Barcello POV

  Three days Cassia slept. Three days Barcello watched. He hadn't left her side. The hospital chair was hard, unforgiving, but he didn't notice. He only saw Cassia. Her breathing was shallow, almost imperceptible. He leaned close, his ear near her mouth, just to make sure she was still there. The color had drained from her face, leaving her looking fragile, almost translucent.

  The doctor's words echoed in his mind, hollow reassurances: "She's fine. There's nothing wrong with her."

  But Barcello knew better. He saw the unnatural pallor of her skin, the way her usually vibrant face seemed to have lost its light. It was a dull ache in his soul, a constant, gnawing worry that threatened to consume him. He reached out, his hand trembling slightly, and brushed a stray strand of hair from her forehead. It felt cold, lifeless.

  His gaze snagged on the collar encircling her neck, a familiar fury tightening his chest. He traced its cold, smooth surface with a trembling finger, the metal a stark contrast to the unnatural stillness of her skin. He tried to explain his theory to the doctors, the frantic words tumbling out in a rush of desperation. They'd listened politely, their expressions a mix of pity and thinly veiled skepticism. He knew they saw him as a grieving husband grasping at straws, his fears twisting into irrational accusations. The dark markings that had once marred her neck had faded, leaving no trace, further fueling their dismissal and making him appear delusional. But he knew, a deep, primal certainty that the collar was the key. If he could just remove it, he could bring her back.

  He walked towards the door and gently locked it. It was nighttime and he had already told the nurses he was going to rest here. The perfect opportunity to get rid of this collar. He went back to his wife's side, dug his hand in the pocket of his coat and brought out a small white crystal, tweezers and a screwdriver. He placed the tweezers and crystal on the nearby table.

  Since the dawn of magic, humanity has woven crystals into the fabric of their technology. Each type powered a different device: phones, computers, cars, machines. All dependent on the flow of mana energy. But the Second Apocalypse changed everything. In its wake, a year of silence descended, the hum of technology replaced by an unnerving stillness. The Flow Society had managed to bring back half of the technology lost after a year of darkness.

  Barcello's gaze fell on the white crystal. It pulsed with an inner light. Its mana was potent, a raw power capable of fueling heavy machinery. But it was also a disruptor. He turned his gaze back to the collar and carefully used the screwdriver to undo the bolts of the collar, being ever so gentle because of his wife.

  The moment he managed to remove the bolts and carefully removed the metal plate of the collar and placed it on the nearby table. He took deep breaths as he studied the wires and the two, yellow and blue crystals used for the collar. He tapped on the wires with the screwdriver as he could hear a light beeping noise.

  "What if it doesn't work?" Barcello questioned himself as he stared at the collar with distress. He glanced at his wife's sleeping face, his initial resolve strengthened once more and he picked up the tweezers, picking up the white crystal and placed it near the yellow and blue crystals. The light in the two crystals dimmed. He worked on removing the dim crystals with the screwdriver.

  Finally the crystals popped out to the ground and the beeping stopped. He set the white crystal back on the table with the tweezers and took deep breaths as he stared at his wife. The color on her face gradually returned.

  Barcello sobbed at the sight of his wife's healthy complexion and grabbed her hand, placing a series of kisses on it. "Thank the gods...thank the gods."

  She hasn't opened her eyes but the first sign was positive in his opinion. Barcello muttered against her skin. "Why did those crystals affect you? They seemed like normal crystals."

  Barcello glanced at the two crystals that fell to the ground with skepticism. He gently placed her hand back down on the hospital bed. He picked up the two crystals and assessed them. He noticed nothing but he stuffed them inside his pocket and bolted the metal plate back on the collar. He wasn't going to say anything about his discovery until he understood what was happening. Evidence was the only thing that would make people listen. 'I might discuss this with Lucian when everything settles.'

  Cassia woke up from her comatose state the next day. The doctors didn't understand how it happened and performed some tests for two more days but she seemed fine. Barcello acted oblivious to the whole process and she was finally discharged after nothing was found.

  He brought her back to their shared apartment and his heart warmed at the sight of his wife, safe and sound.

  "I'm sorry for all the stress you must've gone through." Cassia looked around the messy house and knew her husband probably didn't care to arrange the house after she fell into her comatose state. She started to arrange the apartment but her husband stopped her by placing his hand on her shoulder.

  "You just woke up, don't stress yourself."

  "It's only been a few days, it's not like I was asleep for months. And I'm perfectly fine now, the doctor said so." Cassia said.

  "Of course they didn't find anything because no one knows anything. The only reason you woke up is because I tampered with your collar." Barcello confessed

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  "Why would you do that? If someone finds out we could be arrested for rebellion." Cassia stared at her husband with disbelief.

  "That's why I haven't said anything, something is wrong with the collar and I don't know why it affects you this much. I plan to meet Lucian and show him what I found. He would understand and find out what is going on." Barcello tightened his grip on her hand.

  "Are you sure he will understand?" Cassia asked with worry.

  "Of course he will, he is very understanding and he even accepted all my research about the collars. He could've have brushed me away but he didn't. I trust that he knows what is right." Barcello assured his wife with a smile on his face.

  "Then I trust your judgement." Cassia returned the smile.

  "Good, now go inside and rest. I will arrange the house." Barcello ushered her to the bedroom and left no place for argument. He sat her down on the bed and Cassia reluctantly complied

  Barcello had a satisfied smile on his face at her compliance. He left the bathroom and started to clean the house and busied himself with the house chores.

  He sank into his favorite armchair, a sigh of pure contentment escaping him. The house was spotless, a testament to his hard work. But the peace was short-lived. A sharp knock at the door, a jarring interruption to the peaceful moment.

  He got up from the armchair and walked towards the door. The sight through the peephole sent a jolt of pure shock through him, Lucian, and behind him, three masked guards .

  'Is he here about what we talked about? Maybe he found something.' Barcello thought to himself with a relieved sigh as his heart calmed down from the initial shock.

  He quickly opened the door and greeted Lucian. "Good afternoon, sir. I wasn't expecting you here."

  "Mr. Barcello. Afternoon. Unexpected, isn't it? Believe me, I'm just as surprised to be here as you are to see me." Lucian smiled.

  "I don't understand. Is something wrong?" Barcello asked. 'Did he not come here willingly? And I just realized, why did he bring these men with him?'

  "Nonsense, I came by to have a little chat about our recent discussion. May we come in?"

  "Uh yes." Barcello stepped aside, holding the door open as Lucian and the heroes entered the apartment.

  "Such a lovely home," Lucian asked, settling into the armchair. "How is your wife?"

  'How does he know that I'm married?' Barcello closed the door and stiffened at the question.

  "My wife is alright." Barcello replied, his thumb rubbing the silver band on his finger.

  "How relieving, it must've been stressful worrying about her health." Lucian expressed with relief.

  "Are you tracking me—" Barcello was cut off by the voice of his wife. His head snapped towards her direction.

  "My love?" Cassia came out to the living room out of curiosity at the noise. She was surprised to see Lucian and five heroes.

  "Ah, there you are. Don't look shocked, I am only after your well-being." Lucian smiled at her and turned his attention to Barcello. "Tell me more about your research and what you have found, I am terribly curious."

  "Well...I.." Barcello felt his words stuck in his throat. 'Why I'm I hesitating? This is the perfect time to talk but I can't stop thinking about how he knew about my wife.'

  "I'm sorry for the intrusion of your privacy. It was unprofessional, but I was worried about you, especially after learning about your wife. I couldn't ignore the possibility our collars were causing harm. Your words that day stuck with me. I investigated, and now I need your help. Tell me what you know." Lucian got back up to his feet and stride towards him.

  'Well, at least he is listening to me.' Barcello thought to himself and glanced at his wife before looking back at Lucian.

  "The crystals in the collars, I think they are the cause. I removed the crystals and my wife got better instantly. I thought it was an allergic reaction but the doctors didn't find anything." Barcello explained.

  "Interesting, that explains why I felt zero magic from the collar." Lucian replied, his gaze calculating. "Now tell me, how did you remove the magic crystals?"

  "I used the white crystal as a counter to the crystals mana." Barcello glanced at the guards as he spoke.

  "Smart but you see, there are two reasons why beastmen reacts to the collars. They could be allergic to mana in the collars and require special collars or their mana has risen and probability of them going berserk has increased ." Lucian stated.

  "That's not what happened! It's the crystals! My wife is perfectly normal and has no reason to go berserk!" Barcello barked out in anger.

  "Relax. I didn't accuse your wife. Our crystals have shown no defects. I'm here to clear things up. We'll run a quick test. If your wife's fine, we'll just investigate the crystals. If her mana is abnormal, she'll be detained." Lucian glanced at Cassia who flinched at his gaze.

  "Fine but I know that test will come out negative." Barcello hardened his gaze as he looked at Lucian but Lucian didn't seem affected by the harsh gaze.

  "Please step forward." Lucian snapped his fingers and one of the heroes brought out a white metal stick.

  Barcello gave a reassuring nod to his wife and she stepped forward. She stopped in front of Lucian and he pressed the stick against her forehead. A loud beeping noise erupted in the room and Lucian removed the stick. He looked down at the number shown on the screen.

  "Apprehend her."

  "What?!" Barcello asked in confusion and dragged his wife by his side, protecting her with his body.

  "The scanner shows that your wife has an eighty percent chance of going berserk. The slightest anger could set her off at this level." Lucian raised the stick to show Barcello the number shown on the screen.

  "That's a lie! She is innocent! That scanner is false." Barcello repeated and felt the trembling hold his wife had on his shirt.

  "I wish it was different but I guess the mystery is solved." Lucian turned his back to the couple and the guards walked towards the couple, forcefully pulled Barcello away from Cassia. He struggled and cried out while one of them kept a strong hold on him, preventing him from moving as they handcuffed Cassia.

  "Let her go!" Barcello struggled and writhed against the strength of the man holding him. He slammed the back of his head against the man's forehead and was thrown to the ground as a result.

  "Don't hurt him!" Cassia cried, her voice cracking. Fox ears flickered into existence atop her head, then vanished as she shifted back to human. Fangs briefly elongated her teeth, and she whimpered, struggling to maintain her human form.

  "What did I tell you? There are all animals." Lucian said as he watched Cassia switched to her beast form. She snarled at the guards and Lucian ordered the guards to let her go.

  "No... Cassia." Barcello got up to his feet and tried to reach out to her but she glared and pounced at him, pinning his body back to the ground. Barcello wasn't scared, he was sad to see his wife reduced to such a state.

  Cassia lowered her face, her usual warm green eyes had a crazed look. He closed his eyes and prepared for the worst but was surprised by the soft pair of lips pressed against his forehead and droplets of something wet on his forehead.

  "R..Run...please.."