The room where Moni White lay was quiet and dim.

As Tony entered inside, he switched on all the lights.

Jean White rose from the chair with a hopeful look. She had been here all day—Tony could see it in her posture, the particular exhaustion of someone who has refused to take rest. Because she has no place to go now. All her family was wiped out from the Philippines.

She looked at Tony’s face... Then looked at the herbs he was already holding

"You came back," she said... Her voice was quite low.

"Didn’t I promise?" Tony began to arrange the herbs delivered by his family, placing them on the preparation surface in precise sequence.

"Don’t worry, I brought everything. Your sister will be saved."

Jean’s hand went to her mouth.

She watched him work without looking at her.

His movements were precise and completely without doubt— the Morning Dew Root separated first, set aside, temperature-preservation seal maintained.

Then the secondary compounds are arranged in treatment order. Grinding tools from the tower’s preparation cabinet. Mortar and pestle, ceramic heating element, the specific small blade used for membrane separation on root compounds.

He began.

Grinding. Measuring. The careful, exacting process of turning raw herbs into something the body could absorb and use—each compound requiring different preparation, different timing, different temperature.

Jean stood back and watched in silence.

She had seen healers work before. Senior healers, peak masters, specialists brought in at enormous expense from distant academies. But Tony has a peculiar style. His way of doing things was unique.

Tony worked like a man solving a problem he had already solved before.

No hesitation. No consultation. No second-guessing.

’People call him useless... When did he become so skilled?,’ Jean thought with a mesmerized look. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

She didn’t ask any questions or doubts. She just watched his hands move with complete trust.

Tony began applying the first compound on Moni White’s body.

And then— He felt the heat. The touch of the woman’s body made him breathe loudly.

A heat, starting low in his chest, spreading under the skin like a small itching. His hands continued moving, completing the current step on reflex, while the rest of his attention turned inward.

Shaking, sweating, the need of touch, craving for lust!

His brow tightened slightly.

’The potion...!’ Tony muttered while controlling his urges.

The fog from the lift had been more powerful than he’d initially assessed. He thought the seductive potion was completely neutralised. But there had been a secondary layer underneath it.

"Some bastard really used his brain." Tony muttered as the craving and itching for lust increased.

’Seems like the potion is working against my will,’ he thought grimly.

He worked faster.

The paste for the first application— finished it in one go. The root membrane separation— finished it, while his hands were still fully reliable. Sequence the remaining compounds so that if his control slipped, Jean could follow the order without him.

Sweat appeared on his forehead... The heat climbed.

Jean also observed the subtle changes for the first time.

His thoughts were beginning to shake— fragmentary, intrusive, the specific craving of a women.

He suddenly turned towards Jean, but controlled the instincts in the next second.

"Tony?" Jean’s voice came from somewhere to his left. Uncertain. "Are you... your face...!"

She stared at him in confusion. Tony’s cheeks turned red and sweat began covering his body from head to toe.

"I’m fine." His voice came out strongly. "Don’t touch the compounds on the left side of the surface. Temperature-sensitive."

"You’re sweating... Wha..."

"I’m fine..." Tony said in a shaky tone while picking the herb extract. But the bowl almost slipped from his hands. He placed it back on the table at the last second.

He wasn’t fine.

The heat was becoming problematic, moving into his legs, his hands, the base of his skull. His vision was clear but the thinking behind it was developing gaps, little absences where concentration should have been.

He finished the second compound.

Reached for the third.

His hand missed the container by two inches.

He corrected. Picked it up. Continued.

Almost. Almost done. Just finish—

The heat spiked.

Tony’s knees made contact with the floor before he’d consciously registered falling. The ceramic jar stayed upright— he’d managed that much, some reflex protecting the work even as the rest of his body stopped cooperating.

The floor was cold against his palms.

He was aware of Jean making a sound— fear in it, movement, her footsteps crossing the room quickly.

His mind, at the edges, was chaos.

Jean reached him, tried to hold him steady.

But suddenly, Tony held her hand! She looked at him in surprise. Because she felt the manly touch! For a second, she lost her grip and Tony completely fell on the ground. His body touched the floor with a loud thud.

He controlled the urge to pin her down and enjoy his lustful-cravings.

Jean’s hands appeared in his vision, hovering, not knowing where to help.

"Tony.. what’s happening...! should I call someone, Tony???!"

He looked up at her from the floor.

His face was drenched in sweat. His eyes were too dull and tired. The heat coming off him was visible now— a faint distortion in the air, the kind that appears above surfaces that have absorbed too much.

"The compounds on the right," he said. His voice was controlled with visible effort. "Blue-sealed container. Mix it and apppp... urgent..."

His voice died down midway and completely lost consciousness.

"I don’t... Tony, I don’t know how to..."

But Tony has no response. She placed a hand on his forehead and was shocked!

"Too Hot...!"

"Ahhh~!" She cried out in the next second as Tony tightly held her hand.

"Help ME..." He muttered in a shaky tone while reaching for her face.

She took a backstep.

Tony’s heart rate doubled, and his body began heating up at a rapid-pace. Tony, who has little rationality left, tried to control the rushing blood. But soon, he found that the changes were uncontrollable.

Soon his little brother stood up, and his brain began visualizing scenes of naked cuties, alluring bodies, and furious funking scenes.

Meanwhile, the feeling became uncontrollable for Jean White. She is in a complete dilemma. Only Tony can save her sister and all the resources were processed already. If he fails now, gathering rare herbs might not be possible again.

She gritted her teeth and controlled the urge to pounce on the burning Tony.

"Did he get poisoned? Or someone used a seductive potion?!" Jean couldn’t decide what to do.

Even if she wants to bring any help, it was already late night and anything could happen in her absence.

Suddenly the body of her sister began shaking violently and stopped abruptly.

"Moni...!" She approached close. Her heart raced after seeing falling blood pressure.

"Jean..." Suddenly she felt her ankle tightly grabbed.

When she looked down, she saw Tony looking at her with a playful and lust filled stare.

"Seems like there is one thing I could do..." Jean muttered as determination filled her eyes.