Hal was happy to see Lyrrah again. Her reddish pink hair had grown a little longer in the time she had been asleep, and her pink eyes still had a subtle sense of drowsiness in them.
"Surprised to see me, Hal"
"I just have one question: when did you wake up?"
Lyrrah touched her lips with her index finger, making Hal remember her quite mischievous personality.
"I think it was just two days back or maybe three, my sense of time is kinda fuzzy for being asleep all this time, so I heard you two went and got yourselves involved with the owl and the disappearances of nobles"
Her eyes turned cold as her mood suddenly changed, reminding Hal shortly of his recent encounter.
Tai took to the stage as he touched her shoulder and asked the question that was plaguing their minds for quite some time.
"And he told us that you were his niece who was kidnapped by the cult a few years ago"
She looked at him with those cold eyes of hers and then took a seat on Hal's bed before she sighed and continued to say
"Yes, I was kidnapped from my uncle by the cultists responsible for the city disappearances"
Hal felt on edge as if she could turn around and suddenly be stabbed in the chest, ending his scholarly career before he could even complete his first book.
"But there kidnapping was unsuccessful because somehow I was saved and then found by Lady Roxanne she said she was not the one that saved me nor did she know who did, the only thing I remember from that day was sitting in my room and then I blacked out, the next thing I saw was a boy with white hair wearing a silver cloak then I woke up and Lady Roxanne was there"
Her story left more questions than answers. She did not talk about a struggle in her dream, so then it must have been some sort of mystical item or gas that they used to kidnap her.
But Hal was leaning towards it mainly being a supernatural doing since it is meant to expand the domain of the king of black and white.
"Anyway, I'm just glad you're back, Lyrrah"
"Yeah…yeah, I know you are not the first one to tell me that, just look at this guy, he doesn't trust me at first, but now look, he can't take his eyes off me. I think I should fall into deep slumber more often"
"Get that idea out of your head, Lyrrah. I won't let it happen"
Both Lyrrah and Hal seemed surprised by Tai's words, as if they never expected such words to slip out of his mouth
Tai stared at them with intrigue
"What, I mean what I say, I was the reason this happened to you last time, so I'm not allowed to let it happen to you again"
Hal swore he saw Lyrrah blush, even if it was for a brief moment. In fact, his enhanced sight could still see the slight redness in her cheeks, but since he was a good guy, he decided not to point it out.
Lyrrah noticed his gaze and quickly turned to point her finger at Tai
"Never say such words to a girl again, more so, shouldn't we be talking about more important matters like the cultist coming for the Duke of Harleyclover?"
"And how to keep you away from your uncle"
Lyrrah now turned to Hal
"You don't need to worry about that. I have a soul-enchanted weapon for that very purpose"
She revealed to them a simple gold chain that was not eye-catching in the slightest. It was so bland that Hal thought he would have trouble even paying attention to it, and so he ignored it.
Wait, he wasn't supposed to do that. He looked up at Lyrrah, who wore it once again.
"See, it makes you ignore a person to the point you can't even tell who they are, even if you speak to them. The only way to bypass it is to get the wearer to tell you their full name"
"So that's why you told us your full names when you introduced yourself on top of the tower"
"Yeah, I wanted a place where I can ensure that nobody else is listening in on us"
"But please, can we stay on topic about this kidnapping thing? Elizabeth told most of the things that happened in my absence, but I want to hear it from your lips, so go spill it"
Hal felt like Lyrrah was actively avoiding being asked something, such as why she told them that she made a vow to reveal the truth to Tai once the time came.
And after recent developments, could she have known about the cave and her dad ending up as a soul-enchanted weapon? How much could she know?
"How much do you know about the mysteries of Haverfield?"
Lyrrah froze and shook her head.
"Please don't go there, for I don't know as much as you think, but I will soon know if the two of you cooperate with me in the mission. I can't reveal it now, but I promise I will tell both of you when it's necessary"
"So, when you need us?"
"May, if that's what you think, dear Tai, now back to you two telling me what I missed"
Hal and Tai finally explained everything to Lyrrah, from their ruthless training with Elizabeth to their recent raid in the Juzo glowing caverns.
"Wow, you two sure went through a lot. I find myself both sad and relieved to miss it"
She giggled awkwardly as Tai and Hal joined her and laughed about all the moments they had been through
"Hal, Tai"
Hal and the rest turned to see Mr FAizo looking at them from the door, his face showed no emotion apart from giving off the aura of a professional butler.
"The detective has arrived, and he has brought information about the attack on the duke"
Hal instantly got out of bed
"Then let's go, we should not keep the detective waiting now, should we?"
Mr Faizo turned and walked down the hall, choosing not to reply to Hal's statement, which was an expected outcome from a man like Mr Faizo.
Hal threw to Tai a glance, and he immediately knew the message that was being sent to him as he briefly nodded before turning to Lyrrah.
"You don't have to get involved in anything we are doing; you can stay here and rest a little longer"
Lyrrah frowned and shook her head.
"Absolutely not, I've already slept for more than a month, and I think that was enough for me. I want to take part in this, so let me, plus Elizabeth, say I'm now a level one awakened, so I should be able to handle this"
Tai and Hal once again exchanged glances, and with a sigh, Hal said in a calm tone.
"Okay, as long as you don't push yourself, it's fine"
The three of them made it downstairs, where the detective was seated on one of the sofas in the duke's living room
He was taking a cup of tea when he then turned his eyes to the watch on his hand
"I wanted to speak to you earlier, but then I learnt that you had taken an expedition to gain more power for the upcoming struggle with the cultists"
He placed the cup of tea down and leaned back on his sofa as he interlocked his fingers with a serious look on his face
"I hope you were successful at owning your skills because, according to what I've gathered, the blue moon rises tomorrow night, and with it, the first sacrifice will be claimed"