"Hello," I said gently, afraid to disturb him.

"Good morning," he smiled back at me "Please take a seat Korina," he pointed at the empty chair placed opposite of his. "How are you doing? Does Sanna suit you as a mentor?" He inquired, entwining his fingers, he rested his hands on the documents spread in front of him.

"As good as I can be, considering," I said wistfully. "And Sanna is great, she and Ria are both very kind to me.

He pushed himself away from the table, gracefully standing to his full height. "Good, I knew she would be the most suitable choice. How about Traxx, is he giving you a hard time?"

I watched him as he closed the files on the table, feeling a familiar tugging at the corners of my mouth. "No, but he is a very vocal and ehm... peculiar person."

It was beyond me how I hadn’t noticed the decor the second I placed my foot inside the room. I blamed it on his all-consuming presence that demanded my whole attention. The room was painted in a dark-red color, with heavy mahogany furniture placed around it. The glass windows let little to no light inside the room, as they were covered with heavy velvety curtains. But that wasn’t what shocked me – it was the art hanging on the walls.

"You bought them? All of them?" I couldn't believe my eyes. "Why?" My paintings were hanging on his wall and even as it seemed like they belonged there, their darkness only added to the depressing and gloomy atmosphere of the room.

"More like hunted them down and bought them off. The person on the paintings, well ... She reminds me of someone. It’s incredible how well you captured her, even though you didn’t know about her existence," he took a few slow strides toward the wall, his hands clasped behind his back.

"Let me guess - my birth mother," it was strange to say it out loud, considering my mother would always be Ivana. The word had a strange, bitter aftertaste as it rolled on my tongue, like tasting a forbidden fruit.

"Yes, you are right. She was beautiful, a lot like you, the same hair, the same figure... Except the eyes, you got them after your father," he mumbled with a faraway look on his face.

"I don't want anything of his. I don’t want others to be reminded of what they hate and fear the most, every time they look at me. I am not like him Maximillian," I said, fear and rage lacing the tone of my voice.

"Beings with souls have a choice to decide for themselves who and what will they become," he turned back toward me, his silky voice caressing the depths of my wounded soul.

"Where is he ... The man guilty of the rape of my birth mother?" I inquired coldly.

"Sadly, we don't know. He could be anywhere, but the best IT experts from Central are constantly trying to track him down," he promised me. "He is an elusive and incredibly powerful creature and must not be underestimated by no means. Even if we do find his location, taking him down is impossible without bloodshed and multitude of casualties. It means war like we’ve never seen before."

War I did not want. The thought of the innocents dying, wielding weapons and heart-shattering screams pressed against my heart, drowning it in an endless thought of sorrow. "What was she like? My mother?" I sighed, changing the subject.

"She was very kind. Even with all the things she had to endure, her soul remained pure," the pain was evident on his face, twisting his otherwise soft features into a mask of granite.

As I was assessing his face, one feeling stood all above the others, high above the hatred, or vengeance, it was the deepest and purest form of affection known to mankind. "You loved her, didn't you?"

His eyes watered involuntarily and he turned around to hide it. "Very much, she was my Anuemat, my second half of the soul," he whispered, his velvety voice cracking at the edges.

"Like a soulmate?" I asked.

"The term is much more complicated than humans see it. It’s a bond in its deepest form that never truly dies, even when your other half is departed. See, your Anuemat’s soul is designed to match yours completely. Beings with this kind of connection are like magnets. It is impossible to be far from each other, too painful to endure."

My heart was breaking for him, to see him so shattered and helpless. "How did you survive it, my mother's departure?"

"I did not and in a way, inside I am already dead. But it was one thing that kept me going - my promise to her."

"Me," I said, seeing things clearly now.

"That's right,” he slowly bobbed his head. “Your mother and I met a long time ago. She was fighting in Cain's army then. But she couldn't harm those who didn't deserve it, so she was punished for it. He had her chained, beaten and tortured," his fists were painfully clenched at his sides when he continued. "It took one look at her for me to know we belonged to each other," he looked towards the ceiling, closing his eyes.

"It was much later when she came to Italy to find me. Your mother - Marcella was her name, ran away from Cain. Someone from the inside must have helped her escape, otherwise she couldn’t have succeeded. When she found me... Well, that was the best time of my life. But I wasn't the only reason she came. She was pregnant with Cain, trying to save her baby from all the horror she went through. She knew she couldn't run for long, since Cain would have found her eventually, but nine months was enough. When she delivered, she left me the baby ‒ you. I wanted to protect her, believe me, but she didn't give me the chance. She was long gone before I knew it. She didn't want Cain to find out he had a daughter," he looked at me, leaning closer as I listened intently.

"She couldn't evade him. Soon I found out he killed her in rage," he looked away, trying to hide the despair he felt. "I took the baby, going against the whole Central, defying them. I got Jerome on my side eventually. But I couldn't keep you, so I gave you into adoption system, trusting them to find a great couple that will take you in. I was not to know who they were, or where you were in case I was captured by Cain. So eventually all the traces I had of you were gone.”

"I am so sorry for your pain," I said, looking into his saddened eyes. "For all you had to withstand, for my mother's suffering and for the trouble you had to go through to keep me safe."

"It wasn't your fault," he said, a sad smile resting on his lips "I will keep my promise from now on, I will watch over you myself. When I held you in my arms, when you were just a newborn child, it felt like you were my daughter."

I was truly moved by his words, tears glistened in my eyes as I bit my lips, willing them away.

"Enough of the sadness for now," he immediately composed himself, straightening his posture. "We have to discuss your training, we cannot delay it any longer since Laurel is right on our heels."

"I agree,” I could hardly believe what was coming out of my mouth, but he was right. “I want to be able to defend myself, I cannot count on others to save me every time danger comes knocking on my door."

He nodded proudly, happy I was eager to start with my duties. "As you know breakfast is served at six o'clock so your training will last until one o'clock. After lunch you’ll continue with combat until three o'clock. At three there is a Universal study, which everybody attends. After that you’ll have a strength building in the gym. Daniel and I will see to your combat skills, but you will build your strength with Ria and Traxx, is that all right?" He asked me, my eyes bulging wide at my merciless schedule.

"I will do my best, but I cannot promise-"

"-It will be hard and exhausting Korina, but have faith in yourself, after all, even how ruthless that may sound - you are Cain's daughter."

I nodded with repulsion. "Let's hope I've at least inherited something useful from that monstrous bastard. So, when do I start?"

"Tomorrow," He simply answered. "I believe we've discussed everything we needed," he gave me a gentle smile, his hand resting on my arm. "Korina, don't hesitate to call me if you need me."

"Thank you, that is very kind of you," and I knew I will take him up on his offer. It was nice to know I had somebody watching over me. I felt less alone, less scared.

*

It was later in the evening when Sanna and Ria literally barged into my apartment, the second I ushered a command for doors to open. Sanna was carrying a sleek white laptop while Ria had a measuring tape in her hands.

"This is yours, I've installed everything you need, so it should run fine. Each division has its own network and social network, so you can freely communicate with anyone you please," Sanna explained, putting the laptop on the coffee table. "All right let's begin! Shopping!" She squealed in a high-pitched voice.

"Dear God woman," Ria covered her ears. "Tone it down a notch, will you? I should be the one excited here, not you."

I laughed loudly, covering my mouth.

They took their time taking my measures and writing them down. As we were done, the fun part began. If I would be listening to Ria’s advice, we would've probably ordered everything they had to offer. I chose carefully, trying to spare as many credits as I could in case I would need them. I chose my casual clothes, sports equipment, and a few cocktail dresses in case I would be invited to a party, and of course also the inevitable ‒ shoes.

"Ria, can I ask you something?" I said to her when we were done.

Her face instantly stretched into a wide smile. "Sure, although I hope it’s not connected to Traxx this time."

I shook my head, my expression turning back to serious. "It’s about this morning... I got the impression that Samantha dislikes me."

"Oh, about that. Don't take it personally Korina, she dislikes anyone who Daniel shows interest in,” she sighed, shearing a look with Sanna.

"She likes him then. But it is not my intention to be with Daniel nor has he shown any interest in me!" I assured them, leaving out how uneasy his fast-paced and ever changing behavior made me feel.

"Likes him? I’m afraid it’s much more complicated than that," Sanna looked worried.

"She loves him deeply. Ever since she first came here, she was completely taken by him. Actually, I suspect that-" Ria scratched her forehead and looked at me "-Well, that he is her other half, if you know what I'm talking about."

"Maximillian already explained the concept. But, wouldn't they be together by now? He told me about some kind of magnetism that pulled two souls together as they can be apart," I asked, perplexed.

"Well that's the thing, they should be, only he doesn't feel the same way. She is hurting all the time, that's why she is like this - rude and bitter," Sanna added.

"I can't even imagine-" I started "Can one-sided bond even exist?"

"Sadly yes, but they are very rare," Sanna bit her lower lip. "I wouldn't wish that on anyone."

"Can a person take another partner, if their bond fails?" I looked at them both.

Ria sighed and shrugged. "Yes it's possible, but never with a person who hasn't fund their mate yet or is already bonded. However, it is never the same, you’re destined to always crave your other half, so any other relationship is blunt compared to being bonded."

"That sounds like a lonely and truly sad existence," I shuddered at the thought of it, pitying the sad blonde woman. "I'd rather never know my other half than endure this hollow way of living," they both agreed with me, nodding in unison.