana to get him by.

He couldn't see clearly enough in the water as it was dark, the water was also as much quiet as it was dark. He could not rely on sound either to find Frank. All he could do was swim around with estimation to find something in the water. It was quite hopeless that way, at least at night.

Even Lloyd was now starting to get convinced that Frank might not be alive, considering how the situation was.

Suddenly, Lloyd saw a blue light coming from somewhere deep below. Any deeper than where he was, would have meant going right into the Cerates. And Lloyd wasn't sure what exactly that blue light was.

After contemplating for some time, Lloyd decided to check what that light was. And as he had expected, that light was indeed coming from Frank. A blue illuminous shield was protecting Frank from the Cerates, surrounding him all around. His hair was somehow blue and glowing.

No matter how Lloyd looked at it, Frank was alive. He immediately went near him, avoiding the Cerates. He could see them clearly from the light of the shield.

But Lloyd could somehow pass through the shield and held Frank. Holding him tightly, he started swimming up.

The Cerates couldn't hold them back and Lloyd sped up towards the surface.

Reaching the surface, Lloyd dragged Frank to the brink of the lake and threw him on the ground as he pulled himself out of the water.

Raymond immediately darted towards Frank in tears. But he didn't have the courage to go any nearer. Lloyd put his shirt on hurriedly and went near Frank, thrusting on his chest with his hands and giving him breath through his mouth.

Raymond was dumbfounded as to why Lloyd was doing. Then he asked with a shaky voice, "Is he alive, my Lord?"

"Yes, and help me get that blanket from your horse," Lloyd said as he pressed on Frank's chest one last time and Frank coughed up water. It was a lot of water. So much as for it to be considered a miracle that he was even alive.

As Raymond, who had sprinted to the horses, came back with two blankets, he saw Frank now lying unconscious beside Julia on Lloyd's coat. He hurriedly wrapped both children in the blankets.

Then as fast as they could, Lloyd and Raymond took Lia and Frank back to the Shuzar mansion where a doctor and a priest were immediately called upon.

Now that both the children were finally safe, Lloyd could catch his breath. His hands and feet were freezing after that dive in the icy water of the lake. Though, the children were doing comparatively better.

Lia was just diagnosed with shock from mana exhaustion.

And Frank was said to be completely fine other than the physical trauma and cold. Which was surprising, considering he was under water for more than an hour. And nor Lloyd neither Raymond knew what that mysterious blue shield was. Frank's hair also, had suddenly turned blue. Until the water was completely out of his lungs, those blue hair kept shining.

The only people who could answer their questions were the two unconscious children and a sorcerer who was now out of contact.

Frank and Lia were kept both in Lia's room as once they were laid down together initially, they held hands in their sleep and refused to let go.

Raymond told Lloyd about everything Nova had told him when Lloyd was finding Frank. Thinking about it for some time, Lloyd just said to leave them be.

Raymond slept in Lia's room on the floor to keep an eye on them.

Now, after all that rushed incident, Lloyd was finally ready to rest. But only a few hours were left until sunrise. He doubted he could fall asleep now.

Contemplating, his feet unknowingly led him to Hannah's room. He entered her room, went to her sleeping peacefully. Sitting down beside her, he crawled into her warm covers and snuggled his way up into the arc of her neck.

"I'm cold, Jenny," he whispered. Looking blankly at the ceiling, he held her tighter and gritted his teeth. "Can't you just come back to me, I'm tired of trying. I just want to live at our home in Singrad forest together with you for the rest of my life. There, you can fall in love without any worries, Jenny. I want you to love me as much as I do. So… please… please… please…"

As Lloyd sobbed himself to sleep like a child, Hannah patted his head. There wasn't an ounce of affection in her heart for Lloyd. She still hated him, but him sobbing like that was something she couldn't bear. And the reason behind it, even she didn't know.

She closed her eyes and fell asleep again.