After Alexander left, Dominic played with Galen for a while before the little boy grew sleepy. Dominic carried Galen to his room and watched the child sleep, sighing softly.

Dominic had always known Lily's talent and intelligence. He had imparted all his knowledge to her freely because of it. However, this very knowledge now placed her in danger. He wondered if his actions had been right.

After tucking Galen in, he turned to leave, only to find a servant at the door. "Sir, Young Master Austin asked if it's finished."

"Finished? What does that mean?" Dominic frowned. Before the servant could answer, he exclaimed, "Damn! I forgot about him!" He ran downstairs to the backyard. Austin was still lying shirtless, silver needles embedded in his back.

Though his body was growing cold, he dared not move. 'What's taking Uncle Dom so long? Did he forget me? That can't be. He's halfway through the acupuncture. But it's just Lily... what are they talking about?' Musing thus, Austin fell asleep. He awoke to find himself alone, a disquieting feeling settling over him. He called for a servant. Austin never expected his granduncle to forget him entirely.

Guilt flickered across Dominic's face when he saw Austin, yet he stubbornly avoided admitting his lapse. He coughed lightly and grumbled, "What's the rush? I'm testing you! Seeing how long you can endure this! Your recovery is going well; the poison is nearly gone. You've remained still for a long time without a seizure."

Austin listened silently. Dominic's serious expression made him question whether his granduncle was concealing his mistake.

"Can I get up now?" Austin asked, slowly rising.

"Wait!" Dominic quickly restrained him. "We're not finished!"

"Huh?!"

Dominic pressed him down and resumed the acupuncture. They were nearly finished; only a few needles remained. He just needed to insert them, wait a moment, and then remove them.

Austin lay obediently while Dominic, legs crossed, flipped through traditional medical texts. Recently, he'd unearthed many old texts searching for a solution to the viruses. He pored over them earnestly while a bored Austin lay beside him. He'd already napped and couldn't sleep again; with only Dominic for company, he spoke.

Austin smacked his lips. "Uncle Dom, haven't you read these books before? Why reread them?"

"One can never stop learning," Dominic replied, without looking up.

After a pause, Austin asked, "You aren't trying to find a way to stop this virus in these old books, are you?"

The older man lowered his glasses, frowning at Austin. "So what if I am?"