Chapter 584

Harry was shocked. "She's Viola's apprentice?"

More than a decade had passed since Viola left Jipsburg. Even now, her whereabouts were unknown. He had hoped she might appear when he invited those divination masters to his home, but none had any news of her.

"Yes," Skylar replied. "I learned from Grandma Viola as a child, but I've only partially mastered her skills."

Harry nodded. "I can tell you've been her apprentice since you were young. Is this tiny figurine really the source of our misfortune?"

Skylar nodded seriously. "Indeed, this figurine is the cause. It contains powerful black magic, aimed at murdering the Solarius children."

"What?" Harry stumbled backward, caught by Alexander before he fell. Alexander's face had paled. "Is it more powerful than any artifact you've ever seen?" he asked.

"Yes," Skylar replied, pulling on a pair of gloves from her bag and placing the phoenix figurine in her palm for closer examination. Unless one looked closely, the mysterious patterns covering it were almost invisible. It looked ominous, like a symbol of an ancient curse.

Skylar's expression changed. Her palm went cold, and before losing consciousness, she screamed, "Don't touch it! Cover it with a box!"

The figurine slipped from her hand as she collapsed. Alexander and Harry exclaimed simultaneously, "Skye!"

Meanwhile, Joe was reviewing files. As he signed a document, a sharp pain squeezed his heart, causing him to frown. The pain was brief, disappearing as quickly as it arrived.

"Mr. Martin?"

One of the departmental heads entered, offering Joe a document. Seeing Joe's frown, the man's heart leaped into his throat. He stared nervously at Joe; each visit was a trial of courage, leaving him anxious and fearing a heart attack.

Joe looked up, signed the document expressionlessly, and returned it. The departmental head's heart sank back into his chest—he had been terrified.

After the man left, Joe received a call from Alexander. He answered, greeting him as "Mr. Gardner Senior." Shouldn't Alexander be with Skylar in Liberty County at Harry's house? Why was he calling? Joe furrowed his brows, a bad feeling settling over him.