Progressive Factor II: Lacrimosa Of A Reaper

Fallen Plans

"I...I see..."

"Who are they?" Jaymes asks, in which Kizmel holds up the thin object in her hand. He immediately recognizes the spiral-shaped needle as a Spine of Shmargor and swears under his breath. Only one group of NPCs carry those poisonous needles. "...Fallen Elves. And on that note, they're after Myia."

"At least one of you boys have your wits about you," Kizmel remarks, eyeing Kirito. 

He gives her a wry smile and takes out the iron key from a pouch. Presenting it to Myia, he asks, "Myia, what are these keys? Do you know where they're supposed to be used?" 

"No. All my mother's letter said was that it was a memento of her time with Father, so she wanted me to take good care of it. If she knew that dangerous people would come after it, I don't think she would have left it in my care." 

"I see..."

Bending down to Myia's level is Kizmel, and she asks, "Myia, how did you find us? You were following us before I detected you in the alley, weren't you?" 

"Yes...I'm sorry for having done that, but I wanted to make sure you weren't with the burglars..." 

"No, I am not blaming you. It only makes sense that you would do this, considering the circumstances." 

"But on that note," Koharu starts before pausing, as if choosing her words carefully. "...There could have been many adventurers like us helping your father. How did you know we had the key?"

"The key my mother left me and the key that Kirito holds, belonging to my father, are drawn to each other. Even when separated by great distances, they always vibrate faintly, trying to point to the other." 

"Huh? Really?" Kirito tested it out by holding the iron key and pointing it directly at the key hanging around Myia's neck. Jaymes could see the vibrations, but a twitch from Myia and a satisfied look from Kirito suggests that what Myia said is true. So all Myia had to do was wait until the keys came closer together, the follow the resonance between them until she got to us. That's good and all, but it doesn't answer what's the purpose of the keys or why the Fallen Elves would want them.

"Say, Kirito," Asuna opens up, still holding to Myia's shoulders, "does the golden key we found at the hideout in Suribus react to the iron key at all?" 

"Huh? Oh, I don't know." He materializes the golden key in his left hand and points it at the iron key in his right hand. It doesn't seem like anything is happening, based on Kirito's composure.

"Is that?" Myia steps forward, closely inspecting the golden key. "Is that golden key the same one that my mother took from the mansion ten years ago?" 

"Uh...yes, I think so. We found it at Pithagrus's hideout in the town of Suribus." 

"Then maybe...maybe my mother went to search for that key." 

"Huh?" 

"Yes, I think that's possible,' Asuna says with understanding. "Terro the gardener was following Cylon's orders, but while he knew he was supposed to paralyze us and locked us in the dungeon beneath the mansion, I don't think he actually knew the purpose of that mission. So I don't think that he would've been able to explain what happened to the golden key to Theano..." 

"Yes, when Terro visited the night before Mother disappeared, I was there, too. But he didn't mention anything about a key." 

"So...did Theano go to the hideout in Suribus? But the basement dungeon won't open without this key, so she would have known the key was removed. After Cylon was killed, only the brigands and our group could have the key...so has she been searching for us for the past three days?"