349 Eyes From The Sky

Aether did the same. He used a cloak spell to camouflage himself. A large winged serpent flying through the sky during the day would have raised too much suspicion. 

Aldergard City was massive, spanning across a wide area. With only the two of them, it took them forever to cover just one part of the city. With each passing day they spend searching, the trace of the scent would become fainter. 

"Is there no better way to search?" Lycster asked. 

They both landed on the rooftop of one of the buildings as the sun was about to set on the horizon. Lycster covered his eyes with his hand to prevent the sunlight from obscuring his line of vision. 

Aether wondered, "What if we searched, not for the location but for the people who have been in and out of there?" 

"Yeah! That could work!" Lycster lit up. 

From his pocket, he revealed the letter that was sent to him. It had been written by Zylphy, which meant that it had been in her possession for some time. If they were able to find her, they would get closer to their goal. 

Both Aether and Lycster took in the scent on the letter and closed their eyes. They felt the change in the air all around them, hoping to find even the faintest trail. 

Lycster opened his eyes, "I think I got it! It's coming from there," 

He pointed in towards the east of where they stood. 

Aether confirmed his findings, "You're right. The trail is faint and it's also moving. Let's go. Now."

Together, they took to the sky once more at top speeds, heading straight towards the source of the scent. 

-Do you have eyes on her?-

Lycster nodded, "Going in," 

Once he was overhead, Lycster dove straight down. His wings were silent, so no one noticed his movement at all. Lycster landed directly on Zylphy's head. Zylphy was surprised to find an owl perched on her head. 

"Hello Zylphy," Lycster greeted her as Aether landed before her and materialised in his human form. 

"Hello, Zylphy," Aether greeted. 

"Lycster? Aether, right? It's been a while, how have you both been?"

"We're doing alright, thank you for asking. Do you know why we're here?" Lycster replied as he flew off her head and took to his human form. 

Zylphy did not have a good answer for that. She knew why they were here. She tried to back away from them, but Aether was quick to catch onto what she was trying to do. He blocked the other way to stop her from leaving. 

-Trying to get away?- Aether projected his stern voice into her mind.

She let out a sigh. 

"Follow me," she said to them. 

But Aether and Lycster were sceptical. What if she was luring them into a trap? Zylphy read their expression and knew their concerns. 

"Look, it's not safe to speak out in the open. So if you want information, then you'll just have to trust me." 

Although they were still cautious, they knew there was no way around it. So they followed Zylphy. She brought them through a few streets before they ended up in a restaurant. It was a branch of Nudle Monstre, the noodle restaurant that Future Eye used as a cover. 

This branch of the restaurant was a lot larger compared to the others they had been to before. After speaking to the waiter and exchanging code words, he brought the three of them up a flight of stairs to a special part of the restaurant. 

This section was strictly reserved for special guests and Future Eye associates. After the waiter left them to be, Lycster and Aether were still standing. Zylphy was already seated. 

"Please, take a seat," she said invitingly. 

After some deliberation, they decided to take up the offer. Silence hung in the air awkwardly between them for quite some time. The waiter returned with ice water for each of them. 

As the waiter disappeared through the door after serving the drinks, Lycster was the first to speak. 

"So, what do you have to tell us?" 

Zylphy bit her lip. She knew she had to be cautious with anything she said, moving forward. As much as she wanted to reveal certain things to them, she knew she could not reveal everything. 

Lycster was getting impatient and anxious. He had waited long enough, he was not about to let this go. 

"It's been three months, Zylphy, three months. This was supposed to be a month-long mission, right?"

Zylphy sighed as she picked up the ice-cold glass and took a sip. She had sweat trickling down her forehead. Why was she nervous? Her sweaty palms were masked by the condensation from the glass of ice water. 

She had not been this nervous since the test she had to take to become a Future Eye associate. Her silence only made Lycster more worried. 

"If something ha… happened to Vy, good or bad. I… I want to know. So please, Zylphy, could you please tell us what is going on?" 

Leaning back in her chair, the associate let out a sigh. This was one of the largest cases she had ever dealt with. Especially with the new information they had uncovered in the last few months. 

They had to move their office in fear of an information leak because of what was going on! Seeing how anxious the boy was for the safety of his sister was heart-wrenching to see. 

She phrased her words carefully as she put down the glass, "There is much I want to say. There are many things I cannot say either. Too much… too much is on the line."

Lycster leaned back in his chair, fearing the worst. Aether, on the other hand, remained still and unwavering. He listened carefully to what the associate had to say. What she revealed would determine his actions. 

"That being said, I will tell you what I can."