299 Locked Memories

Much to his surprise, Lycster headed back straight to their home. He turned back into his human form and unlocked the front door to enter the house. Aether followed him closely throughout, barely making a sound. 

Lycster did not realise he was followed, he was focused on what he wanted to do. Upon entering the house, he immediately headed up the stairs towards his room. As soon as he was in, he began to search through drawers. 

He searched through each of them thoroughly, looking endlessly for something. The longer it took for him to find it, the more irritable the boy looked. 

"What are you looking for?" 

Aether's question jolted Lycster out of his trance of searching. He nearly had a heart attack as he thought he was alone. 

"You scared me Aether!" The boy exclaimed in shock. 

"I'm looking for something."

Aether arched his eyebrow, "So you don't know what you're looking for?"

"I do! I just…" Lycster continued to look through his things until finally, he found what he was looking for. 

It was a small black cloth pouch. When he opened it, he revealed a small vial of translucent liquid. 

"I just never thought I would want to find it again," Lycster sighed as he held the vial in his hand. 

He walked over to his bed and sat down on the side, looking down at the vial in his hand. Aether walked over and sat down next to him on the bed. He turned back into his serpent form and slithered into the boy's lap. 

-Do you want to talk about it?-

Lycster did not reply for a while. He did not know what to say about it. He did not keep it from Vy on purpose. But it would be a lie to say that he did not keep it from her in fear that she would not want him around if she knew. 

"I just…" Lycster closed his eyes as the memories of his early days of living on the streets came back to him. 

The earliest memory he had, was having the vial in the black pouch handed back to him by an unseen witch. 

"When you want to remember, all you need to do is to drink from this vial,"

After that, Lycster wandered through a forest until he came to Timbretune for the first time. All he had with him was the clothes on his back, the vial in his pocket, a few coins and his name. 

Despite not knowing if he had a family or not, he never felt alone in the bustling town. The stall owners were nice to him, and he reciprocated their kindness in any way he could. 

Every time he was tempted to find out his past, he would hesitate to open the vial. It was as if his entire body did not want him to remember any of it. Lycster came out with a couple of theories as to why it might be the case. 

Interacting with the Wickherhems gave him a sense of familiarity. Something in him told him that this was right, that they were not lying to him. But the circumstances made Lycster feel uncomfortable. 

"The things they were saying, it seemed to mean something to me. But I don't know what it is." Lycster sighed. 

-It could be your subconscious. Memories can be sealed and forgotten by the mind, but the heart, the subconscious remembers everything. Even things outside of this life.- Aether theorised. 

Looking back down at the vial in his hand, Lycster did not know what decision to make. Hearing what his mother and grand-uncle had to say made him want to remember the memories he had chosen to forget. 

Knowing the past would help him make a decision that would affect his future. 

"Aether," 

-Yes?-

"What should I do?"

Aether looked directly into the boy's eyes. -Why are you asking me?-

Lycster thought for a while before he answered, "Well, apart from my sister, you're about the smartest person I know."

Aether chuckled. -The things you've gone through shaped you to be much more mature than other children your age. Don't regret the decisions you make.-

The serpent's words were a little cryptic, so it was up to Lycster to put the pieces together. With a decision made, Lycster unscrewed the cap of the vial and drank the liquid within it. 

As soon as he drank the last drop, the vial disappeared from his hand. A surge of memories flooded his mind, causing his head to spin. Lycster laid back down on his bed as a sharp pain plagued his mind. 

After some time, the pain went away. Lycster covered his eyes with his arm. Aether remained by his side the entire time, making sure he was alright. The boy had tears streaming down his eyes.

"My sister needs to know," Lycster said out loud. 

-I can get her here.- 

He shook his head, "She's busy now, maybe over dinner."

-I think this is much more important than any paperwork she has.- Aether argued. 

"It's alright, it can wait."

Aether did not argue his point further. The boy had made his decision and he was going to respect it. 

Back in the Drawing Room, Countess Lyra and Count Cristo were at a loss. 

"Great, just great. What are we going to do now? Just when we had this all under control," Count Cristo cursed. 

Like many other families, the Wickerhem Family had traditions. Their traditions were however, a little different from most others. Every few years, a Wickerhem would be selected to carry on the Mission. 

The Mission was to appease the Wicker Being who protected and allowed the Wickerhem Family to prosper. The Wickerhem Family was huge, with multiple branches. 

The Family whose child was chosen to fulfill the Mission, would be greatly rewarded for their sacrifice. Countess Lyra knew this all too well. She dreaded the day of the choosing. When the name was drawn, her heart sank. 

She knew what it meant. It was a reality she had never wanted to face. She had already lost her husband and her child. But then, the glimmer of hope appeared before her. 

When Lyra found out her son was out in the world and very much alive, she was overwhelmed with emotion. When Count Cristo was tasked with finding her son, she begged him to bring her along. 

"What can you do?" He asked snidely. 

"I…" she was just a widow. 

What could she do?

"I can convince him to come home." 

She knew what it meant for Lycster if he was to return with them. But she wanted to see her son, she wanted to hold him in her arms. Lyra wanted to hear his laughter, to see his smile. 

When she saw him there, missing an arm and grown, her heart skipped a beat. She was glad that he was alive. She wanted to know everything that had happened to him. 

But the foreign look in his eyes, not knowing for certain who she was broke her heart. As bad as it was, it brought her some relief as well. At the very least, he did not remember the things of the past. 

"Let me speak to him, privately." Countess Lyra said as she tightened her fists. 

"We don't even know where he is now." 

"He can't have gotten far. And I'm sure that Miss Blackfire would know where he might be." 

Countess Lyra got out of her seat and straightened her dress. As she was about to walk out of the Drawing Room, Count Cristo stopped her in her tracks. He looked her dead in the eye.

"You know what happens if he does not come willingly, right?"

How could she not know? They were going to bring him back with them, even if it was by force. 

That is an outcome she desperately wanted to avoid.