The Past

"Now it's time for dinner," Darius said, without answering Talisa's question.

"Darius!"

"There are a lot of things you don't need to know, Talisa. For your good. Knowing too much about things you shouldn't know can make you suffer. Trust me," Darius said again.

"What for?" Talisa asked. Her question was that short because she seemed to have lost her ability to think. Stringing questions became that difficult in front of Darius. The man's aura for some reason seemed to be able to stab into Talisa's heart, making Talisa feel awkward.

"What do you mean?" asked Darius.

"Why are you acting as if you care about me? Just tell me the truth and don't pretend that you care!" Talisa exclaimed. She couldn't stand the fact that Darius was hiding a lot from her.

Darius was silent for a few seconds hearing Talisa's words, but Talisa couldn't read the expression on his face that was cold and always flat. She could not guess what the man was thinking. And when he suddenly stood up, Talisa couldn't help but be surprised. Darius approached Talisa slowly, making Talisa retreat step by step until her back touched the cold wall.

"What if I tell you that I really do care about you. Do you believe it?" asked Darius.

"I-I…"

As usual, Talisa stuttered when Darius is as close as this. All her anger and frustrations had disappeared with a gust of wind. Talisa didn't realize that she was holding her breath, for whatever reason.

"I've always cared. You believe it or not, that's your business. So now we should have dinner because I have a feeling that we will soon find Sherina," Darius said in a low voice. Talisa's heart skipped a beat when Darius was so close to her, but right after that, Darius just walked away toward the exit. Talisa just realized that she had been holding her breath for a long time and she took a deep breath.

However, even though she had already taken a deep breath, her heart was still beating fast. Darius's words made her heart unable to calm down, not in line with her logic. Does Darius care for her? It had to be a lie and Talisa didn't want to believe it. However, her heart really couldn't obey her brain.

"Are you coming for dinner or not?"

Darius who suddenly came back into the room made Talisa shocked.

"Y-yes, give me a minute," Talisa stuttered.

Darius ignored Talisa's words, he quickly walked back to Talisa and grabbed Talisa's wrist, and dragged her to walk out of the room. The touch of Darius' warm hand, made Talisa now completely unable to control her heartbeat.

"Control yourself, Talisa," said Darius, as if he could read all of Talisa's body language no matter how hard she tried to cover it up. It made Talisa feel embarrassed.

"I-I'm fine," Talisa replied, trying to look relaxed as if nothing happens.

Darius didn't seem to be listening, but he still dragged Talisa into the dining room until she sat on one of the dining chairs beside Darius. They then started eating without saying much and Talisa used the opportunity to calm down. Once Talisa feels calmer, her logic takes on a role again. She thought about Sherina and about finding her.

"Are there any clues regarding that little girl named Sherina?" Talisa asked Darius.

"We found dozens of Sherinas that match your description, that's why after dinner you'll see all the data. We have to find her as soon as possible," Darius replied.

"If I can find Sherina and save her, will I be able to return to my old life? Will all of this end?" Talisa asked.

The sound of a spoon slamming onto the plate made Talisa startled. Darius did it right after Talisa finished her question.

"You are an idiot. I wonder why Zoya who is so smart can give birth to a daughter as stupid as you. Listen, Talisa! There's no turning back! You can't go back to your old life. It's not that I don't allow it, but the fact is you can't come back. With or without my permission, you have become a true earth elemental master and George's main target! Got it now?!" Darius exclaimed in the loudest voice Talisa had ever heard. That sentence not only shocked Talisa but also hurt her pride.

Talisa can't be treated like this all the time. She still didn't understand the new world called Traum and couldn't accept that she couldn't return to her old life, so she couldn't accept Darius being so harsh on her. Talisa got up and slammed her napkin on the table. She wanted to show Darius that she got an attitude and Darius cannot keep on looking down on her, but her tears betrayed her. The tears gathered in the corners of her eyes and slid down before Talisa could turn around and run away.

Talisa returned to her room, immediately slammed the door, and fell behind the door. She hugged her knees and began to shed tears. Not because Darius's anger was so shocking, not because of the insults that escaped his lips, but because Talisa still found it hard to accept the fact that her life had completely changed one hundred and eighty degrees. She also could not accept that her parents were not her real parents.

A knock on the door made Talisa tilt her head up, but she didn't get up. There was no intention whatsoever from Talisa to open the door.

"Talisa… it's me, open the door…" Darius said in a low voice.

Talisa remained where she was, trying to keep her sobs low. She didn't want Darius to know that she was crying hard.

"You know I can still come in even if you don't open the door, right?" Darius asked again.

Talisa remained silent, her heart getting more and more annoyed with Darius. Darius had intended to force the door open, but then he canceled it. Darius finally chose to lean against the door while closing his eyes. He could feel Talisa's strength right behind his back. With that, he knew that Talisa was behind the door.

"Zoya used to cry behind the door when she was little," Darius suddenly said.

He still remembered how it felt to feel the power of the earth element master from the body of the woman named Zoya. Just as he felt from Talisa's body. Memories of the past have always flooded Darius' mind since he met Talisa.

Hearing those words, Talisa wiped her tears, trying to hear more clearly. Who is Darius and what is his relationship with Talisa's biological parents? All these questions swirled in Talisa's brain.

"I may look much younger than my actual age, you will too. Someday you will realize that you don't age. That is the sign of a true elemental master, the hallmark of the people of Traum. I'm the same age as your mom and dad, Talisa. I've known them since I was little," Darius finally said.

Talisa widened her eyes. Darius suddenly tells Talisa about this and she doesn't want to miss this opportunity. Darius then heard the sound of the door handle creaking, he immediately turned around and found that Talisa had opened the door. Talisa's eyes were still red from crying, but it was clear that she had wiped her tears first, before opening the door.

"Tell me more about it," said Talisa.