Third Eye | Sentinel

Reflected - II

On such a rare, beautiful day, Aurora was busy and unable to enjoy the special weather. The sun peeked through the smog and even the air seemed a little cleaner. Ideal conditions for the people to finally do activities they usually could never do, mostly sports, because breathing was so much more easier.

"They are taking action?" Aurora said. She was outside, sitting on a stone dais, that oversaw the rolling highlands. A light breeze caused the grass the shiver every now and then. Her cold eyes gleamed dangerously.

"Y-Yes, Master." The man in front of her trembled, on his knees and head down. He was a scout, who was forced to work for Aurora because he couldn't find work anywhere else. And now he felt like he was about to be fired, or even worse - he hadn't known Aurora for long, but she was a menacing figure who would probably kill him instead.

"Hmph. Get up."

The man slowly stood up, still afraid to raise his head.

"You are lucky that I do not simply pick off people who I find less worthy than others. That is a waste of resources. Look at me."

The man's eyes met Aurora's, but they still darted around nervously.

"You are not going to be disposed of. This mistake is not large enough to be proved fatal. Go, bring me Lucifer and Dreyden."

"Th-Thank you, Master," the man gasped, letting out a sigh of relief. He rushed off the bring the two men.

Moments later, they arrived. Lucifer was in his usual fit of black. His billowing jacket, his sleek trousers, his leather gloves - all of them dark, like a shadow.

Dreyden was also a tall man, though a little less thin and much older. His grey beard was well-cut, but bristly, like an overgrown hairbrush. He wore a large brown overcoat that flapped violently whenever he walked.

"Aurora." Dreyden's voice was deep and gravelly.

"Have they discovered our forces, or do they only know that a threat is upon them?"

"They have not seen our forces," Lucifer reported. "But the next stage in the plan is to reveal them, no? To observe on what those Images do."

Dreyden grunted. "Can we not call them people? They are the same as us, but living in a parallel."

"People, Images, whatever. You know who I am talking about, that is enough."

"I am concerned about one Image. Intelligence tells me his name is Mikhail South."

"South..." Aurora gazed wistfully into the distance. "Mikhail South."

"You know him?" Dreyden raised an eyebrow.

"Perhaps," she said vaguely. "I met him, a long time ago."

Lucifer turned so sharply that Dreyden had to step back in surprise. "How? We did not discover the Parallel World until a few years ago."

"The tale is to be told for another day," Aurora replied, again with the same mysterious air. "For now, we have more pressing matters. We shall send more spies into the parallel, and collect data for us. Then we act accordingly. That is the next step."

"I already have one strip of virtual footage for you," Dreyden rumbled.

"Oh? Of what?"

"The Image," Lucifer said, "that South treasures above all, apparently. Yuri."

This name also meant something to Aurora, though she chose not to show it. She was very good at hiding facial expressions, keeping all her emotions behind that cold look she usually wore. "Interesting. I will review it later. For now, you are both dismissed. Continue doing what you are already doing. Change nothing."