Walls

Holden's Pov:

The tension in the room was palpable. Kylan had arrived few minutes after Mystic.

The stranger and his minions arriving soon after.

Myst's condition had really affected Kylan, and perhaps even affected Mystic more.

Mystic doesn't have a habit of wearing her emotions on her sleeves. Strangely though, I could feel the tension and anxiety rolling off her in waves. I place a hand against hers, my silent way of telling her I was still here.

She stiffens under my touch, then slowly lifts her eyes to lock with mine. I give her a small smile, which seems to take her by surprise. She blinks, before turning away, relaxing into my touch perhaps without even realizing it. She clears her throat, before she opens her mouth to break the silence.

Everyone was present now, after all.

"Why are we here again?" She asks, voice cold and void of any emotion. A sharp contrast to the soft gaze she had just given me.

The man is taken a back for a moment, but quickly covers up with a chuckle.

"You asked for a meeting, remember?" He asked carefully.

Mystic leans forward, but doesn't pull her hands away from my grasp; which I'm surprisingly grateful for. "Then start talking," she says, eyes narrowed before leaning back into her seat. "Why did you bring us here? What is your connection with Lone Caves?"

Silence, envelopes the room, even Kylan is stunned for a minute. But I wasn't.

For some reason, I feel the corner of my lips tilt upwards.

He clears his throat, "forgive me for the lack of introductions," now my eyes narrow at his words. "My name is Lugard, and I am in charge of this base."

Hold on... in charge? Base?

The minions which were flanked behind him, begin to shift uncomfortably. "So, you're not the leader of the group. Are you?" I ask, voice slightly off edge than I had intended.

He shakes his head in agreement to my theory. "This means, you weren't the one who had us brought here?" Kylan asks, hand on his chin, his eyes distant as his mind gets swallowed in various thoughts.

Mystic is silent, "That means this isn't your main base? Where is your main base?" I ask, my curiosity peaking.

He opens his mouth to answer, but gets cut short by Mystic's question. Her question leaving us all cold, and Lugard speechless for a while.

"You didn't get a message from Lone Caves, did you? You lied to us." She says, voice filled with finality and fury.

Lugard shakes his head, and begins to explain calmly but more frantically than before, as he sees things are beginning to get out of hand. "We didn't get a message from Lone Caves, but we did send a message to them. Believe me, we mean no harm." He says softly, like as though talking to a child.

This is the point where Mystic loses it, her irises glowing dimly in the room. "Who is he?" She asks, voice grave and laced with threats. Lugard arcs a brow in confusion, "who?" He asks.

"Your master." Mystic says, voice final and silence falls in the room. Lugard swallows, cowering under Mystic's intense gaze. "Where is he?" She asks again, getting to her feet, as she pulls her hands from my grasp.

Immediately, a wave of panic and dread fills my gut. I needed to stop her before she did something stupid. I get to my feet as well, and so does Kylan. "Lets be rational here..." Kylan starts, sensing the danger in the air. "Don't tell me to calm down." Mystic says, in a voice that didn't sound like hers at all.

Fear and panic grips me. She can't lose control here, "Mystic can we just.." I begin, taking steps towards her, but she continues either way. "Where is he? Tell me!" She yells, and a wave of her power vibrates through the ground.

Silence.

Just when she was about to say something else, I reached for her and held unto her hand. The faint glow in her eyes seemed to dim instantly as she paused mid way in her actions. "There, deep breath." I whisper, sensing everyone relax a bit.

Just then, a familiar voice pierced through the comfortable silence.

"Mystic!" We all turn around, to see a familiar floating tiger making its way full speed for Mystic. I manage to side step him just in time, and he lands in Mystic's arms. The force, causing her to pull her hand out of my grasp without realizing it. A soft chuckle, leaves her lips, and relief floods my chest.

"You're safe." Was all she said, as she stares at Jax in wonder. Her eyes filled with relief, amazement, and concern. He nuzzles into her arms, seeming to feel the same way.

"Missed you too." He says with a soft sob, and Mystic holds him tighter.

Lugard just stares at the both of them in stunned silence. We all were.

"Your mood change is scary." Kylan says, breaking the silence. "One minute, your ready to burn every single soul in your path, and the next; your hugging your spirit animal with a huge smile." He adds, amusement flickering in his eyes.

Mystic tears her gaze from Jax, and gives Kylan a cold glare. He lifts his hand up quickly in defence, "Okay, my apologies." He says, backing off.

A smile curves on my lips, before I can stop it.

Just then, a familiar wave of magic which we've all missed echoes into the room and our bones. Kylan slowly drops his hands to his sides, and my gaze widens in realization. Mystic's eyes look up, filled with emotions I can't name, and Jax peeks up from her arms eyes filled with hope.

"It's Myst." Kylan whispers, body rooted in the ground in shock. "She's awake." Mystic replies, her feet leading the way before her brain can catch up. We all following suit, as we race to where Myst currently lay.

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