Toan and Effie boarded a few days later. Their journey was divided between land and sea. They would have arrived in three weeks, if everything went according to their plans. After ten days, they boarded a huge liner. The journey passed without any real difficulty, but an immense weariness invaded Toan. Effie found nothing comfortable and he felt an immense melancholy coming over him. He had been fighting with all his might for years against a somewhat dormant depression that could take hold of him at any moment. He knew he shouldn't let himself sink in. So he fought to stay on the surface, to not let himself slip into the dark recesses of his head. It was not the moment. He had to remain present, for Effie, for him. He redoubled his efforts to tire his body and not give way to anxiety. He meditated, he exercised, he practiced every sport possible, he trained in the cabin of the boat. The day when Effie went to walk the pontoon. At night, when his insomnia returned, he would run up the corridors. He maintained his balance like this. He managed to stay out of the reach of melancholy and even managed to enjoy during the last stopovers of the last days of travel, the beauty of the landscapes they discovered. He had never explored this part of the world. As usual, it was easy for him to make contact, even the language barriers were not really there, as he loved communicating and learning about the cultures they discovered and the people they met. He felt at home far from home, everything within him was balanced.

Finally, they docked. They were dressed in white linen, Toan wore a very elegant suit, Effie a little embroidered dress and each protected themselves from the burning sun with elegant hats. As soon as he placed his foot on the ground, Toan felt a feeling of well-being pass through him. Effie moved closer to him, he could have believed that she wanted to cling to his arm, not out of fear but because she too seemed overwhelmed. He smiles at her. She seemed calm. A driver came to meet them. He shook Toan's hand, which pleased him. He helped her load the suitcases onto the roof of a tall car, while Effie got into the back. Toan came to join her. They had a three-hour drive. They would soon arrive in the lands of Tarah.

Toan had never felt so excited. He felt no weight on his stomach for the first time in years. No underlying fear. He was just enjoying the moment. Everything amazed him. The promise of another world had just opened up before them. The wild, luxuriant, indomitable nature intoxicated him. Red and orange lands as far as the eye could see, flooded with gigantic trees, which gave way to a blue, warm, comforting sky. Effie had just dozed off, he looked at her. Then, with a jolt caused by the road, she came to rest on his shoulder. She leaned a little closer on him. He couldn't say what he felt, except that it made him happy to feel her close to him, but he couldn't help but notice that his stomach knotted a little. He preferred not to think about it and plunged back into the landscape.

He had the impression that the journey had barely started when the driver turned towards him, making Effie jump, they were arriving. The village they saw in the distance was Tarah. He didn't last any longer. He stretched his body as much as possible to see her. What exactly did he hope to see there? He did not know. He just wanted to feel Tarah, discover her, see her aura.

The car entered the main street and stopped at the foot of the hotel. They went out, intoxicated by everything they discovered. They no longer knew where to stop their gaze. The refinement of the architecture, the beauty of the people, the calm, the gentleness. Even the humidity on his skin gave him immense well-being. Toan wanted to memorize all his sensations. He would only discover Tarah for the first time.

There were two rows of buildings, of two or three floors, with very beautiful colored facades, equipped on each floor with balconies, loggias, decorated with elegant ironwork. The wrought iron columns merged with the buildings and entwined the facades, Toan could not tell if the iron supported the building or if it had let itself be caught by it. Each balcony was covered with green plants, the shutters were painted pine green, which brought out the powdery walls even more. He no longer knew where to look, he found everything magnificent.

His eyes stopped on the ground that covered the streets. He had never seen a softer, finer powder. He let some slip through his fingers. Raising his head, he noticed the small shaded square at the end of which the two alleys joined. He couldn't wait to get there. The driver came to take his leave, Toan shook his hand warmly and thanked him for everything. The man gave him a huge smile back.

They were invited to settle in the hotel. The establishment was lovely, even Effie couldn't find anything to complain about. We welcomed them with great kindness. Toan was moved. He knew that these emotions fluctuated and could weigh him down. In that moment, he felt his heart filled with joy. He spoke quickly. Lots of ideas were flying through his head. He felt electric. But he did everything to contain himself. He did not want to frighten with his liveliness which could be characterized by a certain uncontrollable energy or even involuntary brutality. He knew himself. He wanted to make a good impression. Everything made him want to react, to laugh loudly, even to cry with joy. He felt his body boiling.

They were guided towards a wooden staircase which was divided into two landings. Their room was on the first floor, right-hand corridor. He thanked the man who had guided them and Effie began to inspect everything. Their room was on a corner and large windows overlooked the square that Toan had seen when he arrived. Effie was opening their luggage when Toan glanced out the window, attracted by the noise of a crowd moving a few meters away on the square. He felt his stomach tighten and felt ready to pounce. However, he did not feel the urgency to intervene. He remained on his feet while he assessed the situation. He knew he could be on the street in seconds but it seemed like the situation was under control. He felt hypnotized by the scene. Despite the quarrel, the serenity in which the village seemed to bathe did not seem to have changed. He saw a very tall man with a robust body lifting another stockier man, about thirty centimeters tall, by the collar. He didn't need more, he brought his face closer to the man, it seemed that he didn't need to say anything then after a few seconds, he released the man who collapsed to the ground. Ashamed, he remained on the ground with his head down for a few moments. The other man turned his back on him. Toan couldn't take his eyes off him, as his stunning beauty and charcoal-cut body made him look like a god. He had already retraced his steps, dignified and without blinking, but on the ground, the humiliated man could not help muttering something. Standing up, the man clenched his fists, refused to be insulted so basely, could no longer hold out, returned to the charge and began to beat him. Toan was about to go down but two men had already jumped up just as quickly to separate them, explaining, as Toan could decipher it, that the guy wasn't worth it. Calm returned as quickly as the storm had arrived. Effie had in turn approached the window, attracted by the commotion. She couldn't help but be ironic.

-You see, I thought too high, too quickly. It was all too good to be true. Not everyone can have received an education worthy of the name... how sad...

Toan hesitated, wanted to answer him, then gave up. Again he looked at the scene. The little stocky guy had disappeared. The immense man got dressed and fixed his hair with an almost Olympian calm, in complete control of himself. All eyes were on him, they seemed to admire him, or fear him, or maybe both. He commanded respect in the place. His gait was feline, light despite his imposing build, he captivated the crowd. He walked towards a small bar set up on the square. They seemed to be congratulating him, telling him that he had done well. Then, all eyes turned towards a silhouette that Toan could not discern.

Then he was struck down in his turn. At the beginning, he only saw a red veil spreading over the square, which seized his heart. He twisted his whole body to better see this silhouette. A woman dressed in a purple dress, with long hair now appeared completely to him. He felt her hands clinging to the window; he wanted to capture this moment, immortalize it. She was beautiful, but what struck him most was the contrast of her slim silhouette and the structure of her athletic body, which was in total contradiction with the softness of her face. She seemed so frail and so strong at the same time. In turn, she had captivated all eyes. She came to meet the man, to make sure he had nothing. Toan couldn't take his eyes off the apparition. She had hair so long that it slipped between her kidneys, brown becoming chestnut in places. Her skin was sun-kissed. Toan saw the man attracting the woman and seemed to explain himself to her. She didn't give in but very quickly, the tone lowered and the couple hugged. The man raised his head and held out his glass towards the crowd. We toasted. And life happily resumed around the bar. Toan hadn't moved. Still clinging to the window he observed, still numbed by the scene that had just unfolded before his eyes. His breath was short. He realized that his hands were trembling, that his heart was beating. He felt the blush on his cheeks. He felt foreign to his body. He who knew how to keep control like no other, he no longer contained anything in him. His gaze searched the couple again.

In the distance, the man had just stopped and with a measured gesture turned to his full height in the direction of the hotel and Toan who was staring at him from his room. Toan held his gaze for a split second. He felt his stomach twist and took a step back. He felt embarrassed. He drew the curtains, embarrassed at having been caught scrutinizing them like that. He took another step back, hit his bed and sat up for a few moments. His head was spinning and tingling. He grabbed the glass of water that had been placed on the nightstand for him. Effie, who had noticed nothing of his confusion, asked him to help her undo the last packages, which he did, delighted to be able to forget what had just happened. He tried to breathe more temperately. He breathed three times to quell the pain in his stomach. He finally found a more viable rhythm, the tremors had stopped. He pushed all his thoughts to the back of his head. He refused to think about it again.