An Old Promise Of Friendship(4)

"Where are we?" Rio questioned.

Currently, she and Lex stood in the middle of a strange market. The road below them was made of dirt and was highly uneven.

Numerous stalls lined the streets on either side of the duo. People wearing dirty clothes and rags bustled around the stalls.

The market completely contrasted the modern look of the city Lex and Rio lived in. Even the slum areas were much cleaner and better looking than the market.

"This…" Rio inhaled sharply. 

"You recognize this place?"

"I have been here once in the past. This black black market is hidden from the eyes of the public and the government. It doesn't use modern technology in case someone tracks their location."

"But I see people selling all kinds of gadgets and devices."

"Those devices are either hacked or tampered with to prevent anyone from tracing them," Rio explained. "We are not physically present in this place, are we?"

"No, our bodies are still inside the mansion. We are watching a part of my memories." 

"How did you do that?"

"My ability allows me to do a wide range of things. It's not just a push and pull ability." 

Lex knew that pinning everything on his ability was his smartest move. Since he never showed Rio a detailed description of his ability, he could lie about his ability.

[ Technically, you are not lying. The system is your ability. ]

'We just have to make her believe us. Forget the other things.'

"That is a useful power," Rio said in surprise.

"It is." Lex's eyes suddenly caught someone moving through the crowd. "Look, that is me traveling with my dad."

In the distance, a middle-aged man and a ten-year-old child made their way through the crowd.

The ten-year-old had medium black hair and purple eyes full of curiosity. Dimples appeared on the child's face whenever he smiled a bit.

"You look so adorable!" Rio exclaimed.

Lex's child self was straight-up adorable. As for the man walking beside Lex, his features were blurred. A black mist covered his face and prevented the duo from seeing his face. 

"I don't remember him much. That is why he appears like this." Lex explained.

Lex was telling the truth. He had little to no recollection of his father.

"What are the two of you doing in this market?" Rio questioned.

"Wait and see. I don't want to ruin the suspense for you." 

The child version of Lex and his father walked around the market. Rio and Lex didn't need to follow them as their surroundings kept changing.

Five minutes later, C-Lex(Child Lex) and his father stopped in front of a particularly overcrowded stall. 

"Slave trading…" Rio hissed when she read the name of the stall. "Your father was involved in deep gang business."

"He isn't here to buy any slaves. He is here to retrieve someone." Lex replied calmly.

The inside of the slave trading stall only contained catalogs for the purchaser to look through. However, the crowd was not gathered at the stall.

They encircled a certain spot on the ground in front of the stall. The stall owner looked at this with a greedy look in his eyes.

"Step aside!" a thundering voice came out from the mouth of Lex's father. The crowd gathered in front of the stall dispersed as soon as they heard the voice.

With the crowd parting, a figure was made visible on the ground. A young girl around ten years of age was lying on the ground in a bad condition.

Dirt and cuts covered her arm and her clothes were dirty. Her brown hair were sticky and her face looked slightly malnourished.

Despite this, two striking features made her stand out. Her split-eyed red pupils and a long fluffy red tail coming out from the back of her spine showcased her non-humanly features.

"Is that?" Rio's jaw dropped down.

"Yes, that is Mahiru," Lex confirmed.

Lex's father moved forward and gently picked Mahiru from the ground. Shooting a look at the stall owner, he moved at a blinding speed and kicked the foundation of the stall.

Cracks spread through the entire stall. Weirdly, these cracks appeared on almost everything inside the stalls. The owner screamed when he saw the cracks appearing on his body.

"She is important for Allen's goals. You should have known better. This will also teach you a lesson for trying to slave trade." Lex's father spat on the ground.

Grabbing C-Lex's hand, he walked away with Mahiru tucked between his other arm.

"What just happened?" Rio asked in a baffled tone.

"From the looks of it, my father worked for Allen. Someone kidnapped Mahiru and took her away from Allen. That's the theory I formed."

The scene around them shifted. Lex and Rio now stood in a small studio apartment. 

C-Mahiru lay on the bed in the apartment. She looked completely different from the ragged child Lex and Rio saw earlier.

C-Lex sat on the edge of the bed and kept on poking Mahiru's tail. The latter was annoyed and kept on smacking his hand away.

"This is the house my father and I lived in before he left me. He brought Mahiru here to nurse her to perfect condition. She stayed with us for a week before he took her away." Lex explained.

"You sure love her tail, don't you." Rio pointed out.

"No one can resist a fluffy thing like that. Not to mention that I am a child who never saw someone from another race before." 

"I haven't interacted with the races that much. I saw a couple of them when I used to visit the vacation home with my parents." 

Lex and Rio silently observed the two children on the bed. They began play fighting until Lex's dad appeared. He sighed and separated them from each other.

"You both should try getting along." 

"I don't like him!" C-Mahiru pointed.

"What makes you think I like you either?" C-Lex questioned.

"You keep playing with my tail. You must like me then." C-Mahiru smirked.

C-Lex tried to come up with a reply but couldn't think of anything. Lex's father facepalmed before patting the two children on the hand.

"Just try getting along."

The scene shifted again and showed the two children being awake at night. They stared at the stars while sitting on the balcony.

Neither of them uttered a single word and simply enjoyed the night sky. 

"You both look like friends.' Rio commented.

"You can say we got close throughout the week. We argued and berated each other but it was fun. I forgot most of it but remembered it during my fight with her." Lex sighed.

"You sound sad."

"It's because of a reason."

The scenery shifted again. This time, Lex's father sat near the bed and the two children were sleeping on it.

A glimpse of his face was revealed to the duo, showing a gloomy expression to them. He stood up from his spot, turning his face towards the children. A sad look appeared on his face.

"I don't want to do this but the time has come. I am sorry Lex and Mahiru but this is the only way to do things. Mahiru will have to return to Allen or she will die."