The ear-piercing screams that suddenly took over the silent dark forest made Emily shudder as she tried her very best to not turn to look at exactly what was going on behind her.

However, the curiosity of finding out exactly what was making her attackers scream in such agony was too powerful for her to ignore just like that.

That's how she found herself turning to look at the scene that was unfolding behind her.

But before she could manage to see anything more than the bright orange and yellow lights that had suddenly taken over their previously dark surroundings, her face was pulled to rest against the firm chest of the man holding her.

"Don't move! Just wait till it all ends."

The masked man ordered as he tightened his arms around her to stop her from turning and seeing the chaos that was happening behind her.

The huge red and yellow flames had taken over the task of punishing the group of men who dared to lay their hands on his girl.

If it was a normal situation, he would have made her watch the entire scene. But it was not a normal situation.

The girl was already suffering too much at that moment and he didn't want to see her even more afraid than how much she already was.

That's why when he felt her nodding her head lightly before resting it against his chest, he felt relief surging through his body.

One of his hands pulled his cloak to cover her as he felt her relaxing little by little as his scent performed its magic.

Emily waited and waited, and it was not until an eternity had passed when the screams and cries behind her finally started to cool down.

When she finally did not hear any kind of sound for a few moments, she asked in a barely audible voice, "Is it over?"

The man stayed silent for a few seconds before he finally replied in a soft voice, "Not yet."

What else could Emily do other than waiting for a few more minutes? She just closed her eyes and tried to be as calm as possible, even when she was feeling anything but calm at that moment.

She did the stupidest thing by assuming that every silver-haired men were Rylan and this stupidity led to her being kidnapped.

She almost got killed but then suddenly a masked man appeared out of nowhere who protected her from her kidnapper and his team.

But exactly what price she would be paying for the help that she had received from a total stranger, a person who was so foreign for her but felt too familiar to be possible.

However, her current state was nothing but a meek and scared girl who wanted to return to her brothers as soon as possible.

Even when she would be paying a price for this sudden and totally unexpected help, she only cared about returning to her brothers' side as soon as possible.

The thought of her brothers almost made the tears scroll down her cheek and it took all her strength to not start bawling her eyes out right then and there in the middle of a forest and in front of a total stranger.

She hated this part of herself, the week and crying girl that was only capable of causing troubles but could do nothing to save herself.

She had always hated this side of her and as time went by, this pathetic side of her character consumed her entire being.

The person that she had become was nothing more than a meek girl who consciously or unconsciously ended up in big troubles and could do nothing much than crying and hiding behind others.

It had been a long time since she wanted to change this reality, a very long time since she decided to be not a burden anymore.

However, looked like nothing had changed in all these years.

"It's alright now."

The soft voice that belonged to her savior brought her out of her thoughts and as she pulled away from the warmth of his embrace, she realized that their surroundings were once again filled with darkness and silence.

She immediately turned to look at the place where her attackers were supposed to be, but other than darkness nothing much greeted her sight.

"Where did they go?" She asked softly as she returned her attention to the only other person present there except her.

A gasp almost escaped her lips as her eyes registered the moonlight that was filtering into the forest and landing directly on the masked man, making him appear even more ethereal and heavenly.

She raised one of her hands and watched as the silvery light made her skin glow. She was amazed to see that suddenly a huge gap had appeared in the top of the canopy through which the moonlight was able to travel inside the dark forest.

"The place where they deserved to be."

"Huh?"

Since Emily was too emerged in enjoying the moonlight, she completely forgot about her question.

That's why when the masked man suddenly replied out of nowhere, it took her a few seconds to realize what he was talking about.

"Oh!.....B-but what exactly happened to them?" She could not help but ask even when she was a little scared of making the masked man angry.

The masked man stroked her hair softly as he answered, "Trust me, you won't like the answer."

This was enough to shut her up completely. But as the silence dawned over them and the realization of her current situation once again struck her, Emily could not help the tears that blurred her sight for a few seconds before she regained her control over them.

Though she succeeded in keeping her tears from spilling, but the question was what she's supposed to do now?

"I can take you back to your brothers."

Emily's head immediately jerked up to look at the masked man as she asked, "R-really?"

In response, the man lightly nodded his head.

However, before Emily could thank him, his next words almost made her happiness sink to the bottom of her stomach.

"But I have a condition. I need a favor from you."