307 Something Familiar

Something about the scene before her looked so surreal. Aether slithered over to her from the bed and coiled himself loosely around Vy's neck. He too looked out to see the cityscape bathed in warm tones of light. 

-Is something bothering you?- he asked. 

Vy's silence spoke louder than words. It felt as if everything had led up to this moment and she was uncertain of what would come next. But she did not want Aether or Lycster to worry about it either. 

It was her worry to bear. But her Familiar did not see it that way. They were bonded together for life. That meant they were to share each other's worries and be there for one another. 

-You know you can tell me anything.- he reminded her. 

"I know," she whispered to him with a smile as she lightly pets him beneath his jaw. 

His scales were smooth to the touch, as her fingers glide across it like on silk. 

"I just feel like I might be away for a long time."

Vy folded her arms as she leaned her body against the glass. She watched the tiny ant-like beings walking down the bustling streets down below. Aether agreed with her. He could feel the emotions she felt. 

-I will be there for you.- he reassured her. 

-Even if I'm not physically there, I will be there with you, in your heart.-

Vy nuzzled her face close to Aether's with a smile. She knew he would be there for her, even when she can't be there for herself. Now, all she needed to prepare for was the mission ahead of her.

Later in the day, Vy and Lycster headed over to the Future Eye headquarters where they promptly met up with Zylphy. However, she did not lead them to the upper floors. Instead, she took them through an unmarked door which led to a dimly lit room. 

They walked down two flights of stairs before coming up on another unmarked door with a metal plate on the right side. Zylphy took out a special keycard and scanned it against the metal plate. 

The metal plate emitted a green light and the door unlatched on its own. They were led down another two winding corridors before arriving in front of a large wooden door at the end of the hallway. 

Zylphy knocked on the three times, before a slit opened up, revealing a pair of eyes. 

"The eyes are closed," the person behind the door gave a riddle. 

Zylphy replied without skipping a beat, "Yet the eye remains open."

Open hearing Zylphy's reply, the slit in the door closed and the door opened for them. Vy and Lycster were ushered into the room, where they were greeted by three individuals. 

"Good morning, associates. This is the Raven. As we've spoken before, she will be the one to carry out the Warren mission."

The associate who opened the door for them to enter was a tall bald man who wore a half-mask across his face. It covered his nose and mouth. He pointed at Lycster. 

"Then what's this kid doing here? Less awareness, fewer worries."

Before Vy could defend her brother, Lycster mustered the courage to speak up. 

"My sister is risking her life for me. She's doing this for me. So I want to know what she's getting herself into. Hence, I am here," he said with vigour. 

The tall bald man arched an eyebrow, impressed by the young boy's courage. But this mission was a serious matter, could the child be trusted? He walked up to Lycster and got up close to him. 

Lycster was intimidated. Though his legs were shaking in fear, he did not back away. 

"Are you sure about this, boy?"

"My… my name is Lycster. And yes, I am sure."

"Don't worry about the boy, Michael. If he steps out of line, we'll take care of it," the woman at the end of the room spoke up. 

She had bright red curly hair that was down till her shoulder. Her eyes were emerald green with a piercing gaze. From the moment Vy entered the room, this woman had had her eye on her. 

"So," Vy tried to bring them back on topic, "What does this mission entail?"

Vy took a seat at the end of the table while the Future Eye associates were at the other end. Lycster sat on her left while Aether was, as usual, coiled on her wrist.

The associate named Michael started off by introducing the others in the room. The woman with the bright red hair was Mirin. The last associate in the room was introduced as Tykus. He wore a half mask that covered over his eyes, resembling a black fox.

Mirin used a small device to project images onto the wall behind them while Tykus presented Vy with a series of photographs. 

"For the century or so there has been a steady increase of kidnapping cases across Gaeia. While most of them were traced to various trafficking syndicates, we noticed that there was quite a number that remained untraceable." Mirin explained. 

She projected images of kidnapped children and adults, chained and locked in cell-like cages. The conditions were terrible and inhuman, but most had already been liberated. 

Mirin went on to explain that the Future Eye tried every method they could to find any trace of these missing people. But every lead they had turned up cold. It was as if whoever was working from the shadows were always one step ahead of them. 

They covered their tracks up well and remained under the radar. That was, until fifteen years ago, they received a lead. A man had been sent to the Queenswill Asylum after having been found at the gates of Aldergard City. 

The man had been branded with a peculiar marking on the side of his right rib. The next image Mirin projected on the screen and handed to Vy was the image of the marking. 

"This…" Vy looked at the image handed to her. 

This branding looked very familiar to her. She had seen this symbol before on multiple occasions in the past in different scenarios. It was the symbol of a rabbit surrounded by short cut off lines that formed multiple circles and rings around it.