"We are home," Yurian announced as Aselia and he entered their home after a tiring day. He had returned from his mission and found Aselia in a sour mood.

"Woof!" Rony came frolicking and greeted them both by liking their hands. He had grown a few inches in the last two months, and his fur was getting thick and long.

Esma called them from the kitchen. "Kids, go get changed I will serve dinner."

"Dad’s not here yet," Yurian inquired making his way to the kitchen and kissing his mom on her cheek.

"No, he will be late today, he called that we shouldn’t wait for him at dinner," Esma told him as she stirred the pot containing soup.

Aselia quietly went to her room to freshen up.

"What happened to Leia? She seemed quiet," it didn’t go unnoticed by Esma.

"She has been like that since I returned from the mission. I tried asking her but she was not feeling very talkative today. I will go get changed too," Yurian also made his way to his room.

Aselia has been secretly investigating the incident of her memory loss. It bothered her to think how specific her memory loss was. One complete year and a random memory of how her parents had died. Or were there other memories too she had forgotten about?

The silver in her hair bothered her too. When she asked Yurian he said she had dyed it herself but it seemed like a professionally done job to her.

And she had been seeing that silver-haired angel unusually a lot too and every time she woke up there would be an aching feeling in her heart. She wanted to know who he was and what connection he held with her.

Today, she had fallen asleep in the car on the way home and saw him again. His touch was so soothing and she wanted to be held by him for a long time. It was so unlike her, she didn’t let anyone touch or hold her except Yurian. Then why him? Why did he feel so real?

Her heart and mind were occupied by him and before she knew it she had grabbed a canvas and her paints and sat to draw. Yurian came to call her for dinner but she excused herself saying she wasn’t hungry and wanted to be left alone.

She sat there for hours, painting in silence, trying to calm down her nerves and escape that ache in her heart.

She heard another knock and it was Esma this time.

Aselia opened the door and Esma said: "Come, my dear, eat something and I will be your listening ear today. I am getting worried about you."

Aselia didn’t want to worry her, Esma had been through enough in her life so she quietly went with her. Esma served her food and both women sat beside the fireplace. The elderly woman asked her about her day and what was bothering her.

"Day was alright, but I am suffocating. I can’t shake the feeling that something happened to me during the last year and they are hiding the truth from me. Somehow I feel incomplete..." Aselia confided in her, who in turn wrapped her arms around the elven girl’s shoulders.

"Oh! Dear, if it is something so grave that they are feeling the need to hide it from you then maybe it is for the best. Sometimes it’s better to not know the truth, and if you are meant to know it then no one will be able to keep it from you. Have patience, that’s all I can say."

Esma’s words comforted Aselia, who nodded in return and began to eat her dinner, offering a few crumbs to Rony who sat on her feet and was rubbing his face with her legs.

On the other hand, Yurian had gone into Aselia’s room and found the canvas she had been painting on. It rested on the easel and was a portrait of a man who was wearing a white dress and had magnificent milky white wings. His silver hair was open and long. The only part missing was the face, the man had no facial structure, for now.

Seeing it Yurian’s heart began to palpitate. He knew in his bones that she drew Xiran. Was she constantly seeing him in her dreams? He took out his cell phone and took a picture of the painting and forwarded it to Frila. With the caption:

["Who comes to mind when you see this?"]

She was the one person Yurian could freely talk to about Aselia because she knew everything. And every time Yurian struggled with some answers to give to Aselia, he consulted Frila. She was down to earth and easy to converse with, on top of that she always had a listening ear and perfect advice for him.

["This seems like Señor. Who drew this?"] came her instant reply.

[Aselia did. I think her dreams are tormenting her with his images and she is becoming restless. Today, she is down and she won’t open up, even to me. Frila I don’t even know what to do anymore. Help me out.] Yurian typed the following reply and hit send.

Seeing his reply Frila could sense how frustrated Yurian must be feeling. Having to hide such big truths from her and blatantly lie to her every day was having a toll on him. She then replied:

[Firstly, try to stay relaxed and in control. If you lose control, it will be difficult for you to look after her. Secondly, don’t deny or negate everything she says or asks. Keep the lies as close to reality as possible. Tell her that maybe due to the incident, her mind has conjured the image of an angel who will protect her. It is her body’s defence mechanism. This way she wouldn’t think too deeply about this.]

Reading her message Yurian experienced a sense of relief washing over him. How did she always know how to reply so perfectly? He answered with the following text before heading to his room:

[Thank you! You have been of great help to me. I hate lying to Aselia and recently I feel it’s all that I have been doing. But I will keep your advice in mind.]

Reaching his room he lay down on the bed and texted some more with Frila. Talking to her had a calming effect and he slept soon after.