Hunter knew he was in the wrong. He knew it was a horrible thing to look to wild witches of all things for advice. But Hunter also realized he didn't have much options left. Nothing was working, and the emperor made no effort to trust him much about his condition or even look for a cure. And he was tired of sitting and feeling like he couldn't do enough.

Like he wasn't enough.

"A curse simply does not evaporate. You know about healing magic. For severe cases, the pain cannot simply be extinguished, but it can be transferred onto another host, temporarily alleviating the victim of worsening symptoms."

"A healing spell," he muttered, "but with a cost… it sounds like wild magic."

"As all untamed magic was once." she said solemnly, "it was the only way I knew how to help her. It's the only real solution I have for your problem."

Lilith's words echoed in his mind. He was afraid. But also ready.

Or was he? He shook his head. He's gonna have to be.

"You'll help me, little guy, won't you?" The red cardinal on his shoulder chirped worryingly.

As he traveled through the halls, he saw a tiny figure walking from the direction he was heading. The echoes from The little palisman hid under his cloak as Hunter stopped to address the figure.

"Kiki, how is my uncle doing?" Hunter asked urgently, then added in a small voice, "Is he..? Is it happening right now-?"

"Of course he's having an outburst," Kikimora said apathetically, "the emperor hasn't had a moment of relief since your little… failure."

Hunter bit his lip and turned away in shame. It has been almost a week since then. With no palisman left to soothe his condition, the emperor's condition has been worsening every day. So much so, that it was deemed unsafe for anyone to be near him during an episode. Even Hunter himself was forbidden from seeing him in this state.

"... Thank you for informing me." He muttered.

"Anytime, golden guard," she eyed him suspiciously, but shook her head and walked away.

As soon as she was out of sight, he began rushing to his uncle's quarters, from the crashing noises and agonizing, inhuman screams he knew this was a particularly bad episode. He felt his heart race. He was scared. But he couldn't stand to hear him in so much pain. He tried to open the door, but a force behind it aggressively slammed it back shut immediately.

"I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO LEAVE!"

"Uncle, it's me!" He banged on the door.

"OUT!" He sounded even angrier.

"Uncle, let me help!" Hunter begged desperately . Another disturbing, primal screech echoed from within the room. Hunter recoiled at the terrifying sound, but he couldn't bear it longer. He stepped back, closed his eyes shut and took a deep breath before tackling the door open.

Inside, his uncle's monster form had subdued. His arms slowly retracted back to their normal length, turning his skin from dangerous black slime back to its original fair tone. His wild hair and scarred face still occasionally dripped in the same dark substance.

Evidence of the severity of the attack littered the room. A lot of the furniture and decorations had been removed for safety, but the little things left such as the window curtains were torn to shreds and the only mirror in the wall had been shattered completely with sharp pieces littering the floor. There were also several new cracks in the wall that was itself stained with slime.

Hunter approached him slowly, fearing a sudden outbursts that could potentially scar him… again. But his uncle was breathing slowly, on his knees on the floor holding his chest. He was sweating, and his body was slightly shaking from the stress. It was painful to watch someone he loved be so helpless. The guilt kept eating at him. They both knew the reason he couldn't alleviate his pain even temporarily was because of his failure to gather palismen. Hunter kneeled before him.

"Uncle," he said gently. But the emperor didn't look up at him. Hunter didn't give up so easily.

He gently grabbed his uncle's hands, and held them close to his chest. They were weak and trembling slightly. His uncle slowly lifted his chin up to face him. His blue eyes shone brightly in the dim light of the room. A warning sign if he knew one.

"This is the last time you'll have to suffer like this," the boy said softly, "I promise."

"H-Hunter?" He gave him a puzzled look. Hunter took one last breath from his nose and leaned his head forward, touching foreheads with him.

"With this spell declared, let the pain be shared."