"Help!" screamed Talisa Williams. However, the sound she made was so muzzy because her mouth was tied with a cloth so tightly that her jaw ached. Tears streamed down her face and tasted salty in her gaping mouth. Talisa did not know where she would be taken. What Talisa knew was that she was in the back of a rancid pick-up truck with her hands, feet, and mouth tied. Her head was covered with a dusty burlap sack so she could not see where she was being taken.
Talisa wanted to rebel, but she couldn't. There were quite a number of those people taking her. Talisa had just walked home after her shift as a waitress in a restaurant was over, but before she got to her flat, several men ambushed her. And now, she ended up in the back of that truck. Talisa had said many times that she had no money, if she was kidnapped there would be no one to redeem her, but these people ignored her. Talisa has no parents, siblings, or friends. Her father had died several years ago, and her mother had just died a month ago. Talisa is completely alone.
Various kinds of negative thoughts came to Talisa's brain. She thinks of the possibility that these people want to take Talisa's organs, or maybe they want to sell Talisa to become a prostitute. Those thoughts made Talisa tremble even more and she couldn't stop crying. Even though her life is difficult, Talisa doesn't want to die now.
A bright light was seen even though Talisa's head was covered in a sack. She doesn't know what light it is but it couldn't be sunlight, because it was nighttime. However, suddenly the truck stopped. Talisa's heart was pounding and her breath hitched. If she has to die or suffer before she dies, this is the time.
A second later, Talisa heard the door of the pickup truck being opened. The hinges squeaked, making Talisa wince.
"Put her down," said one of the men.
"Let me go!" Talisa shouted in a muzzy voice. Her voice now only sounded like screams accompanied by sobs.
Talisa tried to struggle and kick with her legs which were bound together, but the men were too strong. They dragged Talisa out and tied her to a wooden chair. At the same time, someone opened the sack covering her head. The first sight that Talisa saw when her sack was released made her feel like she was hallucinating.
A man makes fire out of his hand to light a fireplace. He didn't use tools to do it. Talisa widened her eyes. Is this a bunch of circus performers or magicians? Talisa couldn't believe what she saw. Talisa widened her eyes and looked around. It turns out that she was led to a small shed with an old fireplace being the only light source. If that is so, what was the bright light did Talisa see earlier? This is a very dark place if there isn't the light of the fire in the fireplace.
Talisa was even more surprised when the other men lit fires in their hands just to enlighten the room even more.
"What?" Talisa muttered when she saw it. Talisa shook her head, thinking she must be hallucinating. However, more and more men are doing the same. They then approached Talisa.
"Now tell us, are you Talisa? Are you the daughter of the earth elemental masters Lord?" someone asked while approaching Talisa. Fire blazed in his hand. The heat that spreads to Talisa's skin indicates that the fire is real. Someone else untied the back of Talisa's head, freeing her mouth.
"Aw..." Talisa muttered, feeling her jaw bruised from the strong bond.
"Talk!" cried the man while extending his fiery hand towards Talisa, as if threatening to burn her.
"I'm Talisa Williams. You got the wrong girl. I'm just an ordinary girl, a waitress in a restaurant. I do not understand what you were talking about. I don't have any money," Talisa answered confused.
The men looked at each other, then back at Talisa.
"Okay then," replied the bald man.
"Y-you're going to let me go?" Talisa asked, hoping that she would be released because they caught the wrong person. However, Talisa's hopes faded instantly when she saw the man in front of her take out a knife.
"D-don't do that! I'm not the one you're looking for! I'm not even healthy, my organs can't be sold!" Talisa exclaimed, lying for her life. Despite being poor, Talisa is in good health.
"Shut up!"
The man approached quickly and then scratched Talisa's hand with the knife. Blood flowed out of Talisa's hand accompanied by a burning feeling that made Talisa tremble even more. The next thing made Talisa feel like she was dreaming. The man brought the fire closer to Talisa's blood drop on the floor and suddenly the blood drop glowed with bright green leaf color.
"She's the one," said the man.
"N-no! No!!" Talisa shouted as the men started holding her tightly and pulling her hair back so that her head looked up.
"What are you guys going to do?!" Talisa exclaimed.
"We will take your heart, earth master. After that, there will be no earth elemental masters left in this world and we will become the strongest with the strength of your heart," he replied with a small chuckle. He then raised his knife in the air, taking steps to stab it into Talisa's chest.
"Nooo! Help me!!" Talisa shouted as loud as she could.
This was probably in the middle of nowhere, there was no way anyone could hear her screams, but Talisa kept screaming as loud as she could. Tears welled up from the corners of her eyes and her body thrashed hopelessly. She closed her eyes, prepared to accept the pain of the knife blade, and breathed her last.
But suddenly, Talisa felt that something very hot was gushing right in front of her. She opened her eyes and saw that there was a massive fire burning the man in front of her. It took a few seconds for Talisa to realize that someone else was there. A handsome man with hair the color of sunlight. His hazel eyes seemed to glow in the dark. He is like a dark angel, fallen from the sky. Handsome cannot even describe his beauty.
Quickly, the man jumped up and immobilized several men at once by burning their eyes with the palm of his hand.
"Traitor Darius!" cried one of the men.
However, without speaking, not even an expression, the man called Darius strangled the man before him and at the same time burned his throat. A charred smell filled Talisa's nose. Everything happened so fast, Talisa didn't have time to think when Darius had taken down all of Talisa's kidnappers.
"Come on! Before the others come," he said in a voice as cold as his expression. With his finger spewing fire, the man untied Talisa.
"Wh-who are you?" Talisa asked.
"There's no time to explain. If you want to live, come with me," he replied.
Talisa was still silent with a trembling body, considering whether she should go with this stranger or not.
"Quickly! I can't beat them if there are a lot of them. If they knew I was here, they would come in large numbers," said the man. He is now giving his hand to Talisa. However, when Talisa was still hesitating, Darius quickly grabbed Talisa's arm and carried her running fast. Talisa was about to try to break free, but Darius seemed to be able to predict it, he immediately put one hand on Talisa's waist and held her tightly to his body. Darius then lifted Talisa's tiny body and carried her running as fast as he could. His hands were so strong that Talisa couldn't do anything.
"Where are we going?" Talisa asked.
"Shut up," Darius replied in a very cold tone of voice.
Talisa is shaking. She wondered what danger she will face now with this cold, emotionless stranger.