The Wonders of Hopes and Dreams By: Solinel FeatherHeart

008

He's never felt so relieved to be home. He feels exhausted, his mind and body is heavy. Lykas is greeted by a tight hug from Nomi and a worry-toned, "Are you okay?" From Rykis. He assumes it's from the look on his face. He checked himself in the mirror of The Vipers bathroom before leaving. Just from those two days he can see the bags under his eyes. Lykas rubs Nomis back as he nods his head. "I'm okay. I'm just sleepy." He briefly glances down to see if Nomi is watching him. When he sees the coast is clear, he mouths to Rykis, "We need to talk." Rykis's demeanor fills with confusion, the worry gets worse. Lykas nods his head, his own expression turns even gloomier. 

"Hey Nomi? Can you go to your room for a few. I need to tell Rykis something veryyyy important." His tone is soft, he tops off his tone with a gentle smile. Nomi nods her head before she lets go of him and she runs to her room. 

Lykas grabs Rykis by the wrists before he drags him up to his room. Rykis closes the hatch behind him. "Did something go wrong while you were at The Vipers house? Did she hurt you?" The questions flow from his brothers mouth as if it was a dam waiting to burst at any moment. Lykas shakes his hands as he calms him down. "No, no, no. I'm okay, I just need to warn you of what is going to happen okay?" Rykis immediately stops talking. "So, when I was there she implanted a disguise modification into my system. She gave me a rundown of what is going to happen, so I will be in this disguise for a while. You will see how it works. But the biggest thing that you need to absolutely know is that while I'm on this mission I will be living with the outlaws she asked me to spy on. And someone is going to come here to make sure you and Nomi are safe." 

"Does she know where we LIVE?" Rykis asks, he subconsciously takes a step toward Lykas as he does. "I'm not too sure. I'm assuming so, she implanted this disguise in my system and before she did that she had to clean my files. So, she might have stumbled across something while she was doing so." Rykis stares at his younger brother in disbelief. "Lykas, all I have to say to you is. . . you better not fuck this up." Lykas feels even more weight pile onto his shoulders. "I'm not going to. I made you two a promise, and this mission is going to get us to that promise. Even if it kills me." Rykis nods his head, he can see that he's deep in thought. "It's up to you to protect Nomi while I'm gone. The Viper gave me a time window to practice with this disguise. So, I'm going to look a little different than usual."

He recites everything The Viper told him for the 1,000th time in the past hour. "Well, get some shut eye before you drain your body even more with unnecessary stress." Lykas sighs, he walks over to his bed and sits down in it. "Alright, I'll sleep." "Good, you look like you got mugged on the way back here man." He can't help but laugh. "I feel like it too." He half mumbles as he curls up into his bed. He finds himself being pulled down into a deep sleep faster than he expected.

Once he does wake, he's not too surprised to see the sun is at its highest peak in the air. He climbs down the ladder, trying to shake away the affects of his slumber. "Oh, you're awake. You must be Lykas." A voice that is foreign to him calls from the couch in their living room. He feels his muscles tense. He turns around to see Rykis seated on the couch with Nomi placed in his lap. A tall man is standing beside the couch. His clothing looks too proper to be from this city, his posture is perfectly straight. Rykis looks as if he's prepared to murder the man at any point, while Nomi is giggling while trying to talk to him. "I am yes." Lykas feels himself wake up immediately. The man walks over to him, his walk appears more like a waltz. 

"I am Virgil. I have been sent by The Viper to watch over your siblings while you are away on your mission." Lykas takes a moment to study the man before him. He can't pinpoint if Virgil has true good intentions, or if he is just as sinister as her. "I see, why did she send you so early? I'm pretty sure the mission doesn't officially start until a week from now." An amused yet smug smirk spreads across his lips. "The Viper works in strange ways. She sent me a little early due to her wanting me to build a connection with your two. . . siblings." Virgil struggles to find the words to call them. Lykas assumes it's because you don't see siblings actually being loyal to each other in the city.