Maria woke up, heavy-hearted, restless and confused. Her heart pounding like rattling horses and her mind baffled, trying to grasp where she was. She found herself lying on a bed in an old-furnished house. Wood-polished, stone-carved and marble-tiled, the house looked as such it was more than 200 years old. She stood up, trying to process what was happening.

  How did she survived? What happened in the cafe? Where is Aster? Is he dead?....

  Maria was feeling alike prison-captivity despite being in such an old-classic and well-furnished house. Then suddenly, the sound of footsteps started coming from outside. Maria's heart running a marathon, she just wanted to run but didn't knew why. The door opened, a tall figure came. And it was...

  " Aster", Maria gasped. She took a sigh of relief.

  " Oh, you're up Honey", Aster approached.

  "Bu'...'uut How? Where's the park, the cafe, the bench? Where are we?", Maria looked tensed.

  " Calm Down Maria, take a deep breath. We are safe now.", Aster trying to calm her down.

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  Maria took a deep breath, her mind exhausted and eager to ask.

  Aster started explaining," We are not in Berlin, nor in the human world"

  "WE ARE IN THE MAGIC WORLD OF ARCANA !!"

  Maria was bewildered. She had never thought of hearing something like this from Aster ever. She was full of thoughts and unexplained reactions of explanations, and finally it broke like....

  "*WTF* are you talkin' about? "

  " Any Dummkopf wouldn't talk alike, are you outta your mind?"

  "No, no, no... don't think that much. Why won't you believe me?"

  Actually he was feeling awkward talking like that 'cuz a normal person suddenly talks about a magic world and then asks Why won't you believe me?........

  Maria stared at Aster with a sharp look and said,

  "Wait, Are you even Aster?"

  Aster was stunned, he said.

  " WoW, now I am not Aster. Who the hell stranger will be here with you rather than me, Aster. I am Aster obviously"

  "Prove it", Maria declared.

  Aster was not angry, nor was he hiding something. He was just... overwhelmed by the situation. How can he possibly prove HIMSELF?, but an idea struck him all of a sudden. He pulled of his shirt......

  " Look if you don't believe "

  There was a tattoo in his back with the name AIRAM over it. This was there's secret, they'd decided to put a tattoo over their backs with their jumbled names. It was their secret from college time. Maria now believed that the person standing in front of her was indeed Aster.

  " Why hadn't you told me that you are a wizard? Why were you lying ? Why were you hiding?"

  Aster hadn't took cover before the bombardment of questions started. He hold Maria's hand and said calmly....

  " 'cuz I was afraid,"

  " Afraid of what?", Maria asked eagerly.

  " Afraid of losing you", Aster wasn't speaking now but his eyes were.

  Eyes filled with captivity, Maria hugged him tightly.

  " Nothing left to say now, Aster. Wherever you go, you will feel your hand tight; even in pain even in fright. But forget everything as I say, cuz this day

  of March 23, 1933; is the beginning of our own new life".