HETAR

"But why?" I asked that made Asher"s smirk be faded away. "Why did they keep it from me? Dad told me that my Mom died after she gave birth to me and . . . her name is not Er but Ellaine. Why did they hide it?" I was very confused to the point that a tear fell from my eyes down to my cheeks.

"Our world is too complicated, Scarlette, and always at danger. They couldn"t risk you," he sincerely said.

I closed my eyes and sighed. "Tell me. Is my Dad in Hetarnia? Is he really dead?"

His face turned grim. Or it"s just me who"s imagining it?

"He"s not there."

"What do you mean?"

A part of me was filled with hope because of what I"ve heard. I thought that he"s still alive but . . . all of those vanished because of the next thing Asher answered.

"His soul is missing."

~*~

Dad is missing. How come?

"Hey."

I blinked at Asher who pulled me out from my thoughts. "Sorry," I uttered and sighed.

"s.p.a.cing out . . . "

"This feels surreal . . . "

He just stared at me with his worried eyes. He didn"t say a word. I shifted my gaze to my plate. The cheeseburger on it was still as it is - not yet lessen; still whole.

"It"s very hard to believe it," I continued. "I still can"t believe that my Mom is a G.o.ddess and my Dad . . . a swordsman . . . " I returned my sight to him.

"Do you want to see your Mom?" he said, out of the blue.

I didn"t answer immediately. I was shocked.

"Come on."

I was confused even more. "H-huh?"

"I"ll take you to your Mom," he smiled.

"H-how?" I felt my heat beat fast. Excitement filled my system.

He didn"t answer my question. Instead, he asked, "Do you trust me, Scarlette?"

I stared at him for a few seconds. The smile was gone. All I could see was his seriousness.

I nodded and smiled but it also faded when he grinned.

He chuckled. "Don"t blame me then when you wake up."

My eyebrows furrowed because of that. I didn"t receive any follow-up explanation.

As I stared into his eyes, it felt like I was being swallowed. I felt dizzy. My vision became blurry . . . until I lost consciousness.

~*~

"Hey. Sweetie, wake up. We"re here."

I slowly opened my eyes. The blue sky greeted me. I felt lightly like . . . I was being lifted by someone.

LIFTED BY SOMEONE?!

"Did you enjoy the ride?"

My eyes widened as I stared at his smiling face. Asher is lifting me! And for G.o.d"s sake! My right hand is clinging around his neck!

"d.a.m.n! Bring me down!" I screamed in annoyance.

He laughed. "Okay. Okay." He carefully did what I said. "You"re heavy as ever."

I shot him a glare. "Not my fault. You"re the one who lifted me. I can walk. And it"s not my fault why I lost consciousness-" I stopped when I realized something. I shot him another glare. "You"re the one who made me sleep!"

He clapped and smiled. "Yup!"

"Why?"

"I don"t want you to experience how dangerous it is to go here."

"Dangerous?" I raised my left brow.

He nodded. "Uh-huh." He heaved a sigh. "Forget about it. What more important right now is we"re here. Look."

I followed his gaze and I was enchanted because of what I saw. In front of us, there was a huge golden gate of a very huge castle!

"Is this real?" I whispered.

"Of course."

The gate slowly opened by itself like it"s welcoming us.

All of sudden, Asher ran to the gate and faced me. He"s smiling widely. "WELCOME TO HETARNIA - THE SACRED PLACE OF G.o.dS AND SOULS!" he shouted. "This is our place, Scarlette."

I was about to ran to his side when someone hugged me tightly from the back. This warmth . . . this is the warmth I am longing for.

"My daughter . . . "

"Mom . . . "

Is this true? Is my mother really hugging me right now? I didn"t expect that this is going to happen.

"Mom . . . is this really you?" I asked.

"Yes, dear." A tear fell from my eyes as I heard those words from her.

I faced her. "Mom . . . " I stared at her face. She looked like me but of course, she"s older. I touched her cheeks with my right hand. "Mom, is this really you?" I asked again.

She smiled. "Yes, dear."

"Mom, I didn"t expect this." I hugged her back and cried on her shoulder. "I didn"t expect to meet you. All of my life, I thought, you"re dead. Mom, I missed you a lot. I missed you."

She caressed my back gently. "I missed you, too, Scarlette. Sorry for making you believe those things. It"s for your own good. You should understand us."

I nodded and nodded as I hugged her tighter.

Mom, don"t leave me. Please.

ASHER"S POINT OF VIEW

I watched them in their mother-daughter moment.

I"m very glad for the both of them, especially Scarlette. From being alone, now, she has her mother to rely on to.

"Mom, let"s find Dad."

I was surprised to hear it from her. Even her mother was surprised, too.

Aunt Er looked at me but I avoided her gaze.

"We will find him. We will."