The Last Primal

Despite hearing the gravity in her voice, he wasn't disheartened. Instead, it seemed to even further drive his zeal. With newfound eagerness in his voice, Drake asked the masked lady.

"What do you mean? Please tell us! No matter the difficulty, I will do it!"

"Me too! I want to see my brothers once again!" Scarlet also raised her head and looked at the strange woman. The spark of determination was shining in her blue eyes. 

Seeing the children, Number 3 could only wryly smile under the mask. Collecting herself for a few seconds, she spoke with a calm but serious tone.

"Even if you want, you can't just charge into the academy grounds, it's one thing that you won't even succeed, but even if you would, the people you would be looking for, the professors would be long gone by the time you wrestle yourself through the Guards and then their Magical Constructs, the Guardians."

Giving a bit of pause, she let the thought take root in their minds, but before they could voice any of their bubbling questions, she continued.

"What you need to do, is to get into the academy the normal way; -through the yearly entrance exam!" 

Hearing this, Drake couldn't help but frown. 

"But we're only at the end of Arodus now! It's still 4 full months before the next exam…"

Number 3 nodded at the boy's reaction.

"Precisely. It's also a very good opportunity for you to catch up with your sister and get your bearings together. Also…" She looked at Aiden as she continued. "We also planned to send Aiden and Lily there as well. They need to learn about the world, their knowledge is very limited."

Looking at Aiden, she addressed his next sentence to him.

"You need to hone and refine your skills. You need to learn to control your emotions, you are way too wild and impulsive Aiden."

Aiden didn't refute her words, he was already aware of these problems. 

"Yes, Master."

Then, she faced the royal siblings again.

"Be patient and wait for the right time. When the time comes, we can meet again, and we will help you guys in freeing your brother."

Drake clearly had more to say on the matter, but he was silenced by his sister before he could voice any of it. The fiery-haired girl slightly nodded her head and replied in a surprisingly calm tone.

"Thank you for your help. We will go with this plan then." 

Meanwhile Granny was watching the whole scene leaning against the window's wooden frame. She was keeping an eye on the resting Lily, and her unconscious acquaintances. 

"So, what are the next steps now? Should we head to that shady group Drake had dealings with?" Aiden broke the silence that lingered in the air after the brief conversation, changing the topic.

"Yes Aiden, although we have freed the girls from that place, officially they are still carrying their Slave Mark on their bodies. We need these removed." 

Turning towards the sleeping blonde girl, she spoke with a gentle smile visible in her voice.

"We don't need to worry about Lily, we can handle that with Granny, but for the princess…" 

"Don't worry. I will handle it." Drake finished the sentence, while they also stood up from the ground. "We will have to say our farewells, for now, I'm afraid. We will have the mark removed from my sister, then I intend to spend some time with her." 

Then without waiting for a response from the trio, he and her sister went towards the door. Grabbing the lever, he turned his head sideways, looking at Number 3 from the corner of his eyes.

"We will meet again, during the entrance exam then. Stay safe till then. Also, don't worry about that place, I will make sure it will be demolished and all the remaining people officially freed."

Finishing his words, he pushed on the lever and left the building. The siblings never left each other, they kept hugging even as they eventually vanished from the group's eyes turning at a corner.

"What an interesting girl…" Number 3 silently remarked. While the others may have missed, she could see through the veils, and see the sparks hiding behind those deep blue eyes. Her heart will not be able to rest until she got her full revenge on all the people that caused suffering to her and her brothers. 

"What do you mean, Master?" Aiden's voice brought back Number 3 from her thoughts. 

She gently shook her head, in response to the question.

"Nothing, it doesn't matter." 

Turning around, she walked back to the lying Ms. Norton and crouched down next to her body. Knowing what was coming next Granny walked up next to him, and followed suit. 

Two small blue pyramid-shaped crystals materialized in Number 3's hands in the next second, instantly grabbing Aiden's attention. Walking up next to his master, he asked.

"What is that thing, Master?"

While she placed both crystals in the middle of the two elders' foreheads, she responded.

"These crystals contain the Memory Altering spell we need. Using these, we will be able to modify their memories, removing all the horrors they experienced and change it to something that is more acceptable to their feeble minds. Stay there and just watch patiently Aiden."

Then he looked at Granny who was already moving towards Mr. Norton's crystal. There was no need for words between them, with one look and a synchronized nod, they seemingly came to an understanding on what to do next.

Both holding their right palms above their respective crystal's they started chanting. Even though he focused on the words they whispered, he did not receive any notification from the system, further confirming his theory that he was missing a key ingredient from the 'mix'.

A short while later, their palms started to emit a blackish hue. The hue soon took on a more materialistic, gaseous body. The black smoke from their palms, snaked in the air, slowly wrapping the blue crystal pyramid with their tendrils. Once it did, Granny and Number 3, decisively smacked down with their palms, crushing the crystals. 

Contrary to Aiden's expectations, this time there was no immediate light show or an explosive bang that followed this action. As the crystal containers cracked open, a purple whirling energy ball was released that the hungry blackish tendrils quickly engulfed. 

As the purple and black intertwined, their colors mixed, creating a new darker shade. Four gassy limbs grew out from this new ball that slowly descended upon the sleeping couple. 

Finishing their chant, both ladies slowly grabbed the couple's foreheads, watching as the strange ball of energy slowly passed through their skin, entering their minds. They both looked at each other and nodded once.

They silently stood up, walking back to Aiden. He was confused, what did he witness? What was that? Looking at his Master, he gave voice to his confusion.

"Is it done? What happened?"

Number 3 nodded.

"Yes, it is done. It may have seemed weird to you, but the last two days of their life had been completely erased and replaced with memories of them staying in their home. We created a small accident, which ultimately resulted in the woman losing his right hand. We can't restore the lost limb, but we can change their recollection about the event to something… nicer."

Granny wore an uncharacteristically serious expression on her face.

"Yes. It is for the best." She mumbled, mostly to herself.

Changing the topic and shifting the mood in the room, Number 3 walked up to Mrs. Norton's body. Crouching down, she carefully placed her hands under her. Before lifting it up, she spoke.

"Okay, with this done, we only need to drop them off in the nearest church as we discussed already, and then we can head back home. Aiden pick up Mr. Norton please, I will carry the wife, and Granny will bring Lily along. Okay?"

Following suit, Aiden picked up Mr. Norton in the same princess carry as before, while Granny carried the sleeping little girl in her arms. They left the house with the two black hounds silently following behind, heading out from the ominous district, towards the Marketplace.

Although they said church, when Aiden saw the small building, it would have been more appropriate to call the building a warehouse or barn of sorts. It had no symbols, or crosses at the top of it, just a simple brick building with a large orange double wooden door. 

As they approached the building, the doors also opened, and two nuns rushed towards them. They were wearing a traditional habit consisting of a black tunic, covered by a scapular and a cowl. They were hiding their faces behind a dark veil.

They both silently bowed and took the couple from them without saying a single word, then just as they came, they rushed back in. Everything happened in silence, nobody uttered a single word, as if there was a tacit understanding.

Once they left, Granny and Number 3 turned their heels and left towards the Slum district one last time. Their destination was the very same building they were in previously. It was finally time to put an end to this eventful night and rest up...