"Calling his name now? It's too late, he won't come," snickered the man who wore Alfred's skin but as he walk, his face melted like wax, leaving sizzle and a large chunk of the melted skin fell to the grass. Finally seeing the true face of the dark sorcerer whose face was familiar, Elise gasped.

"You...I have seen you before," she looked at the face and her brows furrowed deeper.

"Of course, Elise, I was someone who knows you very well," the man put his hand to his chest, "I lived next to your house after all, we were close didn't we? I often watch over you and your mother from the wooden fence between our house. That pitiful woman, left by her own husband and now look at you, in a relationship with a demon? You walk right on the same hole as your mother fell into. Foolish women."

Elise wearily took another step, she watched the man whose face didn't change despite the years that passed. At first she wasn't able to remember the man's face because at that time she was still young but there was a particular memory that suddenly came over her when she took a better look at him.

"You were the one who had spread those rumors," she whispered. "You are not Alfred, your are Mr Barner."

"Is that all that you remembered? I treated your mind 'kindly' remember? You were young at that time but too noisy and too clever for your own good, it would have been better if you were at lest as dumb and naive like your mother," the man seized her figure, "She was one or not the most beautiful woman I have seen, exotic red hair on that drop dead gorgeous face that never fail to gain her attention whether good or bad which was an irony. Pity though that she had to be abandoned by her husband."

"No...I remember you did something," and pieces came to attack her mind but it was chopped to fragments which was hard for her to remember but one scene steered clear on her mind where Elise saw the man raising his hand over her mother's face. "You were trying to beat my mother!"

"Only that?"

Elise didn't want to waste her time chattering with the man when he bear nothing but I'll intentions and she yelled again, "Ian!" Yet for some reason Elise couldn't see him anywhere when Ian would always come to her rescue. With her face lifted to the sky, she finally took notice of how the black cloud turned slightly purplish and it moved around swirling to the middle as if the sky was preparing for a tornado. 

"He won't come," the man cackled, while watching Elise's face formed to confusion and worry. "I knew he was a high Demon but I have killed a high Demon before, well, it was years ago but I still held my skill in killing them. My magic have gotten much stronger compared to before."

"Because you used Demons' soul," she took a step back when the man took a step forward.

"See, I told you that you were too smart for yourself. It's because of you that your mother had to suffer, but that stupid bitch. She never retaliate with whatever I did but when she saw you how dare she slapped me!"

Over the word, Elise felt her body turn stiff. Abruptly, memories came to surge her mind, and like an ink dripping to a clear water, everything went clear to her mind, one of the memory that she lost replayed as if it was yesterday.

'Mama, where are you going?' asked little Elise, seeing how her mother picking the old scarf to her neck. 

The woman looked at her with a smile but due to how old the memory was, there was a big black fog over her mother's face, covering Elise to remember how she looked. 

During this time, Elise recalled that her mother was still sane, she was still the kind mother who would always gives her warm hug and prepare warm food that would fill her stomach despite the rough lifestyle they had to go through as her mother didn't have enough money. 

Since long, it had always been men who work and women who took care of the house. Most of the works out there needed physical power which only men could do, and there was only up to a few things her mother could do to earn money. Elise remember how money had always been the problem, but her mother never put that concern to her.

'Just a little trip, I will be back soon,' her mother pulled her small body to her arm, and gave her the hug which Elise always thought as warm and full of joy. 

'But it's night out there, it is dangerous,' she said, repeating the words her mother often told her. 

'I know, but don't worry, you can sleep before me and when you wake up, mama will be right there beside you,' Elise watched her mother leaned forward to kiss her forehead. 'I will be back soon.'

'Promise?' asked little Elise when her mother chuckle after catching the little yawn that she tried hard not to let out finally came from her mouth.

'I do. The kind Mrs. Ferhem said there will be storm tonight, keep your blanket high to your neck, okay?' And little Elise nodded. After seeing her mother off, Elise went to her bed, her small leg climbing to the bed and she did what her mother told her by bringing the neck to cover her entire small body. As if remembering something that she forgot, Elise blew the candle when she noticed that her mother had left the precious golden ring she had always wore on her ring finger.

Little Elise remembered how her mother always held the ring closely to her heart when she woke up at night. She wondered if her mother had forgotten to wear this? Thinking that her mother would be sad without the ring and that she might still be near as she had just left not long ago, she took the ring to her hand, taking the mission of bringing the ring to her mother to herself and went out of the house alone. It was always said that a child's curiosity was as wide as ocean and it was true. 

Elise went to search her her mother could have gone when she saw shadows from the window of the house on the right side of their house. The two familiar silhouette was easy for her to discern as she had always been beside her mother. 

With a small jump, Elise jump over the fence, making her way to the house of her neighbor. When she tried to knock the window, she belatedly realize how short she was and the distance of her palm and the window.

Trying to find another way, Elise walk around the house, finding the front door closed and when she chose to find another way to get inside, she was startled by the large argument voices that could be heard from the crack of the back door which was left slightly open. Figure of two people could be seen when she peered her eyes from the gap.

'Whatever you say to me, I won't believe it. He must still be out there, I trust him!' Her mother's voice was distinct and out of fear of her mother scream, Elise took it upon herself open the door wider while trying to be disecreet as her mother often warn her not to get in between adult's discussion. She watched her mother's back as she stood facing a larger man whose body was taller than her by four inches difference. 'Let go of my hand!'

The man was none other Mr Barner, the man who was their neighbor. Looking at her mother, a wide smile spread on his face, 'I knew you were foolish but also a woman full of hallucinations. How stupid. He has left you. This seven years had been the proof. If I was him, I would never leave my wife with a growing child in her belly.'