Amelia had once wondered if her mood swings were just because she was bored out of her mind. Maybe going back to work would help her get back to normal. Maybe getting back to work could improve her mood.

But it didn’t take long for her to realize just how serious things really were. Whenever she was busy with work, she barely noticed her bad mood, but as soon as she had free time, it all came rushing back. She started to suspect she might actually be sick, so she secretly went to see a doctor.

The modern medicine doctor told her she was dealing with pregnancy depression, while the traditional medicine doctor said her internal energy was all blocked up. But since she was pregnant, taking meds wasn’t really an option. Both doctors just told her to work things out on her own.

But seriously, what else could she do to fix this? Was she supposed to just keep herself busy all the time? Did she have to start spinning around like a top, never stopping for a second?

“Maybe you should consider not having this baby,” Gloria said quietly to Amelia, her younger son on her back.

“Gloria?” Amelia blurted out, shocked.

“I’ve noticed you haven’t been yourself lately. I’m sure Landon noticed too–that’s probably why he wanted you to go back to work,” Gloria said, her voice tinged with regret. But she knew that if Amelia kept going like this, it wouldn’t be good for either her or the baby. “It’s better to make a decision sooner rather than later. You and Landon are still young. You can always try for another baby in a couple of years.”

“No…” Amelia broke down in tears, unable to hold back her pain. She gently caressed her belly, her voice trembling. “This is my baby. I can’t bear to give it up…”

“But just look at you… You’re wasting away,” Gloria said, her heart aching for her daughter. Everyone else puts on weight when they’re pregnant, but Amelia was only getting skinnier by the day.

“It’s fine, just try to put up with my bad temper,” Amelia said, forcing a smile. Even though she did her best to stay calm around her mother-in-law, sometimes she just couldn’t help snapping at her. Her pregnancy was making things tense for everyone at home.

‘How did it end up like this?‘ she thought to herself.

“Amy, you’re just like my own daughter,” Gloria said, squeezing her hand tightly. “It’s okay. If you need to let off some steam, just do it. Don’t keep it all bottled up inside.”

“Thank you, Gloria,” Amelia said softly. Gloria’s understanding made Amelia feel both guilty and comforted. She thought to herself that she really should try harder to keep her emotions in check. During a video call with Edith, Amelia confided in her, troubled by how irritable she’d become lately.

Daniel’s heart skipped a beat. He hurried off to the study and started digging through the ancient books he’d been researching. Asking for help online had really paid off. He’d met Lennon, a real expert, who taught him how to read the old texts. Now, he could pretty much make sense of most of it. But the stuff written in this book was just too bizarre–he didn’t dare breathe a word to anyone. Aside from Marvel’s recipe for breaking the love spell and a bunch of bizarre remedies, the book even talked about the legendary art of resurrection. “Back in the day, there was a master called Vladimir who faked his death for days, only to come back to life.”

‘Isn’t this the very resurrection technique Monroe and Marvel have been chasing after all their lives?‘ he thought. But the book wasn’t really about teaching resurrection. Instead, it mentioned a special medicine–Life Elixir. “After someone’s brought back from the dead, their body takes a serious hit. For pregnant women, the conflicting life energies can drive them mad and make them irritable. Some even lose the baby just to restore balance. But with this pill, everything goes back to normal.” His father had highlighted this recipe as something really important.

After some quiet digging, Daniel found out his dad had actually brewed up Life Elixir himself. The insanity fit Catherine’s situation, and the irritability matched exactly what Amelia was going through now. Daniel was seriously starting to suspect that his mother’s death had only fooled everyone because she’d actually been brought back to life using the resurrection technique.

Daniel closed the ancient book and just sat there, his heart pounding like crazy. It was like some earth-shattering secret was about to bubble up and spill out at any moment.

“Honey, Amy wants to talk to you,” Edith said, pushing the door open. Daniel quickly shoved the ancient book into a drawer, opened the window to let the cold air rush in, then took the phone. “Hey, Amy.”

“Daniel, I think I might be dealing with pregnancy depression. I’ve been losing my temper a lot. If Landon comes to you complaining, please don’t be too hard on him…”

“At least you know what’s going on with yourself,” Daniel said, giving her a gentle smile, like nothing had happened just moments ago.

“Don’t tease me, Daniel,” Amelia muttered, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. In all her lives–past and present–Amelia had never been this irritable before. Still, she didn’t regret choosing to have a second child. Thinking back to her first pregnancy, she was pretty sure this baby wouldn’t end up with any strange powers. This time, she could finally have a normal, healthy baby! The two siblings just shot the breeze, and before they knew it, all the tension had faded away.

It was early spring in Lunova, and the lingering chill in the air kept Daniel wide awake. He thought to himself, ‘Maybe I’ve gotten so obsessed with these ancient books that it’s starting to mess with my head. No wonder I’m coming up with such crazy ideas.’

‘How could something like resurrection actually exist in this world?‘ Daniel wondered. Still, Life Elixir had him seriously intrigued–he was definitely tempted to try making it himself. Since he didn’t really know how to make medicine, he turned to Giovanna for help.

“What is all this?” Giovanna asked, completely baffled as she looked at the pile of herbs.

“I want to make some medicine. Can you help me?” Daniel said.

“What kind of medicine?” Giovanna asked, sorting through the herbs. “I’ve never seen these ingredients used together before.”

“Don’t worry about it, just help me put it together,” Daniel said.

Giovanna frowned. “Then you’ve got to tell me how to make it.”

“Uh…” Daniel hesitated. Daniel’s mouth twitched awkwardly.

‘The ancient book only gave the ingredients and amounts, but didn’t say a word about how to actually make it!‘ Daniel thought, feeling helpless.

“You don’t know?” Giovanna asked, her brows furrowing in confusion. “Then where did you even get this prescription?”

Daniel couldn’t exactly mention the ancient book, so he made something up. “A master gave it to me. He said it could cure insanity.”

“Seriously?” Giovanna shot him a skeptical look. She picked up the herbs and examined them again.

‘I’ve studied traditional medicine and I recognize every single herb here, but put together like this… I have no idea what it’s supposed to do,‘ Giovanna thought, baffled. In all her years studying traditional medicine, Giovanna had never seen a mix like this before.

“Why don’t you just use your usual methods and try making it a few times?” Daniel suggested.

“What a waste of energy. Not happening!” Giovanna shot back. She gave him a huge eye roll. Honestly, she was starting to think Daniel was just bored and trying to find her something to do.

Daniel hit a dead end and, unwilling to give up, went through the ancient book twice more–but still couldn’t find any instructions on how to actually make the pill. After racking his brain for a while, he decided to message Lennon, the know-it-all he’d met online.

“Hey Lennon, have you ever heard of Life Elixir?” Daniel typed.

Lennon’s heart raced as she read the message.

‘Life Elixir? Daniel’s actually looking into Life Elixir? Wait, does that mean…?‘ Lennon thought, her mind spinning.

“Mr. Zuckerberg!” Lennon yelled, her voice trembling with anxiety. Lennon was so flustered she practically shouted, unable to hide her panic.

Porter was deep in meditation when he got interrupted, and his annoyance was obvious. “Why are you making such a fuss? When will you finally learn to keep your cool?”

“Mr. Zuckerberg, Daniel’s trying to make Life Elixir,” Lennon blurted out, her voice trembling with anxiety.

Porter’s eyes widened in shock. “What?” Even Porter was caught off guard, his composure slipping for a moment as the news sank in.

“Mr. Zuckerberg, what should I say to him?” Lennon blurted out, thrusting her phone toward him, completely at a loss for what to do.

Daniel: “Lennon, why aren’t you saying anything? Are you still there?”

Daniel was always the steady type, but today he just couldn’t sit still–restless energy practically radiated off him. Porter sat there, really struggling with it, lost in heavy thought.

Life Elixir was something made for those who’d actually cheated death. Catherine had already passed away, so there was no point giving her the pill. ‘So who’s Daniel so worried about?‘ Porter wondered. Porter mentally scanned through everyone around Daniel. Suddenly, his eyes went wide. “Amy?”