The Manipulation Symphony #3

What was the meaning of this? Why and how did this young man enter their house while they were asleep?

Elliot stood up and nodded respectively at his father-in-law. "Father," his act was appropriate — in fact, too appropriate — It was as if he wasn't sitting in their house this early in the morning unannounced.

Diana had a blank face for a second. Her family was right in front of her! How long had she wanted to meet them or had thought of them during her deaths? She always wanted to cry on her mom's shoulder and tell her everything that was going on or even seek forgiveness for anything bad she had done. But look at them now; they were here standing proudly and looking better than ever. It took her a moment to get back to reality.

She could see her father ready to question Elliot about his action before she intervened, "Father, let's talk privately for a second. You too, mother." She could see her parents exchanging a wary glance before looking back at the young couple.

Her mom kept her cool and nodded her head gently. "Let's go to the study room and discuss." Everyone followed her up there. Even though the father kept looking at Elliot from the corner of his eyes, he didn't say anything.

The room was cold but Diana wasn't sure if that was because of the atmosphere or the temperature in general. She gave Elliot the chance to speak about everything since he had better skills in convincing people and letting them take his side. See, all she had to do was to make him believe her, yet why was she feeling heavy-hearted?

"You had a vision?" Her mom said after the long silence that followed the explanation. Her mom walked around the table, all regal and elegant in her wrap dress and pulled up hair. She looked so similar and different from her original mom that it gave her an odd feeling. It was like finding your parents had secret twins.

Diana nodded her head, not trusting her voice. Her mom's expression turned into pity and she embraced her softly, mumbling 'it is going to be okay' to her. It was like she turned back to being five years old; the warmth that came from that embrace made her overwhelmed with emotions for a second.

She wished she could cry and sob loudly while telling her mom the truth, hoping maybe she knew a solution to all of this.

Her dad had a grave expression on as he asked Elliot. "So, you are telling me, someone is targeting my daughter, and there is a potential of homicide happening here?" As cold as her dad sounded, the tight clench of his hand and deep frown, told away how worried he was.

"Yes, sir,"

The only sound that followed their brief conversation was her dad's fingers tapping on the desk. He was looking at the floor, and his other hand was on his jaw, looking deep in thoughts. "Diana, Luna, let me and Elliot have a private conversation," He said finally.

She replied fast, "No." All heads shot up to Diana's direction. "Father, please. I want to be a part of this. This has to do with my life." She begged, knowing any less wouldn't do with him, or at least that was what she gathered from the memories she had. Her father here was the type that made his mind from the get-go, he wouldn't change it and if he changed it, it would be a one-time chance only. He was both decisive and ruthless at that too. Very similar to how Elliot was and that might have been why he accepted him into the family.

Her dad glanced at her and then to her mom before nodding his head, allowing them to settle down on the sofas in the middle of the office. Only then did Diana notice how big and tidy the office looked. It was filled with books and documents.

The tense atmosphere didn't change, and she saw her dad pick up his phone and call someone. "James, come here," He only said this before hanging up.

She really could see how similar he and Elliot were.

She didn't mind that her dad called James to join their conversation, as this made it easier for her to talk to him and get more information from him. She only hoped she would be able to have a few moments alone with him.

Her mom kept glancing at her and Diana felt she knew the reason why. She gave off a different aura than the original Diana. The current her was colder and more calculative. The Diana in her memories was someone who gave off the feeling of comfort and peace as if being caressed by sunlight.

As the family continued their discussion, her dad leaned forward and supported his elbows on his knees, looking grim. She had never seen him like that, yeah, he had looked cold and serious here and there, but now it was as if he switched on survival-mode.

"I think we need to let the council in this time." Hearing that, Elliot snapped his head toward her dad looking surprised.

"No." His immediate denial was out-of-place.

"Reason?" Her dad asked.

She noted Elliot clenching his hands hard. "You know what they would do." his voice was low, almost a whisper. "If they knew she had a vision, they wouldn't leave her alone."

Her father shook his head and gave a dry smile toward Elliot. "Don't worry, I already knew that." Then he flicked his hand, and the small bells on his silver bracelet shook. Diana felt her ears ring unnaturally. It wasn't a real sound, no. The sound was emitting from the inside of her head.

An image was displayed on top of the coffee table in front of them. Diana, internally, was really shocked but tried her best not to show anything, since she was supposedly used to this. This was the very basic skill any high-ranked scholar in the spiritual council should have. Creating illusions and manipulating them. It was a form of art and a style for protection.

The bracelet on his hand was given to him when he was formally acknowledged by the spiritual council as one of their members in terms of power and experience. He was the youngest one in history to ever be accepted in his twenties and that said a lot about him.

For Diana, it was completely different.

In her head, she saw a faint memory of her starting to learn the basics and the recitations she had to say while doing so. None of what she learned was as fluid and smooth as what her dad just did. This just showed how far they were in terms of skills.

The image on the table showed the face of an elder, well, most of it anyway. His eyes were covered with a bandage and a cloak's hood sat on his head. He had a faint smile on his lips, and Diana for a second didn't know if it was sinister or kind. But, her instincts told her to be careful of him as he gave her an ominous feeling.

"This is Bones. He has been a helper for our family for decades and is a master." Diana felt it wasn't that simple. A master was someone really important in the spiritual community. "He has a special talent and will be able to tell us how to move forward,"

She started having a bad feeling about this, especially when she realized that if they put her in front of any professional, they might sense her lies. But again, even if she wasn't sure of that, she was ready to gamble.