"I'm sorry, but the old man is no longer here. I'm in charge now"
The young man spoke confidently, his gaze shifting from Isabella to Alon as he assessed them.
"Who are you?" Alon asked.
"I'm his apprentice." The man is prompted with his answer.
"Do you have any idea where he went?" Isabella asked.
"I'm not one to tell you" the apprentice answered.
The shop appeared unchanged, with the same atmosphere and treasured items still neatly lined up on the shelves, just as before.
The apprentice sensed an urgency in their visit.
"Is this an important matter?" the apprentice asked.
"Yes, you see, the old man gave me this." Alon took out the Lumina from his pockets.
The Lumina shone softly in Alon's hands, casting a faint, warm glow.
The apprentice looked sharply at the Lumina, its glow illuminating his face.
"I guess the old man made the right choice".
"Here, he left you with something."
The apprentice handed Alon a folded paper. "If you're the one the old man believes, I'm sure you're with the right people," the apprentice added.
Alon unfolded the paper and was met with some cryptic language.
The paper felt ancient, its edges frayed and yellowed with time. It looks like a worn-down library book.
"I'm sorry, but what does this say?" Alon looked up. The apprentice was no longer there.
"I'm not surprised," Alon said with a sigh.
"Let me take a look at that," Isabella said, snatching the note from Alon's hands.
"It looks like some secret message of some sort." Isabella angled the note differently, hoping that interference with light would reveal something understandable.
"Hey, do you understand this?" Isabella turned to Volt, who had just come back holding a plastic cup of fish ball in one hand.
"Hmm, I don't really know," Volt remarked, squinting his eyes, hoping to make sense of what he was looking at.
"Well, what did the old man tell you?"
"Not the old man, but his "apprentice", Alon said sarcastically while doing air quotes. He said that if I'm the one, I should be with the right people. Any idea what that means?" Alon added.
Volt paused. His gaze shifted downward as he pondered, his fingers resting thoughtfully on his chin.
"With the right people, huh? I know someone," Volt said.
________________________________________________________________________________
"Here is your change. Thank you!" Cypher said as she handed a collectible figurine to a customer.
Cypher is a fan of vintage items which she sells in her shop. She has a collection of rare Air Jordan 1s, card games, classic video games like the NES, SNES, and older versions of PlayStations. Her store is also filled with other collectibles such as retro toys, posters, vinyls, and mixtapes.
"Yes?" Cypher turned to the next customer.
Cypher shared a knowing look with Volt and Isabella before they burst into laughter and shared an embrace.
Alon just stood there and watched as the trio enjoyed their reunion.
The store captures a geeky vibe. The neon lights and signages outlined the space, giving the place a modern-retro vibe. The counter is made of glass and displays Cypher's various collections such as Funko Pops and cartridges from classic SNES games.
As the trio eased, Isabella resumed the reason for their visit.
"Uhmmm.. we're hoping you could help us with this," Isabella said as she handed out the cryptic note.
Cypher unfolded the paper.
"Ooh, a Kodex," Cypher did little hops of excitement.
Alon observed Cypher's reaction to the Lumina as she tilted it at different angles, trying to uncover its secrets. She adjusted her round eyeglasses and puffed her cheeks along the way while making sounds that goes "mmmmm, oohh, hmmmm".
Cypher's demeanor was nerdy and childlike. She has wavy shoulder-length blue hair and freckles on her cheeks. Her round eyeglasses perched on her nose.
"Do you think you could decipher it for us?" Isabella asked.
"Yes, follow me!" Cypher chuckled, her voice sounding like those fairy characters in video games.
As they walked to the backroom, Cypher took notice of Alon. "Ooh, who's this?" Cypher asked.
"Alon, the Lumina is with him," Isabella answered promptly.
"Ooh, the Lumina," Cypher giggled. "I haven't heard of that amulet in years." Cypher did a double take on Alon and whispered to Isabella, "Are you sure about that? He doesn't look like someone who should wield it."
Alon overheard this and rolled his eyes.
"That..." Isabella sighed before continuing, "is why we need you. We think that note answers a lot of our questions."
___________________________________________________________________________________
Cypher has the ability to decipher encrypted messages. She is an important member of the Alliance, particularly in their scuffle with the Syndicate. Most of their recent victories against the Syndicates are because of Cypher's ability to decrypt Syndicate plans.
According to Isabella, with Cypher's powers, they were able to foil the Syndicate's plan to make the Mayon Volcano prematurely erupt. Alon knows it sounds crazy, but he's starting to believe every story she tells.
All these going on for several years, Alon wondered how many members each side lost and how many more are there to come. Even more, Alon wondered how many calamities that regular people perceived as "natural" were actually caused by the Syndicates.
Alon watched as Cypher placed the note on a bronze-colored platform with patterns and symbols that looked similar to a crop circle. As she performed her magic, blue patterns that looked like computer circuits appeared on her skin. They glow in a pattern that looks like a water current.
Alon can't help but notice that Cypher behaves so much like a child, even more than he expected. As she's performing hand movements, she makes cute little sounds that go "oof! hyah!". At last, she clasped her hands together and the entire pedestal lit up, a strong color of blue slowly covering the patterns and symbols on the surface.
Next thing Alon knows, a holographic message hovered into view, casting a blue hue across the faces of the alliance. The entire room is bathed in the same shade.
"There you go!" Cypher exclaimed.
YOU ARE READING
Alon and the Alliance: The Syndicate Must Fall
FantasyI always had these made-up characters in my head for the longest time. I can't remember all of them, but they are buried deep in my thoughts. At some times in a day, faces, and details of the characters I imagined would pop in my head, only for them...
