305 Onward To The Big City

After arriving at the city, the siblings were to head to a designated location where they would meet Future Eye associates. Once they've met up with the associates, they would be brought to the Headquarters. 

"So mysterious," Lycster commented as he packed the last of his belongings into his bag. 

Vy chuckled, "They are secretive, I give them that. But it seems to work in their favour, with all the dangerous stuff they deal with." 

The road to Aldergard was going to be a simpler one. All they needed to do was to find the closest Keystone Portal and use the special charm key that came with the letter to access the portal. 

Carole came to see them off. Although this was not the first time they had left Timbretune to go somewhere else, she still made it a point to send them off. There was a nagging feeling that she might not see them for quite some time. 

At least, based on previous experiences, their trips tend to become extended every time. 

"Take good care of yourselves. And remember to write," she reminded them. 

Carole gave them each a hug and a new set of clothing to take with them. Vy thanked her kindly for the gift but insisted on paying. 

"No need, I don't need your money. I just hope these clothes will serve you well."

Caster was also there to send them off. Vy gave him a few more final orders just before they went back on the road. 

"I leave Timbretune in your capable hands," Vy said before they parted. 

"I will do my best," Caster saluted her. 

With that, they made their way out of Timbretune towards the nearest keystone portal they could find. Once there, Vy took out the charm key that came with the letter. It was in the shape of a closed eye. 

As per the instructions provided, she placed the charm key onto the designated slot. The key clicked in place. Within a matter of seconds, the keystone portal hummed to life. 

It emitted a soft warm glow of light, before opening a gateway portal for them. Without any hesitation, they walked through the portal together. They were in an open field, with a vast crop field behind them. 

"Sis, look!" Lycster exclaimed as he looked out far into the distance. 

Vy looked in the direction her brother pointed to see a gated city with multiple entry points all around. She had seen tall buildings in the Capital of the Arkwing Kingdom, but those did not compare to the ones here in Aldergard City. 

Some of their tallest buildings towered high above the city walls. Lycster looked in awe at the architecture of the buildings, it was unlike anything he had seen before. While they were impressive to look at from afar, it did not surprise Vy very much. 

"Well, let's get going," she chimed as they stepped off the platform of the portal and walked down the pathway that led through the city gates. 

After a quick security check at the gates, which included both Vy and Lycster registered their information before entry, they were allowed to enter the city. Unlike most of the places they had been to before, Aldergard was a lot more crowded that what they were used to. 

As such, people were almost walking shoulder to shoulder, rushing from place to place. Lycster held on tightly to his sister's arm. Getting lost in this crowd will prove difficult for them to find each other. 

Following the instructions given in the letter, Vy asked some local law enforcers for directions. They were kind enough to point her in the right direction so they found their meeting point relatively quickly. 

The building before them had large glass panels and sturdy concrete pillars that held everything together. Lycster tilted his head upwards to see how tall the building was. From where he stood, he could barely see the top of the building. 

"Miss Blackfire, we meet again," a familiar voice called out from behind. 

Vy turned around to see Zylphy coming out of the building. As she approached the entrance of the building, the doors automatically slid open. 

"Come, follow me," she instructed them as she led them in. 

The Blackfire siblings did as they were told, following Zylphy into the building. As they walked past different people in the lobby area, many of them greeted Zylphy. They exchanged pleasantries as they made their way through. 

Lycster tugged on his sister's clothing to get her attention. Vy leaned down and whispered to her brother, "What is it?"

"Are we going to have to climb all the stairs?" He asked in a hushed whisper. 

Lycster saw how tall the building was. He was worried that if they had to get up to a higher floor, it would need to get up there by stairs. 

"We could just fly up," Vy reasoned. 

But as they approached the back of the lobby, she realised that it would not be necessary. 

"I think they have a solution," she whispered back to him. 

Instead of stairs, there was a row of portals lined up and active. Next to each portal as a panel with a series of individual numbers written on it. When it was their turn, Zylphy picked the floor she wanted to go and guided the siblings to follow her. 

Together, they walked through the portal and reappeared on a different floor. Sunlight shone through the large glass windows, bringing in natural light into the building. Lycster looked around, in awe of how the space he was in was now completely different from before. 

When he looked to his side, his jaw dropped in awe. Without telling Vy, he ran towards the side with the large glass panels windows. As he got closer, a sudden surge of fear took over Lycster. 

He slowed down his steps as he approached the edge of the building. Putting his hand out before him, Lycster heaved a sigh of relief as he felt the glass panel that separated him from beyond. 

"Where do you think you're going, young man?" Vy spooked him from behind. 

Lycster's heart skipped a beat as he turned around to apologise to his sister from leaving her side. Together, they peered beyond the glass panel window in awe of the cityscape around them. 

With how high the building was, they could practically see the entire city and beyond. 

Zylphy gave them some time to view the scenery before they made their way through the lobby towards a series of offices, rooms and doors. 

Finally, they stopped before a room door. Zylphy ushered them in and told them to wait while she went to get her other associates. The room had minimal decor, although it's interior looked very different from any room Lycster was used to. 

All four walls were painted white, with a picture frame of an abstract painting. The table they sat at was long, spanning nearly the entire length of the room. The chairs they sat on were black and cushioned.