She cried and gasped for air, as both anger and sadness engulfed her like tsunami waves, disorienting her, robbing her of all her thought process.

Her body slumped next to the door, and Xander caught her so she did not fall face first on the floor.

She struggled to let go of herself, she was not sure why, maybe she was ashamed because she was crying like a baby. But Xander did not let go of her, his arms tightened around her.

"I am sorry you had to witness all ... all of that, Xander," she whispered among her sobs, and finally she curled her arms now in Xander's arms – holding him, borrowing a bit of strength.

"Do not apologize," Xander whispered.

Airin tried to stop crying, but the tears kept falling as if it had been dammed for so long, and now the dam broke and they all charged ahead and tumbled down.

She buried her face in Xander's chest, and his hoodie was wet from her tears, for a split second she did think that maybe she should push herself away from him, but she could not will herself to do exactly that.

Xander was quiet, his arms embraced her and the warmth slowly seeped into every strand of her being, her tears receded, and her gasped breath became calmer, more regular.

"I am sorry ... you must feel quite uncomfortable now," she whispered as she found her voice again and pushed herself away from Xander's arms. She could now see large tears stain covering the front part of Xander's hoodie. Good job, Airin! What a drama that you have pulled Xander into! she reprimanded herself in her mind.

But Xander did not seem to mind. Slowly his right hand went up, and floated closely to Airin's cheek, and he nodded as he wiped tears from the corner of Airin's left eye. Those electrifying blue eyes grew softer. "From the way you cried, it seems like you have tried so hard not to cry, for so long. That takes strength, Airin. But I think ... I believe ... to let it go, to cry it out, to hold on to someone else's arms, to stay alive, like you did, take even more strength and bravery. You are stronger, braver, than me. I believe that," the message of Xander startled Airin.

The man sighed.

The two sat for a long time on the floor, and Airin, for reasons she was not sure why, started telling Xander all about her Mom and Dad, her grief of her Mom's passing, and her difficult relation with Dad.

Xander listened without a word.

And Airin just talked. Mumbling sometimes. She did not even dare to look at Xander, she was not sure she was ready to see his facial expression in reaction to her life story.

She felt that in a way, to talk without the other person commenting, or suggesting something, or giving some sort of pep talk and advice, but just knowing that someone listened to her in full focus, was weirdly liberating.

She just realized that now. The quietness that hung in the air, but it did not scare her, because that quietness was not a prelude to an explosive anger, or a string of hurtful words, like with Dad. The quietness that simply meant "I am here."

When she finally felt like she had told enough, she quit talking. The rain fell outside, and it was well past midnight.

"Xander?" she called out softly to Xander who was by now turning his head down, his expression was grim, as if there were so much in his mind that wanted to get out, but could not.

"Are you alright? I am sorry, I should not have talked so much ... I ..."

"No, Airin, no. Do not apologize. I am ... I am alright. Go rest, Airin. It is late."

Airin shook her head. "You have stayed with me in my lowest moment just now, Xander. Tears and all. Let me know ... you know ... if you want to talk too. I am here."

Xander was quiet for a few minutes, just staring at the floor, before sighing, lifting his eyes back to Airin. "There are things about me that I wish to all the gods above that you will never find out, Airin. Here I am in your world, for the first time in my life, I feel what freedom is," Xander whispered with eyes that searched Airin's eyes.

"Freedom? Freedom from what?" she asked, tilted her head, and searched for answers at the same time in Xander's eyes.

Xander took a deep breath, turned his head toward the ceiling, then toward Airin. He blinked. "Guilt. That's the worst of evil. And grief. And ... and ..." the obvious break in Xander's voice let Airin know that there were issues, unfinished demons, bubbling just below in Xander's psyche and he was not ready to let them known.

Xander stood up. "Go and rest, Airin." He did not wish to continue talking.

Airin took a deep breath, she could feel her breath was lighter. Her body was tired, but her mind was awakened.

Then she heard a knock at the door.

Her feeling of calm and peace did not last long. Did Dad come back to stir more unrest?

She used her hands to support her to stand up again. Her eyes stared straight at Xander, and saw that Xander was disturbed. He gazed, unblinked, at the door with an expression of deep concern.

The rain had stopped falling, at least Airin could not hear it anymore, and the atmosphere in her home changed. Something stirred and caused the temperature in the apartment to drop at least a couple degrees. Her nose smelled something. She sniffed a couple times, and made a decision as to what smell this was.

Smell of trees, of wet leaves and damp soil. Smell of deep forest after the rain.

"Uncle Xander? Airin?" Lyanna had woken up, got out of the bedroom and went to stand next to Xander. "I am cold," said the little girl with her arms crossed in front of her chest.

The door creaked as if a key was being turned, but there was no key there. The door key laid on the floor, a few meters from Airin's feet.

A soft thud was heard, like someone pushed open a door that had already been unlocked, and the door opened, still creaking, moving in a painstaking progress, centimeter by centimeter.

Airin was sure she locked the door after Dad left. There was no way that a door could just open like that by itself after being locked. The door was newly replaced by the landlord when she moved in because the previous door had water damage and broken locks.

The smell of forest was getting stronger – a mix of rotted tree barks, decayed leaves, and all fallen leftovers of summer. That was it. Pungent, thick, and slightly nauseating.

Airin shook her head, she was still in her apartment, but the smell was definitely not of her apartment.

The door kept creaking open, and she saw the tip of a dress, grey, thin, flowy at the door. Someone was at the other side, opening the locked up door. Without key. Now whoever that was was waiting for the door to open large enough to come in. That thought alone was enough to convince Airin to take steps back, closer to Xander and Lyanna.

Fingers appeared at the door, peeking from the other side.

Long, wrinkly, fingers.

"Airin, come closer to me," Xander whispered, and Airin gladly did as such.

The door swung open.

An elderly woman appeared at the door. She must have been about sixty years old or so. She was tall, slender, beautiful, with long grey hair braided to the side, grey almond-shaped eyes, fair complexion, and wrinkles that seemed to be carefully placed on her face and neck to let the world know that she had aged gracefully and the wrinkles accentuated her beauty, the beauty that had remained since the days of her youth. Her grey eyes, hair, were almost the same colour as the long, flowy, grey gown that she wore. A gown of simple cut, with long see-through sleeves, a silver belt, and in her right hand she held a long, wooden staff that looked ancient. She was barefooted.

Airin could hear Lyanna gasped softly.

"Nydda," Xander sounded like he was announcing the arrival of someone he had known from long ago, so long that he was not sure that was the name he should call her with.

"Nydda!" Lyanna sounded happier, she was going to lunge forward, but Xander held her hand.

Airin felt her world turn even faster. Nydda. The Halgardian royal sorceress. Another proof that Halgard was real. Someone else from Halgard now stood in her apartment, someone who could open a locked door just like that and flooded her apartment with the unmistakably smell of a forest.

"It is indeed I, Nydda. Good to see you again, Lord Xander. And dear sweet Lyanna, are you alright?" Nydda walked closer with a flash glance at Lyanna, then a continued gaze at Xander.

Her voice was difficult to describe. It was not warm and grandmotherly, that was for sure. It was crisp like a spring leaf, clear, and sharp with a tone of authority. The tone of someone who took no bullshit. If Dad were less rude, less loud, Airin imagined he could have given a similar vibe as Nydda now.

"And you? Who are you?" Nydda turned her attention to Airin. Airin let out a gasp, she was not sure what to say, what to do to a sorceress in her own world if there was any, let alone to a sorceress from another world. She froze, and Xander instinctively came closer to her, partly shielded her from Nydda's direct gaze.

"What is your name?" Nydda smiled, the one when the eyes did not smile. Her grey eyes danced all over Airin, then she made an awkward tilt of her head, she waited for an answer.