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Alana could feel arms embracing her as she returned to her lucid state. As her eyes opened briefly, she saw the bright expanse sky in a green colour. Upon adjustment she instantly knew she was in one of Lylas's healing places.

He shadowed her view of the sky by looking down at her. His eyes were filled with concern and slight relief at seeing her awake.

That's when Alana jolted in realisation that she was lying on his lap, in his arms. Lylas restricted her from sitting up.

"Your neck wound hasn't healed yet." He reprimanded.

Alana wanted to speak, but her voice was hoarse and the pain elucidated from her voice box shocked her into awareness. Her fingers suddenly itched to touch her neck, however Lylas was currently placing familiar looking petals on her skin. The glowing residue of gold indicated that he was using a bit of his powers to aid with the flower petals in this Cutaa rock.

This told her they weren't in the lotus spring bath space, but in his personal healing space.

"Be still, let me finish." He urged her.

Alana tried remaining as still as possible, but her eyes were vivid with attention as they looked around him.

"I learned how to heal using plants from her. Only she knows how to perfect such healing remedy. These plants can only imitate her grace and essence. Since it's not original, it has limitations. That is why I have to concentrate, Alana. I can't have your wounds worsening." He told her.

Alana's heart thudded loudly for two reasons. The first being his utter attention to detail in taking care of her. The second being in utter despair to realise the "her" he spoke of was that woman.

To Alana, that woman was merely a ghost. A ghost that still haunted his heart. Because in Alana's eyes she viewed Naala as a coward that choose death instead of living. And so, to hear Lylas say that woman taught him how to heal with plants was unfathomable. It was a further realisation that this past love between him and that woman was long and unbreakable. Alana could never live up to that woman.

Alana would never have powers in her life and would never live eternally with him. The only offer she could give him was the hope of being with the innocent child he lost along with that selfish woman.

"Okay." Lylas commented as he finished healing her throat. "Slowly, try and speak."

Since the pain had dramatically disappeared, the sensation of it however still lingered. Alana touched her throat before clearing it. Her caution wasn't needed, Lylas's healing abilities far exceeded her imagination. He was spotless in his powers.

"Wh—" Alana cleared her throat. "What happened to Karla?"

Her last memory before she lost consciousness, was of her friend literally strangling her to death. Alana wanted to know how she ended up here.

She watched as his jaw ticked with anger. Suddenly his arms around her tightened, bringing her closer to him.

"After today, you will never see her again." He declared in a gritting tone.

Alana suddenly gasped, frightened by his implication and tone. Lylas caught on her look and that cynical smile returned in his eyes.

"Even when she harmed you, you still care for her life...don't worry, I didn't kill her." He told her.

"You say it as if that was the only option." Alana was alarmed by how easily he spoke of death.

Of course to him death was nothing, a meaningless hurdle he could easily overcome. He didn't realise how death was the ultimatum in her case.

"Seeing her choke you to death, at that time it was the only option I could think of." He gritted his teeth.

Alana's heartbeat quickened. He spoke as if he cared so much about her. As if she was the most precious thing in his life. Alana knew otherwise, and that was why it was so difficult and so painful to analyse the meaning in his undertone.

"If it weren't for me sensing the evil spirit around her, her life would have ended then and there." He sighed as he continued.

Alana gasped. "Evil spirit?"

He nodded. "Recently her behavior has been very odd, her recklessness and impulsiveness was unlike her. She has always known the consequences..."

"...Ever since you enlightened me about her feelings. I didn't question it further why she was acting odd. It wasn't until that night that I realised she was possessed." He explained.

Lylas then further explained how when he used a spell to throw Karla's choking hands along with her body away from then conscious Alana, Karla had counteracted that spell with a force.

This force was an evil spirit that had possessed her. The lingering evil spirit belonged to the ghoul he eradicated that first time Karla had released it.

Lylas had made sure every last concentrated remnants of the ghoul's foul energy was purified. So he hadn't known why Karla was possessed by the that ghoul's spirit. That was when he realised he had underestimated Karla.

She had made a deal with the ghoul. Whether the ghoul had tempted her into this deal or she offered him the deal, Lylas would never know. He knew, however, that it required Karla's own free will to allow this possession to happen.

Anyone from the demon realm can enter mortal bodies and use them as vessels only when the mortal gave consent. And so most demons, ghouls and some goblins with evil intentions would use their compelling skills to manipulate a mortal into accepting to be possessed. This deal could only be made if they were to fulfill one wish the mortal to be possessed desired.

Those with evil intentions would promise to complete this wish after they had taken possession of the mortal. Because they knew after taking over they will suck dry the mortal's soul from inside, leaving only a vessel that would disintegrate when they left the body.

Karla hadn't known any of this and so she probably made the deal with ghoul not knowing her fate. That ghoul's intention had been to take form of Karla and revive himself again. Using her body as vessel and her soul to cultivate its demonic powers again.

Karla's wish was for Alana to disappear. Lylas had realised all of this when she was choking Alana in her sleep.

Alana was suspended in disbelieved shock.

"She couldn't have known—I'm sure it wasn't really her strangling me." Alana made the excuse.

Lylas begged to differ. "That ghoul's spirit was weak, Karla was the one in control with the aid of that ghoul's strength. She was the one who made the wish, Alana. Even if she didn't know fully what she was agreeing into, she still wanted you dead."

Alana couldn't believe it. Refused to believe it. Karla was her childhood friend. They grew up along side one another. Although they separated three years prior, still they had a long history as friends. How could that change? How could she change so much?

Love. It makes us to do things. Although a driving force of human nature. Sometimes those afflicted would mistake love for possession. Ultimately, one can be blinded into perceiving love as possession, and the desire to take without giving would overrule their logical sense. However, one cannot simply take without giving back. Possession is dangerous in love. Possession in love is the root of all evil.

"And so what happened?" Alana asked. "What did you do to punish her?" She wondered.

Lylas stared deeply at her, as if suddenly reminded of that time he wrongly punished her.

"Because I knew you would be upset, I chose not to kill her." He told her.

"And so I removed the evil spirit from her body. It wasn't easy, it took a few thousand years of my cultivated powers to do it, but it's a loss I can get back. Afterwards, I made Zenos send her back the mortal realm...I removed myself from her memories. I wiped away everything she knew about the realms."

Alana gasped once again. "Y-you wiped her memories of you?"

Lylas nodded. "It was the only way to prevent her from harming you again. I didn't know what she'll do, what lengths she would take if I just left her in the mortal realms still with those feelings."

It was true. Desperation sometimes drove people to madness.

"Don't worry, she won't remember any of this and what her ex did to her. I made sure of it." He hugged her close.

"Will she remember me?" Alana was curious.

"Of course she will, but if you ever meet her again, she won't know that you've reunited before." He explained.

Alana nodded in understanding. It was at least something for Karla. She hoped the toxicity that had plagued her recently would subside in her new life. At least she wouldn't remember her painful experience. At least from now on she will live a normal life and fall in love again.

It was all she could hope for, for her friend.

Deep down, Alana had an inkling why she held no grudge for Karla. She knew why she was forgiving. And it boiled down to her recent body changes. If Mena's observations that time she examined her health were true, then surely her days were slowly becoming numbered. If it was so, there wasn't any time to hold a grudge.

Alana touched her stomach suddenly and slowly sat up, removing herself from Lylas' hands.

Lylas stared specifically on the hand on her lower abdomen and frowned slightly. Those meaningful eyes gazed back at Alana's face as if studying her reaction and state of health.

"Alana did you know?" He asked.

The fact that he was asking confirmed several things. One, he had found out that she was pregnant. Two, he had planned to keep this information from her for a while. Three, he was shocked she knew all along.

Alana looked up to gauge his reaction, whether he was excited or not. However, Lylas's expression was filled with anxiousness.

Was he not happy that she had succeeded? He was close to getting what he has desired for fifteen thousand years. Why did he look so anxious? Suddenly unwanted tears began to pool in her eyes and Alana had no clue why she was emotional all of the sudden.

Lylas pulled her into his embrace. He hugged her closely before whispering, "Congratulations you're going to be a mother."

Alana's tears gushed out of her eyes at the sudden realisation that actually she wasn't going to be a mother. She wasn't going to live long enough to become one.

The confliction in her heart made her resent him for choosing the wrong words. However, before she could come close to resent him because she loved him, Lylas took her face in both hands and stared deeply at her with an emotion she couldn't describe.

It was two parts proud, three parts elation and a part worry. Then he kissed her. His kiss completely inflamed her, as if burning away all her worries and insecurities.

"We did well, Alana." He praised.

It was the use of "we" that further enhanced this feeling brimming in her heart and this time her tears were not of heartbreak.

Alana smiled through her tears and hugged him. They stayed this way for a while and it was perfect, just perfect. Alana didn't want anything else at that moment. She just wanted to stay like this, with him, forever.