BXBX NOVEL Chapter 370 - Prison Wall
Laura looked heavenward and released a deep sigh.
Rebecca looked at her friend. "Why are you sighing?" she asked.
"Another day is about to end. My husband is still out there, I don\'t know if he\'s still alive or not," Laura said, teary-eyed.
Rebecca rubbed Laura\'s back gently. "Don\'t worry too much, or it will affect the baby in your tummy," she reminded her.
"I can\'t help it," Laura said, biting her lip, feeling frustrated.
Rebecca took a deep breath. She and Laura were facing a different dilemma. She can always go back to Corbin if she wanted to, but she can\'t because of his parents that she hated so much!
But Laura\'s problem is much more difficult and traumatizing than hers because Graven was held captive by the enemy and he can die any moment. That uncertainty tormented Laura\'s consciousness every waking hour, and it\'s a heavy predicament to deal with every single day.
"I just want my husband to go home and return to my side!" Laura said, her voice filled with sadness and anguish.
"I know, friend. I understand what you\'re going through right now. Believe me, I feel your pain too. Graven is like a brother to me and my heart is also grieving for him, but it\'s hard because we can\'t do anything to help him. We can only hope that he will survive what he\'s going through right now," Rebecca said.
Laura wiped the tears from her eyes. Suddenly, she felt a kick from the inside of her stomach. She caressed her tummy lovingly and smiled. "Baby, help me pray for your father\'s safety. Let\'s hope that he can return to us safely one of these days," she said, misty-eyed.
Rebecca smiled, feeling optimistic. "I have a feeling that Graven will come home soon!" she said out of the blue.
Laura looked at her and said, "I hope so!"
...
Windless Mountain.
Veronica was slicing the apple in the kitchen and placing them on the serving platter.
She put the knife down on the table and left the kitchen, going to the terrace.
When she arrived there, Elva was sitting on her favorite rocking chair made of rattan. She put the platter on the center table and lowered herself on the chair. She looked at Elva. The goddess stared at the sea of clouds surrounding the mountain, in deep thoughts. "Are you okay?" she asked.
Elva sighed and looked at her. "I\'m bothered that we can\'t still find Graven and Terros until now," she said, revealing her inner thoughts. Before when she hasn\'t associated herself with other people, she lives peacefully at the top of the mountain.
But after getting involved with Graven, she was also affected by his problem. She can no longer pretend that she doesn\'t care, especially that he is the father of her unborn child. She has the strong desire to help him somehow even though she distances herself from him not wanting to pursue a romantic relationship with him. Their child together is enough for her.
Veronica understood very well Elva\'s feelings for Graven because she felt the same way towards him. Grandpa Terros, Graven, and his men already become her friends. It\'s hard to stay on the sideline and watch them struggle with their problems, she has to lend them a helping hand. Especially now that Grandpa Terros was also captured along with Graven by a formidable enemy.
Silence engulfed them for a few minutes while they busied themselves in eating the sweet crispy apple.
"I want to try to go back to that basement one more time!" Veronica finally expressed her intention.
Elva looked at her. "A-are you sure?"
Veronica nodded her head. "Yeah, I\'m 100% sure. It\'s better to try than just wait for something that may never happen," she replied.
"But that place is dangerous! We don\'t know what they had prepared for you this time and I may not be able to help you on time," Elva said.
Veronica was silent for a few seconds. "It\'s just a pool of water. I must admit that it sent me to panic mode the last time I went there because water was everywhere from top to bottom and no way out. But maybe this time they already drained the water and I might be able to find a way to explore the surrounding areas. I think it\'s worth trying..." she said, feeling confident.
Elva was engulfed in silence. Is it worth it? Risking Veronica\'s life just to rescue Graven and Terros from that dangerous place? What if something bad will happen to Veronica? She can\'t guarantee her safety 100% unless she also has to go there together with Veronica. "Let me think about it. I need to make sure that you can come back here safe," she replied.
"Let\'s make a solid plan. As long we can make a good plan, we can eliminate mistakes!" Veronica said, totally wired with her desire to rescue Grandpa Terros and Graven.
Elva breathed deeply. "Well, if you are so confident and willing to go back there again then let\'s try it. But if there\'s still water in the basement, you have to return at once! We don\'t know what they have prepared for you out there. The water is also a trap!" she reminded her.
"I know, I just want to know if the water is still there or they already drained it," Veronica repeated.
Elva heaved a sigh. "Okay, let\'s do it tomorrow night or the next night," she finally agreed.
Veronica breathed deeply and said, "I will prepare myself mentally and physically for my return to the basement..." She looked at the horizon and watched the beautiful orange-yellow sunset with awe. For Grandpa Terros\'s sake... she\'s willing to enter the enemy\'s territory once again.
Elva looked at her companion. "If you have a change of heart or you are feeling nervous, you can abandon your plan. Let\'s just think of something else... something safer..." she said.
Veronica shook her head and said, "No. I already made up my mind. I need to go back there as soon as possible before Grandpa Terros and Graven\'s life will come to end! I\'m afraid that if we waited for too long for a miracle to happen, we might never be able to see them alive again!" She expressed her fears.
Elva nods her head. "I agree with you..."
The women discussed their plan in the next two hours.
...
Meanwhile...
Back at the vampire couple\'s manor.
"Bro, do you want to go swimming with me?" Nathan asked his older brother.
Corbin\'s brows knitted together. "Where do you want us to go swimming? In the crocodile infested lake?" he asked, amused.
Nathan laughed. "No! Not in that lake! In the basement!" he said.
Then Corbin remembered that their mother instructed the men to saturate the basement with water to trap the woman who had escaped if she decided to return. "Alright, let\'s go!" he finally said. He just can\'t say no to his younger brother\'s bright enthusiasm.
They proceed to the basement.
When they arrived there. The water was just a few meters away from reaching the top of the stairs.
Corbin looked at the water. "Good thing the water is clean and clear. If it\'s dirty and muddy, I won\'t take a dip," he told his brother.
Nathan smiled. "I requested mother to drain the water two times so that the dirty water will be flushed out. So... what you see now is clear water. And I already swim in this water five times," he explained.
"Alright, let\'s go swimming then!" Corbin replied.
The brothers removed their upper clothing and jumped into the water.
They continue swimming for two hours, enjoying their bonding.
After the brother finished swimming in the basement pool, they returned to the house and ate dinner together.
Afterward, they went to the ritual room to be with their mother.
While there, they engaged in a lively discussion.
The main topic of their conversation was their great-grandfather Rhazien.
"Do you think he will be the same as before? You know, he was famous as a tyrant one thousand years ago. But the current world is no longer the same as before. Vampires like us learned to mingle with humans to earn our status in the society. Vampires and humans kind of established a silent code to respect each other. If we continue to exist among the mortals, we must not abused our power and play with human life as if they\'re ants that we can trample cruelly beneath our feet..." Corbin said.
"What do you mean, brother?" Nathan asked, a bit confused about his older brother\'s statement.
"If Grandpa Rhazien will be resurrected, he might turned the peaceful world into chaos and dominate the entire land just like what he used to do in his bygone era, "Corbin repeated.
Nathan smiled. "That is also Mother\'s vision to rule the land," he said.
"Yeah, I also believe in the same ideology in the past but after traveling so much and meeting peopel in all walks of life I realized that our family\'s ideology is no longer necessary. Grandpa can be resurrected but no need to cause chaos among the people and oppressed them just to prove to the world that our vampire clan is mighty and powerful..." Corbin paused for a few seconds.
"Continue, bro!"
"That\'s my thoughs, but I can\'t voice out my opinion to our parents because they are so devoted to the cause of bringing the glory back to our clan. I only told you about this because you aren\'t exposed much to their teachings, and besides I need to talk to someone who will listen to my ramblings without opposing my words in every turn," Corbin said.
Nathan chuckled. "It\'s alright, bro. I\'m neutral. Rest assured I keep my mouth shut. Your ramblings won\'t reach our parent\'s ears," he assured him.
"Thank you, bro!" Corbin said with a smile.
Unknown to the two men, Graven was listening to their conversation, deep down in his prison wall.