"I am so sorry to hear this, and I understand what you feel," Aselia tried to calm him down.

"White Falcon, you remind me of her, and when I heard about your fame and stories, it gave me hope that elves can survive in this wretched world and maybe she is alive too. That’s the reason I took the mission to spy on him. I was hoping to find her. But so far I have failed."

He sighed and wiped the tears from his face and continued: "The heinous inhumane acts and atrocities I saw being committed in that underground facility were beyond words and the information Xiran has provided us, clearly shows his evilness. And for once I can’t blame Xiran for trying to protect you. I can’t even imagine what his life must be like."

Aselia’s face fell as she was reminded of him and his words. Even though he had profoundly hurt her today, she couldn’t deny what his father had done to him and how afraid he was of losing her.

"Yes, his father has not been kind to him. Still, I don’t like being dictated to or taken lightly to decisions being forced on me. He and I have a lot to discuss, but for now, all he gets is a cold shoulder."

"I understand but remember to keep his perspective in mind, no one wants to lose the person they love as I did," the sadness he held for the love he lost made Aselia rethink how she had left things with Xiran.

"You will find her, keep the hope alive. One day he will pay for the crimes he has committed and I will help you. They might have placed conditions on White Falcon but there are no conditions on me," There was determination on Yurian’s face as he said those words.

"Thank you, I appreciate it. And if you guys ever need help, don’t hesitate to ask," he finally gave them a small smile which they returned.

The topic of discussion then changed and they moved on to an easy conversation. Agent 93 had an amiable nature and a lot of jokes up his sleeve and Aselia soon found her smiling at them.

---------------------

Back in Fritez City, Xiran called Rivan and asked if he could come over for dinner. He didn’t want to be alone today, guilt was killing him inside.

Rivan and Irlana were just returning from their office and they told him to come over. Both of them reached home and got changed into comfortable attires and settled down in the living room.

Rivan ordered the chef to prepare dinner for three, as Xiran would be joining them. Irlana then asked Rivan:

"What does brother Xiran prefer to eat and drink?"

"He prefers blood but he also likes tea with milk. In food, fish with mushrooms and penne with creamy sauce and sausages are his favourites. Anything with sausages becomes his favourite," Rivan replied with a smile.

"Those are some fine choices and what about you?" she asked with a bit of hesitation.

"Whiskey and Medium rare steak with white sauce and veggies," he answered back without any hesitation.

"I love steak as well, it’s one of the very first dishes I mastered. If you don’t mind I would love to cook alongside the chef today," Irlana requested.

"You must be tired, leave the cooking to the chef."

"I am not, let me do this for you and brother Xiran," she tugged back the lock of her hair which had come loose from her bun.

"Alright, but don’t push yourself too much. I don’t want you to over-fatigue yourself for our sake," Rivan added. She got up and nodded with a smile before making her way to the kitchen. Rivan watched her go before turning on the tv to watch the news.

Xiran arrived shortly after and joined his friend in the living room. His solemn expression and slumped shoulders revealed to Rivan that he was in bad shape.

"What happened? Xi. Did the meeting not go according to the plan?" Rivan asked and instructed his butler to bring them drinks. Xiran hadn’t revealed his plan to anyone so Rivan was unaware of what had transpired at today’s meeting.

"Everything went smoothly, I just did something really awful, I might have made Aselia hate me for good," he replied with a long sigh and took his face in his hands.

"Hey! Tell me what happened," Rivan reached out and placed his hand on his friend’s shoulder and gave him a small pat as Xiran revealed everything he did and said to Aselia.

"Man! That was not the way Xiran. You caught her off guard and almost humiliated her and then you made her cry by threatening her and taking away one thing which had been the driving force of her survival. You should have discussed it with me, so I could have given you better advice."

"Yeah, I know but no matter how I had gone by it she would never back down. So threatening to kill her fellow hunters was the only option which would hold her at bay," Xiran could feel the tension and despair bringing his mood further down. Her tear-streaked face kept flashing in his mind. She should have left happy, not in tears.

"Brother Xiran," Irlana’s cheerful voice jolted him out of his dazed state.

"Irlana, how have you been little sister?" he got up seeing his sister who was carrying a cup of tea. She placed the cup on the table and gave him a warm hug. The feeling was beautiful and he wanted to hold onto her for a long time. His heart felt at ease.

"I am good. How are you?" she asked as they finally separated.

"Hanging in there," a sad smile spread on his face and Irlana realized he was not fine.

"Have some tea, I made it, especially for you. It will calm you down. I am also preparing your favourite dishes for dinner so let’s talk after and tell me what’s going on."

Xiran lovingly kissed his sister’s forehead, her care melting and easing his heart.