Chapter 105 - THEY HAD ARRIVED

Damon was certain that he would not leave Tarsa's side at all, but on the other hand, they had to complete this first assignment, therefore Raphael would volunteer to do it in Tarsa's place, considering that she still had a lot to learn.

Not only that, Raphael wasn't sure that Tarsa could complete her first assignment well. It was not that he underestimated the girl's abilities, but seeing how she was now and without knowing how to use her powers, of course, that was just an honest assessment of his own.

It almost felt like leaving a blind person to find their path in a new environment. 

"But, we will not leave you alone against whatever creature we are going to face later, right?" Tarsa rejected Raphael's proposal. She felt it was unfair to leave Raphael like that. Weren't they supposed to fight the creature together?

It felt like something was wrong for Tarsa if she had to leave Raphael.

On the other hand, hearing Tarsa's statement, Raphael laughed softly. He had never met a Kairi like her.

Because the precious gait of a Kairi was a strong woman with the ability to know what to do. Even though it would be dangerous, but if it was for the best and the completion of a mission, they wouldn't hesitate to do anything.

By anything, it meant they could be cruel and leave their protector to achieve their goal.

Therefore, Tarsa who was worried about Raphael's safety felt too soft for a Kairi to have such a heart.

"Thanks for worrying about me," Raphael said with his usual warm smile. "But really, I will be fine," he replied, trying to calm Tarsa while the girl stared at him in disbelief.

"Nothing bad will happen to him. He's strong," Damon said. "Your worry is unnecessary."

Damon's words indeed sound a little harsh, but that's the truth. Tarsa shouldn't worry about her protector's safety because it's their job to protect her.

"But, still I won't agree if we leave him..." Tarsa muttered.

And after that and some explanations given by Raphael, and occasionally Damon would chime in, they finally finished with the details of this first assignment and would head to a rest house where the next day they would visit the small forest.

On the other hand, when Tarsa looked out her window, she saw that the sun was almost setting and the street lights were starting to come on.

This is quite a sight to behold, considering Tarsa really likes this pre- twilight serenity.

"You want to eat something?" Damon asked, interrupting her thoughts. "You have to take your medicine, you have to eat something." He confirmed his words while giving the menu of the food that was there.

Tarsa looked thoughtful and flipped through the menu of food Damon had given her and chose some snacks for her, as she wasn't very hungry.

After giving back the menu, the protector went to buy the food Tarsa wanted, leaving herself and Raphael alone.

"Are you guys making up?" Raphael asked when Damon had left. "I see that Damon seems a lot more reserved than usual."

Tarsa didn't know how to answer the question, or rather she didn't want to answer the question, because she was not sure herself. "We are fine," she replied.

In the end, Tarsa chose the most diplomatic answer she could think of.

Raphael wanted to ask further, but seeing that Tarsa was reluctant to answer any other questions, he finally didn't say anything and just stayed silent.

The trip ended up being filled with silence because not long after Tarsa ate her food and took her medicine, she fell asleep. Feeling very tired.

Meanwhile, Raphael and Damon didn't speak to each other until one of them finally broke the silence.

"I saw the tree come back to life," Raphael said, starting the conversation. Of course, Damon understood which tree he was referring to. "Was Kairi Tarsa the one who did it?" he asked.

Damon glanced at Raphael for a moment before he nodded and confirmed that.

"Her power is truly extraordinary…" Raphael said that in a tone full of admiration. "I remember that the tree was first grown by Kairi Xierra and died when she died."

Hearing that, Damon didn't say anything, he just looked at Tarsa who was asleep in the seat beside him with her head drooping at her side, leaning against the hard train wall.

Slowly, Damon reached out his hand and pulled Tarsa's head to rest on his shoulder.

Seeing that, Raphael slightly frowned and said in a warning tone. "I hope you don't complicate things."

"I am not complicating things."

"You know what I mean." It was indeed there was no rule that a protector couldn't love the Kairi he's guarding, but that kind of emotional connection was very fragile and unprofessional.

"I'll take care of her." Damon confirmed this. "Even if I have to sacrifice my life and yours to keep her alive. Then I will do it."

Those words held a million meanings for Damon. Where he felt very sorry for having failed in his first duty to protect Xierra, and now he was determined not to repeat the same incident to Tarsa.

Whatever Damon's current reason was, he couldn't determine how he really felt about Tarsa.

"I knew you would do that," Raphael said quietly. "I will do the same."

"Hm," Damon mumbled in agreement.

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No one knew how long Tarsa had been asleep but, as soon as she woke up, the sun had set and they had arrived at their destination.

Damon then handed Tarsa a glass of mineral water for her to wet her throat and led her out of the carriage while Raphael carried her suitcase.

They had arrived at the town of Amabarsi and instantly Tarsa could sense something was different about the air in this place… something was bothering her and she didn't know what it was.

"We will head to the inn and you can rest later," Raphael told her.

********   

The inn was an ancient European- style house with many statues of gods and goddesses hanging along the corridors and the entrance of the house.

"What place is this?" Tarsa didn't feel that this place was an inn and looked more like a wealthy noble's house that had been unused for a long time.

It was so wonderful to see and she felt like she was in a different world.

"This is Mr. Barbosa's property, he is someone very close to the Duvessa. Actually, this house is an inn, but it has been neglected since ten years ago and turned into a resting place." Raphael briefly explained about it, while Damon didn't really respond to it and went into Tarsa's room, inspecting each room carefully and slightly frowning at the balcony there.

"She can't be in this room," Damon said in a somber voice, then walked over to the man who had taken them to this room. He asked him to change the Kairi's room.

A balcony could be a sign of danger. And it would be difficult for Damon if he was to protect Tarsa in this kind of room because there would be two points where he had to be alert; the bedroom door and balcony leading to the side garden.

"Why?" Tarsa immediately stopped Damon. She liked this room and especially the balcony. She had it in her bedroom back to her house, therefore, she didn't understand what this man's problem was. "I like this room."

"This place is too open for you," Damon replied, without taking his eyes off the man before him and ordering him to find another room.

Tarsa frowned. She didn't want to move out of this room.

"I don't want to move out of this room," Tarsa voiced how she felt, even though she knew it would be a wasted effort and most likely she wouldn't be able to change Damon's mind, but still she tried and the protector, as expected, didn't budge.

"I think this place is fine," Raphael spoke up finally when he saw Tarsa's face, which was a little bit upset and very reluctant to follow what Damon had ordered her to do. "I will be strengthening protection spells around this place so you don't have to worry. Kairi Tarsa will be fine."

"No," Damon said firmly. He wasn't messing with Tarsa's security and he didn't want anyone to interfere with his decision either.

However, Tarsa looked hurt when he refused her request.

"Damon, this place is fine, I didn't even feel any strange feelings when I entered this place. This place is clean, you can feel it too, right?" Raphael was trying to persuade Damon.

While Tarsa looked at Damon with pleading eyes, she didn't want to move to another room. She liked this room.

This room has an old European style with a large bed which has a mosquito net around the bed.

Antique lamps that hang in the middle of the room and also gold-plated displays that become frames or handles on every door there.