Ever since the Demoness's arrival at the Valley of the Dawn, the weight of uneasy tension hung in the air. Her presence made everyone nervous, like a cat on a hot tin roof, fearing that she might unleash her terrifying powers upon them anytime.

Night had fallen. Jinlong burst into Zhijian's room for the second time that day, disrupting his much needed rest. Earlier on, his friend had been so eager to learn all the details about his mission that he kept himself close to Zhijian, pushing his excited face right into his field of vision.

After obtaining the entire story, he ran around the residence to gather updates on the current situation of the famous villainess who was now being held captive in their hands.

Jinlong joined Zhijian and plopped down on his bed. His eyes shimmered with excitement as he rubbed his hands together gleefully.

He nudged him. "Listen to this – the interrogation didn't go well. The Demoness refused to say anything at all. Others are saying it's because she's mute."

Still disoriented from being startled awake, Zhijian blinked sleepily and ran a hand through his tousled hair.

He yawned. "They might be right. I have not heard her speak either."

Jinlong ran a finger across his chin thoughtfully. "Strange, how did she kill over a hundred men herself?" he questioned. "Why is she refusing to disclose her powers? I'm not complaining because I don't want her to use them on us, but it is such a mystery! Anyway, the Elders have placed her in the dungeon and are intending to execute her tomorrow morning in public. We have to be present too."

"Tomorrow morning?" Zhijian repeated in surprise.

Things were moving faster than he expected. But then again, perhaps the Elders thought that it would set everyone's mind at ease if the biggest threat was eliminated from this world.

Jinlong pursed his lips disappointedly. "To think that my first meeting with the Demoness will be at the execution grounds! Tell me, is she as young as what the others say? Not even a strand of white hair, wrinkles or a hunched back?"

Instead of answering the question, Zhijian prodded his best friend's legs with his feet playfully. "If you still have that much energy in you, how about you get me some dinner? I'm starving."

"No!" Jinlong refused, crossing his arms in discontent. "Not until you spill the secret that you have been hiding. Keeping it from everyone is understandable, but from me? Are you looking down on our years of friendship, Zhijian?!"

Zhijian scratched his head in confusion, not understanding what his friend was talking about. Jinlong eventually grew exasperated, shaking his head in utter disbelief.

"You? Suffering from seasickness?" he exclaimed. "I have never seen you getting sick when we played down by the river when we were young. For as long as I know you, you are as fit as a fiddle. Tell me, what made you sick again for the second time in a week?"

The fact that Jinlong had noticed it caught him by surprise.

"Seriously?" Zhijian looked away and murmured under his breath. "How are you so quick-witted when it comes to such things?"

Jinlong grinned at him smugly. "Right? Sometimes, I think that I'm more suited to be a chief investigator instead of a demon hunter."

A small smile emerged on Zhijian's face. "If your mother hears you saying that, she'll be over the moon."

Jinlong's smile faltered slightly. "Well, she can't be hearing this then. You know that I can't betray my father. Anyway–" Quickly shaking away those unpleasant thoughts about his family, he shot a pointed look at the boy sitting next to him. "–back to the topic; explain yourself."

Zhijian gnawed on his bottom lip, wondering how he should explain the bizarre experience he had. Even he didn't know if his illness was just the lingering effects of magic surrounding the Demoness Island.

"I'm not completely certain if I was delusional or what," he began, "but here's what happened–" And then he started describing the dream that he had about the mysterious girl again while he was asleep on the boat.

Except that things turned out to be quite different this time.

"When I woke up, I felt sick all over. But then I met her – the one from my dream – and she actually turned out to be the Demoness. I'm not sure what she did to me, but the fever was completely gone and I didn't feel cold anymore. I guess she's truly from the Bai clan – they were healers."

"Oh heavens!" Jinlong gasped, standing up way too quickly with wide, bright eyes. "I know what that was. It was the Healing Fire!"

Zhijian's eyes blinked several times, unable to catch his words. "Wait – the Healing what?"

"The Healing Fire!" Jinlong repeated, smacking Zhijian's shoulder hard as if he couldn't suppress his excitement after making such a huge discovery. "Oh my goodness, I can't believe this is happening! It's something that happens to one in a million people."

"Jinlong." Zhijian furrowed his brows and studied his friend's enthusiastic expression. "Whatever are you talking about?"

The boy settled on the bed, placing a hand on his arm before launching into his explanation.

"Listen – it's not the Bai clan's healing ability that restored your health. As far as everybody knows, their clan was notable for healing superficial wounds at a rapid pace, but fever? They can't heal illnesses with their healing powers, which was the reason why they were so diligent in researching and producing the finest medicine."

Zhijian mused thoughtfully at the familiar piece of information. "That's true, but what has this got to do with this Healing Fire that you're sputtering about?"

Jinlong's eyes sparkled, the edges of his lips curling up. "Remember how we agreed to sneak into the Forbidden Chamber of Dark Arts a few nights ago? Except that we didn't because you were assigned on a mission. But because my curiosity got the better of me, I kind of snuck into that place alone last night."

"And then I found this about dreams–" He pulled something out from inside his robes. It was the Book of Ancient Runes, one with incredibly old bindings. No doubt it held knowledge of ancient magic inside it.

Jinlong flipped through the book, before eventually settling on a page – the Eternal Rune.

"Wait a minute." Zhijian pulled the book closer to him for a closer look. Lines of confusion marred his face.

"T-this is the rune that I saw when I wanted to summon a familiar," he sputtered in disbelief.

Jinlong nodded, before reading out the lines written on the same page. "Be warned; there's only a fifty percent chance of this rune producing results. If it's successful, the Summoner only has seven days to locate The Summoned before death falls upon him. Fear not, there will be several signs to point him in the right direction.

"First – having continuous dreams of a person, often the same one, is a sign of a spiritual connection that both parties share. Second – if locating of The Summoned fails, the Summoner will break out in a deadly fever from the seventh day onwards, which can only be cured by the Healing Fire produced by your other half–"

Zhijian placed a hand on the book, stopping Jinlong from reading the rest of it. He didn't have to hear the rest to understand what was going on. The pieces of puzzle were gradually coming together, forming a picture in his mind.

But it was one that brought about devastatingly bad news.

"That can't be right," he rasped. His hands were trembling slightly while his mind was in shambles. "This is so wrong."

Instead, Jinlong watched him with an excited look, before he ruthlessly spelled everything out for him.

"Yes, my friend. You were the one that broke the magical seal on the island. You were the one that woke the Demoness up. And most importantly..." He leaned forward, his grin growing wider.

"...she's your soulmate."