"Are you trying to make me laugh? Or are you deceiving me? Why would my mate and your bestia have the same mark? She's a Terran, a mortal. She's not someone from your kind." Thane continued to rant.
Elisia couldn't blame him. For years, he believed his mate was a mortal, but now that it was being questioned because of a ring.
"C–Calm down. I'm not saying it was the truth, but it's a possibility. Only someone from the Dragon Clan could have this ring. Maybe someone gave this to her or she picked it up somewhere. I don't know. I could check if you want–"
"So you could tell more lies?"
Elisia frowned. "What? I'm not lying, Thane! I can see the past and travel through time, you know that! I'm weak because I used my power to turn back time and resurrect someone, but I can still see someone's past if they allowed me to."
Thane looked at her with disbelief. He stared into her eyes and saw only the truth.
"I–I'll let you see it too." She blurted.
"What do you mean" He frowned.
"I can let you ride. Like a piggyback."
"Can you do that?" He asked.
"Yes."
Thane sighed. He also wanted to know the truth about his mate. He didn't have the chance to know more about her. He didn't even know her name.
"Okay. But if something was off, I'll punish you."
Elisia nodded. "I need you to think about her. Remember her face and your happiest day with her."
She took his hands and then put the ring in one of his palms. She covered the ring with her hand, and then closed her eyes.
"Samara, I summon you!"
Thane was startled when a woman in gold appeared out of nowhere. Her skin, her hair and her dress were gold in colour. Her eyes were blindfolded, and she was barefooted.
The woman had three keys hanging around her neck and she was holding a time watch in her hand.
"Mistress, you called?"
"Samara, open the Gate of Praeterium and accompany us to the past. I, Navina, Mistress of Time and Space, command you to hear my plea."
Thane frowned. Navina? Was that her real name? He knew demons changed their identity once they stepped into the mortal realm, but he thought Elisia didn't change hers.
"Your wish is my command, mistress."
Thane closed his eyes when suddenly, he heard a ticking sound. That's a clock, he thought. It was slow at first like the sound of a normal clock, but then the sound became louder and faster. He knew they were already travelling into the past.
"Open your eyes." He heard Elisia whisper.
When he opened them, he was in Mirrikh. He looked at Elisia, confused.
"We're not physically in Mirrikh. The memory of that ring brought our minds here." Elisia explained.
Thane felt like he was brought back to where he grew up. It felt so real. He could smell the scent of blood, and the warm atmosphere surrounding the area. Nothing changed. He thought to himself.
"Do not get confused. This is the past. I can only show you how your mate acquired that ring. Some parts may be blurry as my power is unstable, but I will try hard to at least show you the important ones." Elisia said.
Thane nodded and waited for Elisia's next move.
"That ring. Where did you get it?"
He heard someone's voice and it was coming from somewhere in an alley. He looked at Elisia, asking if they could follow the voice. She nodded at Samara to guide them to where it was.
They stopped when the conversation continued. He was staring at a girl and a man talking to each other but for some reason, he couldn't identify who they were because their faces were blurry.
"My mother gave it to me. She said to keep it safe. It would help me someday." The girl said.
Thane realized it was her, his mate. He recognised her voice, but he didn't know who she was talking to.
"Help you? In what way?" The man asked.
"I don't know. Maybe, to leave Mirrikh." She answered.
"You want to leave this place? Why? You're not a slave here. You're one of the most special citizens of Mirrikh."
"This is like a prison. I want to go somewhere or anywhere other than this place."
The man suddenly smiled. "Would you like to come with me?"
"And go where?"
"Acheron."
"The Underworld?"
"Yes."
"Okay. I'm getting bored in here. But before we leave, can I meet a friend first so I can say goodbye?"
"Okay. Go now. We'll leave the day after tomorrow."
Thane and Elisia were shocked. The man asked the girl to come with him to Acheron. And she agreed. Thane's father was innocent, and the possibility of his mate being alive grew.
"Hey! I'm going somewhere but I'll be back after a few days. Can you keep this safe for me?"
It was the day the girl gave Thane the ring. Elisia couldn't see her face, but she had straight brown shoulder-length hair.
"This ring belongs to my mother and is the only memory of her. Can you keep it until I return?" The girl asked.
Thane nodded and took the ring from the girl.
"What do the carvings mean?" Thane asked.
"It's a symbol of our clan. So this ring is very important. I'm the only one left of my kind."
Thane frowned. "What do you mean? You're a Terran, right?"
The girl smiled, but before she could answer him, she vanished.
"Time is up. You need to return." Samara warned them.
A shady air surrounded them, and when he looked around, they were in the tower. Elisia looked at Thane. His face was in disbelief because even though his mate was unable to answer him, it was clear that she wasn't a Terran and that she might be alive.
As Thane was trying to accept everything he discovered so far, Elisia tried to remember the voice of the man the girl was talking to. She knew she heard that voice from somewhere.
Her heart pounded and her eyes widened when she finally remembered who was the man behind that voice—it belonged to his brother, Zuriel, the current Demon King of Acheron.