. Where's the rest of my brain?!

Mr. Canan stared at Nurna, as forlornness flashed through his cold eyes for a millisecond, like it was never there. His stony expression remained as he walked towards her, though his thin eyebrows were now relaxed.

Nurna, despite her instincts telling her to flee, sat paralyzed, her golden-hued pupils quivering as her eyes traced his lean and athletic silhouette.

Filo entered with three cups of water in her hands, one piping hot, another biting cold, and the last one lukewarm.

"Mr. Canan," Filo respectfully greeted with a slight bow.

He motioned to her to bring the tray. He didn't seem to be surprised about Nurna; well, it's Mr. Canan, it's quite understandable.

Filo has always had her suspicion. He was too enigmatic to be human. He dipped his middle finger into each cup before picking up the cup of cold water. Wait, wasn't there a cup with 100-degree Celsius water?

He raised the cup and... splash.

Filo's shoulders slumped as her mouth hung open. Mr. Canan has always done out-of-pocket things with a straight face; why did she expect something any different?

She peered at the little woman who she has placed a fireball tag on. Her face was now red from the cold water, and she seemed calmer.

Canan was already in a squatting position before her. His dark brown eyes looking into her dilated pupils. He remained there for about a minute, their eyes locked into a blank gaze before he stood up straight, adjusting his dark grey tailored suit.

"Prepare a bath for her, same temperature."

"Do you know her?" Filo's curiosity got the better of her; it was an unspoken rule not to question Mr. Canaan.

He tilted his head downward, with his red full lips pursed and a cold glance that felt to her like ice arrows piercing through her body.

In an attempt to flee for her life, she politely ushered Nurna to the guest room.

About an hour later, Nurna stepped out in an oversized tie-dye tee and shorts, her drooping hair packed into a ponytail.

Nurna was surprised to see Mr. Canan still seated. His calm "devil may care" expression remained as he sat on the couch with his legs crossed. He was the type to give instructions without glancing before walking away to do a thousand other things. Despite the fact that he wasn't tied to any of his companies, he was always busy.

"She'll stay here, and you'll answer for her."

"Eh-" Filo tried to say before her lips went clamped shut, a silent retort trapped behind them.

"I'll pay you for the trouble. I'll trust her with you. Make sure she doesn't leave this house."

Filo could only bow in compliance, her lower lip in between her teeth as her fingers trembled. She raised her head and peered at his sturdy back as he walked towards the door.

She stood on her toes and raised her neck as she tried to look beyond the now-open door, hoping Kil doesn't cross paths with Mr. Canan.

She breathed a sigh of relief before turning back.

"Argh," she shouted as she is met with a pair of blinking eyes right behind her.

"You startled me," she mumbled before going towards the cream couch.

Nurna pointed at the door and made some hand movements that suggested she was curious about the man that just left.

"Well, what's the use of explaining to you?" Filo snorted.

She took out her phone and dialed Kil's contact.

"What's taking you so long? Were you kidnapped outside? It's been over 2 hours now," she griped.

The doorknob turned, and a figure ensued.

"It was just an hour; I had to go drag him," he spat in annoyance as he eyed the guy trying to get in behind him.

The dynamics of Situ and Kil's friendship always amused everyone; it was easier to call them enemies who had each other's back and couldn't do without each other. They were from two totally different worlds.

Situ was the only son of the biggest business magnate in the continent. With his tasteful stature and charisma, he could make the heart of a woman thump so hard just by his smile. Soon, when he's in his 30s, he would begin to call the shots in many industries. It was his fate, though he wanted to defy it.

Kil, on the other side, was just a boy next door: cute face, ruffled honey-brown hair that covered half of his face, highlighting his almost feminine jaw. His lips only had two forms: a shy curve of a smile or a pursed form in annoyance. When Filo started nursing her dream of becoming a feminine fashion designer, Kil was her model. As he grew up, his whole existence started to revolve around video games. He was also women-phobic; the only women he could stand were his sister and late mother.

Kil's lips were pursed as he stood akimbo by the door. Situ walked in with his head held high, a loose stride, and a soothing smile that disarms. Nurna's eyes met with Situ's, and she placed her palm on her lips, stretched into a big smile, and her eyes widened.

Just as she felt a grappling fear when Canaan entered, she felt a familiar feeling of friendliness.

She ran over to the 6 ft tall Situ and climbed him from the front and crawled her way to his back before strangling him with her right elbow, laughing like she was doing something of much amusement. Her previously tense body became calmer and energized.

Filo was aghast at the display of savagery.

"What are you doing?"

Situ stuck out his palms vertically, motioning to everyone that they calm down.

"Yuri a shi?- (you know me?)"

"Is this one of your pranks, Shiba?" She cackle-talked in Lestkan.

"Where are we? Where's everyone? Everywhere seems different," she continued.

"You're a reincarnation of someone she knew!" Kil exclaimed.

Situ always loved history; the enigma that the past exudes called out to him. The happiness he gains from retrieving artifacts and ensuring that nothing from the past dies was unexplainable. Learning Lestkan made him feel even closer to that powerful nation of old.

"Jira shimei ?(What is your name?)"

Nurna frowned, finally noticing that Situ wasn't pretending to be clueless.

"Nurna"she exclaimed.

"Where did you grow up?"

"Lestka."

The continent they were now used to be a big kingdom, Lestka, centuries ago. As years went by, Lestka engulfed other kingdoms, and under 8 generations, the whole world was under Lestka, partly because they were a raging consuming force and partly because the total area of dry land kept getting lesser, with water engulfing houses and people in its seething, relentless flow.

Details of the kings that ruled from then till Kiran, the present name of the continent, were never found, which was very strange. What if her existence is linked to that of the unknown kings? People with magic are not something you see every day; Situ was tempted to connect the dots.

"Do you know what happened to you last before you slept?"

Nurna's eyes narrowed into a slit and then she winced.

"What king do you remember that ruled last?"

At that question, Nurna's eyes suddenly became cloudy, and she held onto her head.

A blurry picture of a man in a black robe and a crown dripping with something liquid, blood. With a long sigh, she lost consciousness.