"Bayt-Al-Asrar"

"The book is about humans who used magic and got banned from the human world." Darwish's voice echoed in the small as they sat down the velvet cushions. Their attentions solely focused on his words and their eyebrows frowned.

Baraq felt his heart beats intensifying, unknowingly he gripped Layla's hand. Sweat breaking down on his face as he blinked his eyes several times to focus the small wooden table infront of him. The fat book kept on it made his guts turned into a creature, clawing all the negative emotions. Something heavy pressed on his chest as he waited for him to continue telling them about the book and the real story.

Layla combined her fingers with his, her thumb rubbing his back of the palm in small circular motion as she tried to calm him.

"What I am going to tell you is a very big deal to digest, you all need to hear it from the start to understand it better." Darwish sighed, sadly as he opened the book. He closed his eyes in a painful manner.

"We are few years into the future. Where the small brick houses were been broken to make huge buildings. Government began to form, and kingdoms fall apart. To secure his kingdom." He started and took in a deep breath. Silence engulfed them as they sat rigid to hear the whole story.

"Zayd AL Rashid loved his power and kingdom. He reigned on the country of Arabia in the southwest, it was called Qamaristan. It was a very small country of three states. Najmara, Rihaf and Amalina. He was just 27 years old, when he took the throne." He stopped, looking up from the book and gazed into the flickering flames of the candle. Shaking his head he went back to the book.

"It was the year 1997. When he was asked to step down from his throne. Zayd Al-Rahsid didn't liked it, so he took  started looking for a way to secure his kingdom. When one day, he was taking a stroll in Amalina. He met a woman. Zayd never favored love, but when he met her. It was like he wanted nothing more than her." He stopped gasping for air. Baraq's skin pricked as he heard the story.

"Hala was a daughter of sorcerer. She learned all types of magic from her mother. Zaid never knew how he fell in love with Hala, but it was because Hala did black magic on him. Hala did that because she wanted to rule over the country."

Baraq heaved a breath on the statement. His chest heaving up and down as he blinked his eyes. Layla gave his hand a squeeze seeing him like this.

"Zaid Al-Rashid was blind in her love. He could not see the motive behind her sudden interest him. They married and Hala begin gathering every power she could have, she also got the Djinn following her orders. Because of her magic, she made the country disappear from normal people's sight. Hala's mother warned her about her magic. That one day that magic will kill her, but she was already too deep into the trouble."

"Zaid was ecstatic when he found Hala was pregnant. The night Zaid's son was born, he was stolen away. The war was declared. And Hala blamed her mother, because her mother has cursed her that her newborn must be stolen away from her." Darwish needed a break, he couldn’t simply continue the story. His throat so did Baraq's.

"Baraq, Zaid's son was raised in the past world. Hala never cared about her son, and when Zaid went ballistic about his missing, Hala threw him in dungeon. Till the date, Zaid is in dungeon. And Hala is doing God knows what." Darwish finished the story, his lips shaking as he slide the book to Baraq.

"This is your treasure. We can't keep it anymore." He said and stood up to go, but Nazreena's question made him froze in his tracks.

"How to visit Qamaristan?"

"Qamaristan is known as bad luck place in today's world. It is situated in the East of an secluded Island known as Baghdad." Darwish hurried out of the room, leaving Nazreena, Hafsa, Baraq and Layla to ponder over his words.

"We should take some rest." Before Nazreena could complete her sentence Baraq teleported to Layla's house for some privacy.

Layla heaved a breath taking in the familiar scent of his home. She tried to pull out her hand gently from his grip, but he tightened his grip. Baraq took in a deep breath, his amber eyes misty as he breathed from his mouth and loosened his keffiyeh. Layla took in a sharp breath seeing the pain in his eyes.

Her fingers tightened around his hand as she opened her mouth and asked, "are you at peace?"

Baraq's heart thudded on the question. Peace. What is it?

"I don’t know."

Baraq heaved a whisper, his lips shaking as he answered her.

"Why? I’m feeling so much peace. I am going to find my family and you know about yourself, now." She answered him. Her words made him turn his face at her, and she stopped breathing. No, she shouldn't like his misty eyes. He was a sinner. But there was something in him which pulled her, no matter how much Layla tried to run away from him.

"When sins weigh down like mountains, the line between peace and unrest starts to blur." His whisper echoed around. Those amber eyes, which always taunted people were now casted down in pain.

"I don't who I am, Layla." Layla shouldn't feel this pain. Layla should never feel his pain. But something in her ribs broke when his head lulled onto her shoulder and his shoulder shook violently. He was crying. Warmth engulfed her, as she rounded her arms around him. No, she shouldn't console him, but here she was, sharing his pain with her, feeling it in her own heart. As she heard his heavy sobs. Baraq nestled his face in her neck, making goosebumps arise on her arms and body. Slowly  she pulled away her scarf and let it fall beside the sofa as Baraq breathed warmth in her neck. Layla closed her eyes, her fingers massaging his head as he tightened his arms around.

This was all new for her, she shouldn't blush on his actions, for the sake of her own sanity, Baraq was crying and she was blushing. Shaking her head, she patted his wide, muscled back.

"How much muscle you have packed here?" She whispered in trance forgetting that Baraq was in her arms.

Pulling away from her, he asked confusingly, "what?"

"Nothing!" Stratled, she pulled him back into her arms and patted his back again.