"I will not hurt you. But I don’t want to see you again, ever. You are not to set foot in my city or come near the people I love and care about. We are practically strangers to each other now and I want this to stay that way," Xiran stated, a sharp pain stemming in his chest. A lump had formed in his throat and he wanted this to be done with.

Sohlia drew a sharp breath and lifted her head to gaze at him with her over-brimming eyes.

"I know my crimes are too many to ask for your forgiveness and I will respect your decision and keep myself discreet. But, I am pregnant with Xifin’s baby, so don’t cut this baby off. I want you to be part of his life, he will need you. Please, I beg you, have it in your heart to forgive me."

Xiran was stunned into silence at her revelation. His gaze instinctively travelled to her belly and she was protectively clasping it while she watched him with expectant eyes. He didn’t want to trust her but his heart melted at the mention of a child. He couldn’t punish a child for the crimes of his parents.

"I will be there for the child in any way possible but don’t you dare use him/her for your benefit. Try to rewrite your mistakes by raising that child well. You and the baby will not be alone, you have my word," a fleeting sense of satisfaction wormed inside Xiran and stayed. He knew he had made the right decision concerning her.

"Thank you, Xiran. I will not break your trust and hope one day we will be able to put all of this past us," she dabbed her eyes with the tissue and threw a final glance at the charred remains of the mansion before walking away. She knew she didn’t have the protection of Xifin or his father now and making Xiran an enemy won’t be in her best interests. She was done with her evil ways, Xifin had shattered her in more ways than she thought was ever possible.

Xiran was left to collect his thoughts and the new decisions he needed to make. He watched her leave, she seemed like a broken woman, her lover, her protection, her status that came with Xifin, everything was gone now. And he could only wish that she would raise that child with love and not sow the seed of hatred in his heart and use him or her as a weapon against Xiran. For that child would prove to be his downfall, he would never bring himself to harm him.

Lines of worry deepened on his forehead as a steady hand reassuringly rested on his shoulder. Xiran turned around to find Sulran standing with him; his eyes focused on the burnt remains of the building ahead. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"Your abode?" He questioned.

"Used to be, until I burnt it down," Sulran’s head sharply turned towards Xiran, a look of confusion he gave his nephew as he asked:

"Would you like to talk about it?"

"Some other time. Let me take you home so we can comfortably sit and talk. There is so much I would like to ask," Xiran was brimming with questions and now that he knew Sulran’s identity, it was safe for him to be around Aselia. He wanted him to meet her.

"I would love that and kindly accept my gratitude for bringing me here and showing Surilla’s last resting place. Our family can finally have closure. My mother has lost part of her sight from the tears she had shed for Surilla," the serious look on his face told Xiran he was barely holding himself together.

"I have a grandmother?" A tinge of warmth captured his heart at the thought.

"Yes, and she will be so delighted to meet you. Will you like to visit Tromalius?"

"I can?" Confusion marred Xiran’s features.

"I can take you along or you can go over yourself. I think you can travel intergalactically. Show me your wings again," and Xiran unfurled his majestic wings. Sulran stepped closer and traced his finger on the outline which had turned silver.

"Yes, you are your mother’s son. You inherited her trait and mine. You can travel through space and time. But it’s dangerous in the beginning so I will teach you before we will attempt it," all this new information was astonishing to him beyond reason. He just listened on with curiosity-filled eyes and nodded his head at his uncle before folding back his wings.

"You know you can also teleport like me from one place to another in your world because of those markings. They are new for you and it will take a little teaching but you will get used to it," Xiran blinked at him, his brows arching up.

"Really?" He questioned with his eyes widening a little and Sulran couldn’t help but slightly smile at his bewildered reaction as he asked:

"Yes, can I see your markings?"

"Yeah! They appeared about two weeks ago and I don’t understand anything about them," Xiran began to unbutton his shirt and finally took it off, showing Sulran the strange patterns on his torso, neck and arm.

Sulran’s eyes shimmered with a captivating mix of amazement and mystery as they beheld the intricate markings. The delicate patterns held secrets woven into each line. A sense of wonder washed over Sulran as he traced the patterns with his gaze, his curiosity piqued.

"I will be honest because I have never seen anyone with such elaborate patterns. I understand some of them like that star on your arm indicate that you summoned someone with the same pattern. In your case it’s me, I am your closest male relative. And in our world only males have markings."

He continued to explain: "This here," he pointed to the circular pattern near his chest, "indicates that you can travel intergalactically. You just need to think of the place you want to visit, press it, open your wings and you will be transported. Sometimes we just say random names or think of random places, like a place with colours and boom we find ourselves on some distant planet in a far away galaxy. I guess that’s how your mother ended up here. This place has such a variety of colours and she loved that, she used to find our planet too bland."

Both men awkwardly smiled at the remembrance of the woman who held so much meaning for them.

"She didn’t need any markings to travel, her wings were powerful enough," Xiran held pride in his voice but it saddened him at the same time remembering how their world treated her.

"Surilla was special and I still can’t believe she is gone," Sulran had a forlorn look in his eyes as he remembered his sister. Xiran tried to distract him, his gaze travelling down to his tattoo, so he said:

"But these markings don’t respond to my touch."

"They will, you need to practice and concentrate. You will also have to go through a few rituals to fully unlock the powers that have been bestowed upon you," Sulran’s voice carried pride for his nephew.

"Yes, I figured it would be something like that. But they respond to her touch. They appeared only when her life was threatened," Xiran confided in Sulran still not understanding how all of it will work.

"Ohhh! If I may ask? Is she your Sernera?" Xiran had read this term recently in his mother’s diary. It meant ’soulmate’. Sulran didn’t want to pry so he didn’t ask what happened with Aselia, he knew Xiran will inform him when he will be more comfortable.

"She is," Sulran’s face glowed similar to the full moon at Xiran’s answer.

"That’s why her touch is magical for you. Both of you share a deep connection that transcends physical attraction. You can understand each other’s thoughts and feelings without needing words. And now that you have transformed, it will keep growing. And if you go through the binding ritual then your souls will intertwine and that bond between the two of you will be embedded even deeper. You are only experiencing half of it without the ritual."

"How and where can we perform it?" Xiran questioned, too shocked by every piece of information Sulran offered.

"On Trimolus, both of you will be able to completely own each other," Sulran couldn’t wait to take them along and introduce them to their traditions.

"I would love that but I need to discuss everything with her. She needs to be all in for it too. I wouldn’t want to push her into doing something she is not comfortable with. I am not even sure if she wants to marry me. Marriage is the binding of bodies and souls according to the traditions of our planet," Xiran explained.

"There is only one way to find out. Ask her," Sulran’s sunny disposition reassured Xiran and he decided that he would talk to Aselia about it.

"Let’s go home then, I have a lot more questions for you," Xiran mused and Sulran laughed.

"And I will happily answer all of them," Xiran led the way as both men began walking to Xiran’s car and Sulran inquired pointing to it.

"What’s this called?"

"It’s a car. Come I will explain everything about it to you," Xiran opened the door for him and he happily settled inside.