Aselia returned from her mini adventures with Sayla. She had shown the Elven girl around their palace and sat in the well-groomed gardens among the flowers until Xiran came to fetch her.

He wanted them to spend some time with Asfarla; Xiran’s grandmother and proceeded to her chambers. She was resting but slowly sat up seeing the both of them. A charming smile graced her lips seeing the two of them together.

Xiran helped her up and sat behind her so she could lean on him while Aselia seated herself near her legs, so both women could face each other.

"Seeing both of you swells my heart, it reminds me of my younger days with my Sera. He was the epitome of perfection and the love we had for each other can’t be described in words," Asfarla reminisced with a forlorn look in her eyes and a wounded smile on her lips.

"What happened?" Xiran reluctantly asked. He could tell that his grandfather was not alive anymore. He was steadily holding his grandmother’s shoulders.

"We went to explore some faraway planets and landed on a dangerous one and were captured by the residents of that planet. There was some kind of magnetic force there in random areas which prevented us from teleporting and we got stuck. We are a peaceful species so it took us a while to escape but he got fatally injured in the process. And by the time we got back, he was near his end. He passed into the eternal sleep realm soon after, leaving me heartbroken," Asfarla expressed her sorrow with a deep sigh.

"I am sorry to hear that," Aselia affectionately held the older woman’s hands and lightly pressed. Her lips thinned out hearing her story.

"Don’t worry, we had memorable years together and had two children. But after he was gone, the will to live anymore ceased and I stopped taking the elixir and began the ageing process and now with Surilla gone too, that will be diminished even more. Although seeing the two of you, I am thinking of taking it again, so at least I can see my grandkids," she spoke like a real grandma, interested in having grandkids. While Aselia’s ears began to crimson at the mention of kids, Xiran’s ears perked up hearing the word elixir.

"What kind of elixir, grandma?" Xiran was inquisitive.

"Oh! I forgot you people don’t know all the hidden secrets of our world. We have an ’elixir fall of immortality’ here. Once a pair goes through the bonding ritual they are offered a sip of that sacred water. Most couples accept it and prolong their lives while a few decline who don’t want eternally hereafter. The elixir just freezes one’s age for 10 years and then after 10 years, it’s needed to be drunk again. If you stop taking it then you begin ageing and will die of old age," Asfarla explained and a knowing look passed between Xiran and Aselia.

"Grandma, I already have immortal genes because of my father but Aselia is mortal. Will the elixir work if she alone drinks it?" Xiran asked, tenderly holding her shoulders.

"It won’t. After both of you complete the ritual, it is up to you to decide if you want to drink the eternal elixir or not. The decision has to be mutual because it won’t work if only one person drinks it and the other won’t. So take your time and discuss it before taking this step. Don’t rush into anything," Asfarla instructed both of them.

"We will. This is a major step in our lives and we want to do it right," Aselia reassured her, she knew Xiran would want it more than anything and it was a better option than being turned into a vampire.

"Good, I want nothing else but the best for both of you," Asfarla longed to ask Xiran about his mother. The kind of life she had, the kind of man she married and if he had any other siblings. But, Sulran had instructed his mother not to do that. He had sensed it was an extremely sensitive topic for Xiran and he didn’t want him feeling pushed to talk about something he didn’t want. They would need him to open up when he was comfortable.

Sulran knocked on the chamber door and entered. After exchanging greetings he asked to borrow Xiran.

"Mother, I need to take him to visit Moiga. She needs to see his markings and enlighten us more. Because he has some strange ones," Sulran respectfully stated, approaching and placing a small kiss on her forehead.

"Who is Moiga?" Xiran questioned, his interest piquing.

"One of the most powerful Malikus of our world. She possesses strong magic. We visit her for all kinds of counselling. She will also be the one to carry out your bonding ritual," Sulran explained.

"Go to her, Xiran. It’s important, she will guide you better," Asfarla encouraged him, and lovingly patted his arm.

"Alright. Leia, will you stay with grandma?" Xiran asked, getting up.

"Yes, I would love to hear more of the adventure stories," she spoke, the excitement evident in her voice, her eyes sparkling.

"Go, go, let the ladies talk. I have so much to discuss with her," Asfarla instructed and Xiran couldn’t hide his satisfied smile before leaving with Sulran.

"We will fly, she lives way up in the lush mountains that rise to the clouds," Sulran informed him and this excited Xiran. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"Let’s do it," they exited the palace and opened their wings. Both of them became airborne and flew towards their destination.

"So, everyone here possesses magic?" Xiran asked while staring down at the white expanse of space.

"No, only the blessed ones possess magic. Our clan can travel through space and time while The Malians, people of the Malias region are known for their magical abilities. They can heal, they own the ’elixir fall’, they can cast spells and they can read the markings Silver Bloods have. Their lands are breathtakingly beautiful. You will see," Sulran explained as they kept flying under the cloudy sky, the air laden with moisture and a fresh aroma.

"I can’t wait to," Xiran took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the fresh air and glided along, his beautiful wings straight and glistening.