Phantom Hunters | The Obsidian League

5 | Lost in Time

V | LOST IN TIME

Time seemed to slow down. Even as Kael followed Kly for less than ten minutes along a stony pavement, a dirt path, a brick road between two flower beds, time seemed to drag on for much longer. An eternity.

Kael gazed at the magnificent wooden building of the Blue Dragon Inn — the dormitory his twin sister had chosen. His heart didn't hurt. His mind paused in time. Nothing affected him at that moment, and only a numb throb hit his heart in an attempt to bring out some kind of emotion at the news. His mind had shut down, preparing itself for the second loss, preparing to throw the last shred of hope Kael held that Kala was alive.

Perhaps it was because Kael was in complete and utter shock, too dumbfounded to comprehend the magnitude of this truth. Or perhaps it was because somehow, somewhere deep in Kael's young mind, he just knew he would see Kala again. Either way, the painful worries he'd harboured for the past week dissipated to be replaced with a sort of dull, defensive apathy. What if Kly was mistaken? What if Kly was also driven by a blind hope?

Kly didn't hesitate to push open the wooden door, revealing a pleasantly cosy room. Unlike the Silver Wolf Den, the Blue Dragon Inn was much smaller and sported a much humbler appearance. A brown rug spread across the floor, soft against Kael's soles, spanning the entire center of the room. There were only two floors in the Inn with a small staircase against the wall leading upstairs.

Several students chatting at a long wooden table stuck against the wall opposite the stairs glanced up at the brothers' arrival, but otherwise paid no more attention. A simple bar rested not far from them, from which a balding man with a bushy black moustache rubbed a glass with a white cloth.

Kly surveyed the room as if looking for someone. Kael rolled from his heels to his toes, waiting for something to happen. Finally, Kly blew out a breath and gestured for Kael to follow him to the small bar. The man only grunted a greeting, otherwise giving no other acknowledgement of their presence.

A door right next to bar was the destination Kly headed to. He opened it with ease as if he'd been at the Inn numerous times before. Beyond the door, a massive hallway with myriads of doors at each side stretched far and wide.

"I've asked Alacran about her. She goes by her name, Kala, but apparently, she has no memory from before she was six." Kly sighed, adjusting the cap on his head as they walked down the hall. Kael listened in silence.

"She's been a bit of a troublemaker, skipping classes and entering restricted areas. Alacran's been trying to look out for her because someone he knows very well took care of her ever since she was found wandering in the streets of Rubis. We might be able to figure out how exactly she survived the attack once we talk to her, but Alacran made it clear that we leave her alone if she doesn't want to see us."

"What?" Kael almost scoffed in disbelief. "But she's my sister. Our sister. He can't do that. He can't separate us."

"I'm sorry, little buddy. I made a promise with Alacran. He's known her ever since his friend found her. He saw her grow up, considers her his daughter even. He didn't know she was our sister until I talked to him about her, but he doesn't want to see her getting hurt over this. And neither do I." Kael was about to protest, but Kly continued. "I know it'll be hard, Kael. I understand, but if we trigger a memory that hurts her, I'd rather not force her to remember."

That was something Kael couldn't argue against. Still, he had no intention of letting his twin slip away after all the lost time. With a stubborn resolve, he clamped his mouth shut. They finally stopped at a door in the middle of the hall. Two nametags stuck on the door, but only one held Kael's interest.