Caterina covered herself. She was blushing a little bit but didn't embarrass much.

"Can you wait outside? I need to change." She said.

Siderius nodded. "Don't take too long."

Caterina noticed the shade in his eyes. She could sense there was magic inside it.

After a while, Caterina went out of the house in an all black dress. The Black Witch of the Woods had returned with all her former glory.

Siderius was already on Red's back. "You need a ride?"

Caterina shook her head. "No need. Let's go."

Wind wrapped her feet and made her more agile. She followed Siderius side by side and was able to match the speed of the horse.

Back in Scalize, Jude was drinking heavily inside the Baron's estate. His eyes were filled with red veins. He hadn't had that much sleep lately. Thoughts flooded his mind and nightmares haunted his nights.

"What am I going to do with you, Jareth? Should I kill you again in cold blood just like that night?"

While the Baron was drifting in his sea of sorrow, Jeffery the butler suddenly entered the room. His face was filled with surprise.

"My lord… The lady had returned."

"My wife? Didn't I tell her to stay away from the estate for now?"

"Not the current lady, my lord. The High Lady. Lady Fataliyah has returned!"

"Caterina?!"

Jude stood up immediately and stormed outside of the estate. There he saw Siderius on his horseback and Caterina floating slightly above the ground. Black wind circled around her like a mini vortex.

There was a slight glimpse of happiness appearing in Jude's eyes but it was quickly shunned away and replaced with regret and sadness. Then his eyes darted to Siderius.

"You!" Jude was enraged.

Siderius did a sarcastic bow to Jude. "My lord. How have you been lately?"

Jude grinned from ear to ear. "Even without my core, I will fuck you up if you can't explain this, white witch."

Siderius replied with a smile. "Why don't you two have a talk? I will come back in the morning. Then you can tell me if you want to get rid of the phantom or not."

Jude stared at Siderius. But Caterina stepped in between them.

"My lo… Caterina." Jude's eyes softened. It was clear that he still had feelings for her.

"Baron. Long time no see." Her cold attitude toward Jude made his heart sting a bit but he didn't blame her. She had a good reason to do so.

Siderius silently left the estate. He had done all his kind to end this madness. All the components were present. Now, Jude had to make a choice. A choice between doing the right thing and ignoring it.

Siderius knew the Baron would ignore the existence of the phantom and wouldn't do anything to it. But Caterina was different. She wished for her son's peace. She would be able to convince Baron.

And when she did. Siderius would finish the Phantom once and for all. This act would grant him further blessing from the world and more Light Aether.

Light Aether was very rare and hard to obtain. Siderius would do everything in his power to collect more. The more he had the smoother his journey would be.

He dropped by the workshop of Finn and George. There was still work to be done about them. Finn was a valuable blacksmith. If he joined the guild with George, Siderius would guarantee an experienced craftsman available for him at all times.

He also needed to tell Finn about the result of the examination. After acquiring his blood, Siderius had done a little bit of testing with it. He now knew for sure, Finn had tuberculosis. A disease easily treated with the right spirits.

Siderius already had one that could help, the Arvenox Tonic. He only needed one more to make sure the bacteria would be killed for good.

As he knocked on the door, George appeared. His face was filled with worry.

"Something's wrong?" Siderius said.

"You can look for yourself."

They went inside and came into Finn's room. He was on the bed, coughing intensely with blood splashing out every time.

Siderius approached Finn and put a hand on his back, trying to offer him some reassurance.

"Hello, white witch." Finn smiled tiredly. "Have you got what you need?"

"I did. The disease you have, The Rot, is treatable with the right cure."

Finn grabbed Siderius' arm. "Is it true? Aren't you just lying to me?"

"It is true, my friend. The only thing I need to do now is to make a cure for you."

Finn smiled. "If that is the truth, then my life is yours, white witch. I will join the organization that you and George are a part of. And I swear, if you can save me, my loyalty will be yours forever."

"Good. Stay strong for a few more days, Finn. I will bring you the cure shortly."

Finn nodded and fell onto the bed, eyes closing.

George saw Siderius out and told him about their process in researching the schematics Siderius had given them. George confirmed they could start forging the weapon at any time. As long as Finn had enough strength to do it.

Siderius waved goodbye to George and returned to the Crossroads Inn to rest the night.

The next day, crafting the cure for Finn was the most important thing. Jude and Caterina could use this time to catch up and decide what to do with the phantom.

Siderius sat in his room in the Crossroads Inn and called upon the system.

"Access Spirits Library. List the information of the Tonics that combats the White Death."

The White Death was another name of tuberculosis in Siderius' old world. Immediately, the system reacted.

[ACCESSING SPIRITS LIBRARY…]

[SEARCHING FOR KEY WORD: 'THE WHITE DEATH']

[TWENTY-SIX MATCHES FOUND]

[LISTING THE MAJOR FOUR TONICS]

[LISTIOX TONIC: DESTROY BACTERIA FROM THE INSIDE]

[CINDROX TONIC: DESTROY BACTERIA FROM THE OUTSIDE]

[TOSIOX TONIC: DESTROY HIDDEN OR 'SLEEPING' BACTERIA]

[PARDIOX TONIC: DESTROY CONNECTIONS BETWEEN BACTERIA]

[Additional Notice: It is recommended to use all four tonics to effectively combat the white death]

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