After confirming that Josephine was not a phantom image, hot tears burst out from Jared’s eyes. In utter disbelief, he asked, “Is this real, Josephine? Are you real?”
“Yes. It’s real…” Tears of joy streaked Josephine’s face too. The long-separated lovers had finally reunited with each other. Even though they had many questions, none of them could form coherent sentences at this moment.
Jared’s eyes fixated on Josephine’s tear-stained face. He had longed to see his lover for a long time. Ultimately, he could no longer resist the urge to kiss her on the lips.
Josephine returned his kiss passionately. Nothing else in the world mattered to them other than the other party. They were so deeply engrossed in their kiss that they disregarded everything else.
Their kiss lasted for a while, only ending after Josephine had breathing difficulties and Jared. let her go. She looked at the darkened sky, finally remembering that she was here to forage for food.
“Oh, no. I forgot I was here to search for food. Melanie must still be famished now,” Josephine stated urgently. “Melanie? Do you mean Melanie Woodlands? She’s around this place too?” Jared asked, shocked.
“I’ll explain it to you later. Why don’t you help me seek edibles? Then, we can talk as we walk back…” Josephine urged Jared along. Soon, both found some wild vegetables and fruits before returning to Melanie’s side.
As they walked, Josephine recounted the story to Jared. That was when the man finally found out that Malphas had abducted both Renee and Melanie into this secret realm. Jared’s interest was piqued when he heard about the book Arthur gave to Melanie.
How did Mr. Sanders know that Melanie and Renee would run into me? Was it in his prediction that these two women would be kidnapped by Evil Heart Sect, and abandoned here in the secret realm? Besides, what is the true motive for abducting them?
The circumstances were shrouded in mystery, and it bothered Jared. Quickly, Jared and Josephine arrived at their destination. Before them, Melanie was lying weakly on the ground while Renee stayed beside and caring for her.
Detecting movement near her, Renee lifted her head. She was stunned the minute she saw Jared. Then, the woman immediately jumped up from the ground. “Jared! It’s you… I never thought that I would really meet you here…
Meanwhile, Melanie heard Renee’s excited screams. She tried to raise her head to determine the cause of the latter’s joy. When Jared’s face appeared before her, she felt her body injected with energy, and she got up right away.
The group exchanged pleasantries joyously, letting Melanie consume some wild fruits to replenish her energy. Just then, Melanie took out the book Arthur gave her. “Mr. Sanders told us to pass it to you so we haven’t flipped through it.”
Jared took the aged and worn book, feeling a bizarre aura from it. Frowning, he peered at Josephine. “Josephine, have you ever laid your hands on this book before?”
“Yes, I did. But I didn’t open it.” Came Josephine’s reply. “You felt that strange aura coming from it?” Jared probed further. “No. I felt nothing at all. It was just an ordinary book to me.” She shook her head.
“That’s odd.” Surprise gripped Jared. He proceeded to flip the book open. Everyone was stunned when they saw the content, for there were no words in it. The pages were left blank. “W-Why isn’t there any content in this book?”
Renee gaped in astonishment. “Jared, could this be a magical book we must unlock to view its subject matters?” Josephine suggested. Jared nodded. “It’s possible…” Then, he transferred a flow of aura into the book. No visible changes were made, though. The book was still empty.
