235 Reading The Signs

When he came over to Aether's side, Lycster saw it for himself. 

"That… that's not good, is it," Lycster asked. 

Aether shook his head. 

They needed to figure out a way to heal Vy's wounds. At the very least, they needed to find a way to stop the bleeding. If the bleeding continues, she could bleed to death. Out in the cold and wintery landscape, it would be difficult for her to survive as well. 

"A healing hot spring right about now would be helpful," Lycster sighed as he recalled the Hot spring pools of Yama Yoma that his sister and he had soaked in. 

-Indeed, it would be good. Even if there is one out there, we need to focus on getting her injuries healed first.- Aether replied. 

"Don't you have any healing spells or something? Anything?" the boy asked. 

Aether sighed as he shook his head. Since he was Vy's familiar, his healing magic would not work on her. Spending time looking for a healing hot spring would greatly reduce the chances of Vy's survival. They needed another solution. 

Seeing the fur blanket that covered Vy's body jolted Aether's memory. Looking through Vy's memories, he realised that her Kyu form might hold the key to the healing they require. He accessed Vy's spatial storage and brought out the book in question, \u003cMythics and its citizens\u003e. 

He flipped through the pages until it came to the section on \u003cLand Mythical Creatures\u003e, \u003cThe Phases of a Kyu\u003e. He read through the entire section of information on the Phases of a Kyu, searching for something that would be useful to them. 

When he found what he was looking for, he quickly closed the book and headed out of the cave. 

"Where are you going?" Lycster asked in bewilderment, uncertain where Aether was going. 

"I'm looking for the moon," Aether replied as he looked up in the sky, searching for the moon hanging in the sky. 

In a corner of the sky, he noticed a billow of clouds obscuring a source of light. In the dark night sky, there could ever only be one light source bright enough to illuminate the sky. Aether took to his winged serpent form and flew up into the sky. 

Using his wings, he blew away the clouds, allowing the moonlight to illuminate the snow-covered lands. Lycster, who had remained on the ground, had no idea why Aether did any of it. But he did not stop him either. 

The boy was certain that the serpent knew what he was doing. 

"What for?" the boy asked. 

-The book said moonlight has healing properties for a Kyu. Since Vy can take the form of a Kyu, the moonlight should be effective in healing her wounds too. At the very least, it should be able to help stop the bleeding.- 

Lycster nodded and assisted Aether in anything he needed. 

The icy winds blew softly around them, moving the clouds along with it. Aether took to the sky and made sure that none of the clouds blocked the moonlight from shining down upon them. As the rays of moonlight touched Vy's bandages, it began to emit small sparkles of light. 

Lycster, who was freezing from the chilly temperatures, huddled close to his sister, making sure that the rest of her body remained warm and toasty. He held her hand, breathing warm air onto them to keep them warm. 

"I'm here for you, sis," he whispered to her. 

The young boy looked up into the sky at Aether, hard at work in pushing the clouds away, then back at his sister. 

"Aether and I will protect you," Lycster continued before he kissed his sister gently on the forehead. 

After an unknown amount of time, icy winds grow colder and stronger. Lycster was shivering despite the multiple layers of fur he wore. Aether flew back down and told him they should return to the cave. 

"But what about Vy? Would the moonlight be enough?" the boy asked. 

-It would have to be enough, for now.- Aether replied as he picked Vy up in his arms and brought her back in. 

Lycster brought the furs with them and quickly laid them down in the cave as close to the fire as he could. Aether laid Vy down on the furs before checking her wounds. Lycster quickly warmed himself up by the fire. 

Aether carefully removed the bandages. Seeing that it did not stick to her wounds was a good sign. When he removed the bandages completely, he let out a sigh of relief. While the gashes had not closed up, the bleeding had stopped. 

Lycster winced as he saw how deep the wounds were, it was not a simple scrape or scratch of the skin. But he too was glad that the bleeding had stopped. Aether asked Lycster for some thread and a needle. 

"What do you need it for?"

-Since the bleeding has stopped, we can suture the wound.-

"Suture?"

-To stitch the wound. Since she's more or less asleep right now, it would be the best time to do it.- 

Lycster nodded in agreement and handed Aether the items he needed. Aether sterilised the needle in alcohol. He threads the needle carefully with the thread and began to suture the gashes one by one. 

Lycster watched Aether the entire time, marvelling internally at how steady his hand was throughout the entire process. Seeing how attentive the boy was, Aether explained the process to him as he worked. 

"Where did you learn how to do this?" Lycster asked out of curiosity. 

The memory was a dark and bitter one. When he was trapped by a blood Mage, Aether often observed everything he did in order to learn and understand him. Suturing wounds and sewing body parts together was an integral part of the blood mage's work. 

Being trapped for 300 years was a long time, but there was a lot that he had learnt during that period of time. Remembering the past also brought back the happy memories he had with Morena Styx, a young witch. He was her familiar before he was Vy's. 

The young witch girl with her curly hair was a clumsy one. She would often end up with cuts and bruises. Aether would always be the one to patch her up. 

\u003cYou always take such good care of me.\u003e That was what she said each time he patched her up. 

\u003cYou need to be more careful.\u003e He would always chide at her. 

Looking on at Vy who was still fast asleep, he combed his fingers through her hair. 

-You need to be more careful, little one.-