Chapter 88 - Eighty-Four (1/2)

”What? Are you crazy? We would lose too much time and have unnecessary contact and-”

”Oh shut up, stop complaining and hear me out for a second.” I say, and continue without giving Isaac enough time to keep complaining. ”It will be far more dangerous to have Aeglos along with us, he is a full elf, which already attracts attention, and unstable as he is will make us easy to recognize and to counter.”

”But there” I continue.” He will be protected by his people and family, and Leonel can carry him there without a problem, and even knows them enough to enter without notice. I bet they will understand our situation if we explain it, plus Leonel and your Templar would be doing nothing here anyway, better use their time more wisely.” I say in almost one breath.

”Wait, you have access to the elven kingdom?”

”Of course, on the contrary of humans magical creatures are welcomed there.”

Before we could start another discussion, however, my ears pick up a sound from the rooms, where we left the wounded to rest, which makes me look back at Leonel who understands without the need of words and nods.

We stand and walk out without saying anything, leaving a stunned Isaac behind, only to find something really… odd inside the rooms.

Eyope was still sleeping, and nothing seemed to be out of place, but once we get to Aeglos we find what had caught my attention.

That is… it was Aeglos himself.

He had woken up!

But my happiness was short-lived because we soon found out that something was very wrong with him.

I kneel beside him as Isa comes rushing from the outside, his hands already shining as he starts to pass his palms over Aeglos forehead.

”Oi, oi Aeglos, can you hear me?”

His eyes were staring forward, glassy, looking like dead fish eyes with a mere reflex of the light, no awareness nor life appearing in them.

That image, of a comrade, broken from inside out, makes me at the same time petrified and angry, the first for existing such unusual and strange magic, and the second for, well, for having Aeglos being used and played like this by the puppeteer. How many victims had he made? How many more will he make?

I keep looking, unable to do much more, watching Isa make the little snake-like lighting enter his skin and shine shyly underneath wherever Isa touched him.

That's when my black pointy ears perched up, catching something else from him, a sound… I see then, his lips move ever so slightly, making me approach to listen better.

”A… A… angel, I saw… I saw an angel…” After many incoherent words threw about I finally manage to put his words together to make a phrase, repeating it for the others who were waiting on the side.

”An angel? What is that?”

I haven't even realized that such word would sound foreigner for then, sounding so familiar to me; which only makes me even more aware that my fellow reincarnated friend was far gone into this state to not even realize what he was saying.

”Is a… winged creature, usually representing something divine.”

”Wait, that doesn't make sense, there are so few Alars left that none of that kin would venture far on this lands, even more to hurt someone.” An Ala-what?

Nevermind that, we keep trying to make Aeglos talk, catch his attention, but beyond talking about how the angel was divine, beautiful or whatever, he would not talk nor respond, as if the only thing his brain could process was the image of an angel.

That makes me think… had the puppeteer changed his mind to the point where he thought he saw an angel?

Or perhaps the puppeteer managed to change his memory completely, imputing whatever it wanted inside?

Or perhaps… had Aeglos truly seen an angel?

It was a piece of small odd information, but still possible… one more evidence thrown with the many others we manage to find until now.

”Aeglos, tell me, do you remember what you saw? Can you describe him? How many were there? Where did they take Hunthor?” I keep asking all the questions that were deeply bothering me, even going as far as to hold his face towards me, but all for naught; there was no reaction at all, as if he was stuck in some kind of… dimension or illusion.

The only thing left for me to do is to stand and walk out of the room, more annoyed than angry, and more alert than ever, my mind bursting ideas and plans but, without much to go on from the start, all ended up hitting a wall.

I look up at Leonel, who exchanges a glance at me as I motion for him to follow me with my chin, walking out and farther into the building so we could talk, letting Isaac do his job.

”So… What do you think?” I say, crossing my arms and leaning on a tree, swinging my tail back and forth.

”About what?”

”Well, everything, my plan, the attacks, the puppeteer… we haven't had much chance to talk these past days so…”

”Oh, so you are asking my opinion? That's new.”