164 Repeat After Me

The crystal in the bowl had been dyed red by Vy's blood. It levitated above the bowl, absorbing the light from all three mirrors. The crystal grew larger over time as it also had a stream of energy connecting it to the pendant that remained in the bowl.

In Vy's mind, a voice could be heard. She immediately identified it to be Janna's voice.

-Miss Blackfire, I need you to repeat this after me.- Janna said.

In the abyss of darkness and light

There are those who exist and thrive

I call upon the one whom I need

To guide me through time

As soon as Vy completed the final line, the crystal had already grown five times its original size. As the light and energy from the three mirrors intensified, the crystal blooms open and envelops the entire room with blinding light.

As soon as the light blinded Vy's eyes, darkness enveloped her. Looking at the space around her, in complete darkness, she realised that she was no longer in the Hall of Mirrors. Vy was in a different space.

From the darkness, tiny sparks appeared, giving off a small amount of light, allowing Vy to see with more clarity. It was like being surrounded by the stars in the middle of the night. She could see larger round spheres floating around her.

Before she could say anything, she was brought back to the Hall of Mirrors. Everyone shielded their eyes until the light dissipated. Vy looked around to find her familiar. Based on the explanations she had read from books and heard from Janna, a familiar would likely be in the form of an animal. But looking around the marble bowl, she could not see anything.

When she looked further down, she realised something coiled around her. But the creature did not resemble any snake or serpent that Vy had ever seen before. The scales were extremely keeled, slightly resembling feathers. She could not quite pinpoint its colour either.

As the creature slithered and continued to coil around Vy, its scales glistened under the light in shades of black and dark purple.

"A winged serpent!" a student shouted in excitement as the rest of the students began to chatter as they watched on in awe.

The creature unfurled its wing, creating a shadow that covered the light source from above. Vy was in awe of its brilliance.

-You're a curious one, Blackfire. - a deep voice rang in Vy's mind.

Before she could even reply, the creature came up to close to her. Their faces were only centimetres apart. It gazed deep into Vy's eyes. The serpent's eyes were like two amethysts, reflecting the light around it.

-My name is Aether. I will accompany you through space and time, till the day you breathe your last. -

Vy nodded in response and reached her hand out to Aether. In the blink of an eye, Aether minimized his size and coiled himself around her arm, resting his head on the back of her hand.

Everyone was stunned to silence!

Vy turned to Lycster with a smile on her face. She could feel Aether's presence. She realised that she could easily share her experiences and emotions with him, just as he could share with her.

Aether's memories were still out of her reach, but she was not about to pry either. From the sidelines, Janna and Loraine were in discussion. Even in their years of experience, they had hardly ever seen a Familiar of this level being summoned!

There had been rumours that Fae Kin familiars favoured otherworlders as their background is usually a mystery.

"Mrs Peterson, Mrs Peterson!" one of the students shouted from their seat, eagerly waving his hand in the air.

Janna turned over, "Yes, Max?"

"Is this Miss's familiar a Cosmic tier Fae Kin?" the boy asked as he readjusted his glasses.

As soon as the words left his mouth, the other students started conversing amongst themselves. From their conversations, Vy gathered that the Fae Kin had different tiers, each stronger than the last.

The Cosmic tier was the highest tier ever known and few Fae Kin who had reached that level had ever been recorded. Just as Vy was about to asked Aether, she could hear a deep laughter ringing in her mind. It almost sounded like the rhythmic beats of a bass instrument.

-While I appreciate the flatter but I still have a long way to go. -

~

Lycster took a sip of the hot chocolate he had been offered by Miss Loraine as Mrs Peterson continue to chat with Vy. It was rare for them to meet an otherworlder, so the two teachers made full use of the opportunity to fulfil all of their security.

Unfortunately, his elder sister's amnesia did not provide them with much of the answers they yearned for. They also took a look at Vy's energy dagger and necklace, hoping it might give them some clues on Vy's world.

Miss Loraine examined the energy dagger closely with scrutiny. To her, this was a fascinating piece of weaponry.

"But that being said, I have not been able to figure out why it is called an energy dagger," Vy explained as she took a sip of her cup of tea.

"Fascinating… And you mentioned that it was your system who told you?" Janna asked as she watched Loraine fiddle with the dagger.

"Dotty? Yes," Vy replied as her grip on her cup tightened a little.

For a moment, Lycster thought he saw her sister bit her lip and averted her gaze. The disappearance of the tiny half-cat fairy had been a mystery to them. Despite his sister's theories on what happened that night, he still could not fully comprehend it himself.

As he took another sip from his cup, Lycster noticed Vy's familiar, Aether, slithering on top of Vy's sleeve till he reached her neck. Aether then comfortably coiled himself around Vy's neck like a scarf.

-What are you staring at, boy? – a voice rang out in Lycster's mind.

Lycster lost his grip on his cup, causing it to slip out of his hands. As it was about to smash onto the ground before him, Miss Loraine swiftly waved her wand and caught the falling cup. The hot chocolate swam back into the cup which sat down on the table.

"Aether," Vy said sternly as she ran her finger beneath his chin, "Don't scare my brother like that."

Aether chuckled.

-His flustered face is humorous. -