Chapter 199

Professor Harlan spoke slowly, “The pill was first cultivated over fifty years ago," he said, his voice low, steady, and heavy with meaning. "It was crafted using nine of the rarest, most exotic ingredients known to ancient medicine—wild herbs that no longer exist in the wild, parts of a white tiger, fragments of rhinoceros horn, even powdered moonflower harvested under eclipse. All of it fused together through techniques no modern lab would dare replicate."

He paused, eyes sweeping across the stunned faces around him.

“Back then, there were no bans. No global ethics boards. No environmental watchdogs. If nature produced it, they used it. That's what made the Divine Pill so extraordinary-so dangerous, so miraculous."

The room was silent. Nobody dared interrupt.

Victor's voice deepened. “But miracles come with consequences. After the first confirmed batch was completed, international conservation laws cracked down hard. Everything they used was outlawed. Protected species. Extinct flora. Forbidden alchemy. The recipe was buried. The lab that created it was shut down and scrubbed from public record. No one's seen a legal replication in decades."

He took a breath and folded his arms, jaw tightening with the weight of unresolved frustration. “About five years ago, one surfaced at a private auction in Drakia. Verified. Untouched. It sold for ten million dollars. One pill."

He looked Elias dead in the eye.

"I'm telling you this so you understand what we're talking about. This isn't some hospital-grade cocktail or miracle drug you can buy from a black-market supplier. It's

a relic. Mythical. And your odds of finding one now?" He shook his head. "Damn near zero."

For a long moment, no one spoke. The tension strangled the room.

Elias didn't move. But something shifted in his eyes.

Divine Pill.

That name. It sounded familiar. Recent. Where had he

Then it hit him like a thunderclap.

He snapped upright. “Wait—Vane. He gave Dad something tonight. A pill. Said it was special. For his birthday."

His brothers turned toward him, blinking.

Williams's expression morphed from confusion to shock as realization punched through. "Shit. You're right." He took off across the room without waiting for permission.

Everyone's gaze followed him as he skidded near the side table and dropped to one knee. Amid the chaps the gift box had been kicked aside scuffed with shoe prints, nearly forgotten. Williams snatched it up with shaking hands, brushing off dirt and spilled champagne from the crushed corners.

"This is it," he muttered. "He handed it to Dad earlier. I didn't think twice. Looked like

a novelty box. I tossed it."

Professor Harlan stepped forward fast, his face drained of color the moment he saw

it.

"That casing," he said quietly. Then louder. “That's original. That's the real

packaging. That's how Divine pill was sealed."

His voice cracked slightly with disbelief. "Where's the pill? Is it still inside?"

Before Williams could respond, Elias was already moving. He yanked the box from

his brother's hands, flipped the lid open-and froze.

Empty.

"No," Elias whispered.

The silence hit again. Harder this time.

Victor's voice turned razor sharp. "You need to get that pill. Now."

He stepped in his presence int

commanding. "If it's really Divine pill, and you get it into his system within the first twenty-four hours of stroke it won't just stop the

overn

damage-it could reverse it.

Memory, mobility;

Speech everything. He might walk away from this like it never happened."

The room seemed to lean toward him.

Victor locked eyes with Elias, fire in his gaze.

"You don't have time to second-guess this. If he's still carrying it, and you let that

chance slip—then you let him die. Or worse... you let him live broken."