452 NIGHTMARE!?

His white hair shone under the moonlight and made his face looked eerie pale, the smirked that tug on his lips added the creepy aura that emitted from him.

He was like a ghost who was crawling out from nightmare.

Senja watched him with wide eyes, he was leaning his body against the door frame, but the next second he stood in front of Senja and gripped her neck, choked her and raised her up until it was only her toes that touch the ground.

He stared at Senja right in the eyes and let out hair- raising laughed before Senja felt darkness engulfed her body.

.....

Senja woke up, startling.

She heard a whimpered escaped her lips as her hand abruptly made it way to her neck. Xiao Tianyao who was standing near the window dashed over to Senja's bed side and knelt.

"What happened?" He asked, concerned was laced in his voice.

Senja shook her head and let out a raspy voice. "Bad dream… I gues…" She replied unsure.

It was so realistic to be a dream, she almost could feel Modama's cold hands was sneaking around her neck and squeezed the breath out of her with so much forced and amusement glimmered in his eyes.

Xiao Tianyao thoughtfully bring a glass of water and stroke Senja's back to calm her down as she gave him a faint smile she gulped down the water and gave back the empty glass to him.

Only the, Xiao Tianyao caught a glimpse at her neck, he ignored the glass and lifted her chin so he could have a better look on her neck.

"What happened with your neck?" He growled lowly as his eyes darkened.

Frowning, Senja got off from the bed and rushed to the bathroom.

**It is impossible.** Senja mentally shook her head. **It was only a stupid dream right?**

Senja yanked open the bathroom door and stood in front of the bronze mirror.

There, in here reflection she saw the ugly purple bruises on her neck, it was clearly a hand print. So, that was mean …

Xiao Tianyao was behind her and spun her over to face him. He examined her neck once again as his body shaking with anger.

"Someone choked you!?" He said with dangerous low voice, it was either a statement or a question for her.

This morning, Xiao Tianyao didn't notice it because her hair covered it.

"What happened?" Xiao Tianyao prodded.

It was strange if someone had strangled Senja until leaving a handprint on her neck, but she didn't aware about it.

He looked to Senja's eyes and immediately sure, something was happening last night. But, Xiao Tianyao was a light sleeper, if something dire like this, it was impossible if he didn't awake.

Senja stared back at Xiao Tianyao with trouble eyes. She pulled his hand as they went back to their bedroom.

Senja was sitting on the edge of the bed while Xiao Tianyao went to retrieve a medicine box.

The moment he came back, he sat beside her and started to rub salve on her bruises neck.

Senja looked at him with worry because he didn't say anything and his lips made a tight line. He was very angry now, she knew this, because recently Senja had seen his anger couple of time.

After he was down with her neck, he heaved a deep breath before asking the question.

"Tell me Senja, what had happened?" He asked, demanding for explanation.

"I thought it was a dream…" Senja started, unconsciously wanted to touch her neck, but Xiao Tianyao caught her hand in time.

"Don't touch it." He said curtly.

"It was Modama." Senja continued and looked at Xiao Tianyao reaction.

With the mentioned of Modama's name anger rose on his chiseled face as his face turned red as though he was holding his breath for long time. Xiao Tianyao was livid.

"How he came here and strangled you, without me know about it!?" He was shouting in frustration, he was furious, but not to Senja more like toward himself. He put his elbow on his thigh and buried his face between his palms.

"It wasn't him who came here, but …" Senja halted, didn't know how to elaborate it, because it sounded so weird even for her. "Because it was me who came to him…"

Xiao Tianyao lowered her hands and turned around to look at Senja. "What did you say?" He thought, he had heard her wrong. "You came to him?" The sentences were so weird. He frowned.

But, the most strange of all was when Senja nodded, confirmed his word.

"Why did you come to him?" Xiao Tianyao gritted his teeth, he have to check his temper and kept his anger at bay. "It doesn't make sense Senja."

"Yes, it doesn't make sense," Senja frowned, she looked trouble. "I even thought it was only a dream until you saw this bruises." She said truthfully.

"Tell me about this…" Xiao Tianyao looked distressed.

How could he not be angry, when Senja was beside him, Modama still able to find a way to hurt her, he was at lost for what else could he do with his ability.

"Last night, I heard a voice." Senja bit her lips. "Its called for me and I have an urge to follow."

"An urge to follow?" Xiao Tianyao knitted brows deepened. "What is that mean? What that voice said."

Senja shrugged and shook her head. "I don't know what it said, because all I knew I need to follow it."

Xiao Tianyao's expression was darkened as he listening to her.

"The voice was leading me to the balcony in the other side of the inn, but when I was there, there was no one. I stay for awhile." Senja nose started to scrunch up when she tried to remember the next thing that happened. "When I will go back to our room, Modama was standing behind me and I didn't notice it until I saw him."

Xiao Tianyao balled his fist in anger, but he didn't say anything and kept listening.

"I was shocked and he moved very fast, the next thing that I knew, he choked me and I black out." Senja finished the story.

There was a silence that spread between the two of them as Senja was looking at Xiao Tianyao's expression. He was very silent, as if he thought about something very difficult.

However, after he sighed a deep breath, he pulled Senja closer to him and hugged her. "I am sorry…" He said softly.

"You don't need to say sorry. You weren't there." Senja tried to reason with him. Feeling weird to accept his apologize for something that he didn't do.

But, Xiao Tianyao shook his head. "I am sorry to yell at you, I am sorry to blame you for something that you even didn't involve in it, I am sorry to not listen at your explanation first before I jumped into a wrong conclusion."

He closed his eyes, feeling the guilty seeped from his pore, made him feel a bit better. Senja felt it too.

Xiao Tianyao continued. "I am sorry I locked you up. You didn't deserve to be treated in that way and I regretted it." His voice was laced with remorse.

Senja didn't expect this confession, but she was glad Xiao Tianyao got her point and Senja knew that Xiao Tianyao was sincere with his words.

With that, Senja wrapped her arms on his torso as she sighed with relief. "I am glad that you know your mistake." She smiled.

"I was being pathetic when you said that you will leave me." Xiao Tianyao put his chin on top of her head and talked sadly.

"Yes, you are being pathetic." Senja agreed. "But, it takes a great courage to admit your mistakes, and I couldn't be happy more to know that you meant your word." She lifted her head and gave Xiao Tianyao a peck on his check before nestled in his chest again.

"Thank you… for forgive me." And then Xiao Tianyao added. "I hope this is real this time."

Senja chuckled upon hearing his last statement, her first forgiveness was a trick to escape from him, but since Modama was out there, lurking in the dark and tried to kill her, the idea to forgive Xiao Tianyao and went back to the fortress wasn't that bad actually.

She would come to find Yun after everything settled. It would be fine, since she knew exactly where she could find him now.

While hearing Senja chuckled, Xiao Tianyao's eyes darkened.

Modama was coming after him again and this time he almost killed Senja with his own hand, but in the end he didn't. But, why? It didn't make sense.

However, one thing that he knew for sure was; Senja was in danger if Modama was targeting her. He could send a bunch of assassins like what he did to Luna or he would use him again to carry out his plan.

Based on Modama's personality, the last option was most likely the thing that he would do, he like a tragic ending and tortured his enemy emotionally.

"But, Tianyao… it is strange…" Senja seemed has the same thought as him. "Why he didn't kill me? He was just a step away from doing that."

Xiao Tianyao pushed Senja's head on his chest again and held her tighter, so Senja couldn't see the fear in his eyes, because the idea of losing her was scared him.

"I don't know… we will find out about that." Xiao Tianyao said more to himself. Whatever the reason, he was glad that she was with him right now.