บท 52: The Lost Memories

I withdrew from the hug and looked at his shocked face. There was moisture appearing in his eyes. This time he hugged me.

I was breathless because of the sudden hug. He hugged me tightly but didn't say a word. I waited for him to talk.

After a while, I felt his hot tears on my shoulder. I don't know why but I wanted to calm him. Without another thought, I touched his head.

With my other hand I began to tap his back, "Li Li, don't cry, please. I think I shouldn't have told you about my memory coming back. It had made you sad."

He sniffed and then withdrew from the hug, "Mi Mi, you don't know how long I had waited for this moment. It is not that I am sad. It's just that I am too happy and tired. I am tired of waiting and hiding my emotions all this time."

I couldn't help but wiped out his tears, "I am sorry."

Lin looked at me and grabbed my hands, "Mia, after Mom's death I wanted to die. It was you who brought hope to my life. Those five years with you were like five centuries. Although you were just a little girl but to me, you were the light of hope."

He looked at his hands that were grabbing mine and smiled, "You made me feel special. The moment I lost you, my whole world was turned upside down. Everything around me turned dark. I tried every way I could to suicide but failed. For a while, I had been like that but then I felt as if you were alive. That night I dreamed of you. That dream gave me new hope. I began to work hard to become powerful so that I could find you."

Lin stared back into my eyes, "I worked hard day and night. I made the company one of the leading business empires. The day I saw you in the meeting, I was extremely happy that I finally found you but then you didn't recognize me. I thought that you were hiding from me. It was then that I decided that no matter what I will never let you go again and then you came to me for help. I happily agreed. Later on, from your business guide, I became your most trusted magical beast."

Lin tightened his grip on my hands," Mia, please never leave me again. Let me stay beside you even if it is as a mere guard."

His words were making me feel sad. I smiled at him, "Lin, you don't need to be my guard. I truly mean it when I said that you are my most trusted person. Even though I didn't remember my childhood with you. You always were, you are and you always will be my most trusted friend."

I looked into his wet eyes," Lin, you said that I was like the light of hope in your life. But you know what you had been the light of hope in my life. I had never told you this but my parents despised me. They even thought of killing me more than once. How can something be more painful than that when your birth parents want you dead just because of some curse."

I was not able to control my emotions. Tears began to flow out of my eyes, "I had always smiled and laughed in front of others. I never wanted my parents to know that I am aware of their intentions. You had your grandfather even if your mother wasn't with you. But I didn't have anyone. You came into my life at the time when I had no one beside me."

My tears were unstoppable. I felt Lin's big warm hands on my face wiping my tears.

He pulled me into a hug, "Mia, let's stay as each other's light of hope forever."

After a while, I calmed down. I suddenly realized that I was in some unknown place. I looked around myself.

"Lin, what is this place?", I asked Lin.

He hesitated a bit before speaking, "It is my secret hideout. It is a villa that I come to when I want to be alone."

Something must be wrong. I went to the windows that gave away a beautiful view of the garden.

I turned around and looked at Lin, "Then could you tell me how you brought me here?"

He came and stood in front of me, "You were in a cave, somewhere in the Griffin's Land. You had passed out so, I brought you here."

I stared at him, "Is that it? Was there someone else there? How did you find out that I was there?"

Lin began to scratch his head," Mia, let's talk about it later. You should first eat something, you must be feeling weak."

I kept staring at him but he was trying to avoid my gaze.

He laughed nervously while avoiding my gaze, "Uh... Mia, you are asking too much at a time. It seems I am left with no choice but to answer you. There was indeed someone there but I don't know who he was because he was wearing a black cloak. His face was all covered and he was fighting with some spirits when I arrived at the cave. Also, he was the one who told me to take you away."

I don't know whether to believe him or not. The way he is nervous is making me doubt him.

I grabbed his face and turned it to face me," Li Li, are you telling the truth?"

He looked into my eyes, "I... I am telling the truth. When I arrived there, I was in a cave and saw you laying there with your eyes closed. I got worried and rushed to you. On checking your pulse I found out that you had been seriously injured. Then I felt some great amount of evil aura. When I looked outside a man in black was fighting those spirits. When I was about to help he stopped me. He told me that he had created a barrier around the cave and that exiting it would harm me. Then he turned around but I was unable to see his face and he then told me to take you away from there as soon as possible."

His words seemed to make sense. That is what Master is like but would he be fine? I realized a strange taste in my mouth. It was a familiar taste.

Don't tell me, Lin...

I glared at him with the anger rushing inside me.