Lyra hesitated for a moment before answering.
"It's a secret organization that operates outside of the UEF government and other societies."
"Their goals and methods are known only to people in the highest of positions in the UEF, and they've been monitoring Emir since his birth using me as a conduit."
"They believe that he has the potential to become a valuable asset to their cause."
"And what's their cause?" Lily asked.
"I'm afraid I cannot answer that," Lyra said.
"All I can tell you is that they're extremely powerful and that they'll stop at nothing to achieve their objectives."
"But why Emir?" Laura asked again, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.
"What makes him so special? Is it just because he is the son of a high-ranking hunter? Is that it?"
Lyra's holographic form shifted slightly, as if uncomfortable with the question.
"There are many factors that contribute to Emir's potential value to the organization."
"His genetics, upbringing, and natural abilities are all factors that have been taken into account."
"But ultimately, the decision to focus on him was made by one of the organization's leaders, who saw something in him that they believed could be molded into a powerful tool."
They looked at each other with concern, and Emir felt the tension increase.
Though they were worried for him, now understanding the kind of danger that he had landed in.
Emir had trust in himself and in Lyra, who had been guiding him for years now.
"It'll be fine," he said, trying to reassure them.
"But you can't stop me, I have to do this."
"I need to become stronger, and if this organization can help me do that, then I have to take that chance."
"...And I ain't got a choice in the first place."
Lily looked at him with tears threatening to fall out of her eyes.
"I just don't want anything to happen to you."
Her voice was soft and delicate.
"I know," he repeated, reaching out to take her hand.
"And I promised you, didn't I?"
"That I'll be careful, or at least try to be."
"Also, don't worry about me hiding things again, I'll make sure to keep you both informed about everything that's going on."
Laura nodded, looking at Emir with a determined expression.
"We'll be there for you dear, no matter what happens, we have your back."
Lyra looked at them all, her holographic form shimmering slightly.
"I will do everything in my power to help him achieve his full potential."
"Of course you would, you need me for your cause, don't you?" He chuckled.
Lyra smiled faintly at his comment.
"You're not wrong, but my motivations align with yours, in more ways than one..."
"I believe that together we can achieve great things, things that you wouldn't dare believe."
He nodded, feeling resolute.
"All right then, I remember that you told me today would be the day when I would begin collaborating with the organization?"
Lyra's expression turned serious.
"Yes, this is their other plan that I mentioned previously, but before we can move forward, there are a few things that you need to know."
"Firstly, you'll be undergoing rigorous training and development, all targeting your experience, so expect a lot more battles that you'll have to go through."
"You will also be required to sign a confidentiality agreement that I previously mentioned and commit to the organization's current objective."
"And what is that objective?" Emir asked.
Lyra hesitated for a moment before answering.
"As I said before, I can't reveal that..."
"But I can tell you that from now on the organization is solely neutral towards you three and that their objective won't directly harm you in any way, be it mentally or physically."
"How can I believe you though?"
"I'm not talking about the organization itself, but you, how can I believe you?"
"Especially after what you did to me."
Emir acted doubtful while knowing that Lyra was trying to help him, although he didn't understand why.
Lyra's holographic form flickered slightly, as if feeling betrayed.
Seconds later, she looked at Emir, regaining a focused expression.
"I understand your doubts..."
"I know that your feelings towards the organization will never change, which is why they wanted this, for you to collaborate with them since their previous plans failed."
"Anyways, I don't want to change how you feel about them, but you can believe me."
"I've been with you for many years now, guiding and assisting you. I never led you astray or personally caused harm to you or those around you."
"You must trust that I have your best interests at heart."
Emir considered her words with a nod.
While he would do anything to kill the one responsible, he knew that Lyra had always been a reliable source of help.
And if she believed that working with this organization was the best path forward for him, then he would have to trust in her judgment.
He too acknowledged that.
As dangerous as it might be, working with them would be most beneficial for him going forward.
And again, it's not like he had a choice anyway.
"Okay," he said with an air of finality.
"I'll do it. What's the next step?"
Lyra's form brightened slightly as she nodded.
"Good... The next step is to undergo a physical assessment, to determine your current capabilities and areas for improvement."
"I'll start with you tomorrow morning."
"Tomorrow?" Emir asked, feeling a twinge of apprehension.
"That's urgent."
"I know, but, time is of the essence, and the organization is eager to start training you. Don't worry, Emir. You're ready for this."
He took a deep breath, trying to calm his raging thoughts.
"All right, I'll be ready," he said as he added inwardly:
'It looks like I'm really important to them, and they'll probably go to greater lengths to gain control over me, huh?'
Lyra nodded once more before her holographic form faded away, leaving Emir standing in his room with his family.
They were both watching him with worried expressions, and he knew that they were still grappling with the implications of everything that had just been revealed.
"It's going to be okay," he assured them once more.
"I know it's a lot to take in, but I have trust in Lyra."
"And I think that this is for the best."
This was the path that he needed to take to become stronger, to keep them safe, and to ensure that their determined future wouldn't come to pass.
Lily stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him.
Laura joined in a moment later.
"We'll always support you, dummy," Lily said, her voice trembling slightly.
"No matter what."
He hugged them back tightly, feeling a sense of comfort and strength in their embrace.
Whatever challenges lay ahead, Emir knew that he would face them with the support and love of his family.
….
….
[Good morning, dear jailer,] Emir bid after waking up.
[Good morning, Emir,] Lyra replied in her usual calm voice.
[Prepare for your physical assessment.]
[I will, I will, let me eat breakfast first, then we'll begin, so stop urging me, okay?] He fired back.
Lyra chuckled softly.
[I understand. But time is of the essence. The organization wants to know your current strength as soon as possible.]
[Sure, I'll be quick, so tell those organization fuckers to wait for a bit, yeah?]
[That's the least they can do after the mess they caused.]
[Though I get what they were going for but I guess they didn't expect me to take back control and for my family to actually support me even after hearing all of that.]
[I didn't expect that from them either, you must know that since that plan failed they would have to use a different method.]
Lyra's words were uncharacteristically fearful.
[Prepare yourself, and don't trust even me.]
Emir ignored her warning, freshened up, and headed out to the kitchen for breakfast.
He saw his family waiting for him to join them with food already on the table.
As he was in the process of sitting down, Lily and Laura both wished Emir a good morning.
"Good morning, Mom, and Sis. You guys all right after the talk yesterday?"
"Any questions on your mind?" He asked.
Lily and Laura exchanged a look before Laura spoke up.
"We still have a lot of doubts, dear."
"But we understand that this is something that you need to do, and we know that you get what you're doing..."
"So we can only wish for you to stay safe."
"I'll be as safe as I can be."
"Can you tell us more about this physical assessment thingy?" Lily asked, looking curious.
"It's just a standard evaluation of my physical, mental statistics, combat skills, and abilities. Also, since I'm connected to Lyra, she can easily determine my current capabilities," Emir explained.
"They want to know where I currently stand so that they can determine how best to train me and find out if I'm worth the investment or not…."
"That's what she told me at least."
"I still don't like the sound of all this, but I guess there is nothing we can do about it." Lily said, frowning.
"It's all right, kiddo, I got this no problem." He replied with a chuckle.
With that, they fell back into enjoying their breakfast together, talking about random things like usual.
After they finished, he headed off to his room to begin his assessment.
He couldn't help but feel nervous, but he tried to push the feeling aside.
Emir had to focus on doing his best and proving himself to the organization, although he hated them to the bone, he had to use them as they did him.
'Otherwise, who knows what they might do if they think that I'm too weak or that my potential is trash.'
'Given what they've done so far, they might even kill all of us for knowing about them.'
'Actually, they could kill me quite easily since they can control my body while using the augmented suit through Lyra...'
'Which is worrying, to say the least... but there's nothing I can do about it now, not yet at least.'
Quietening his negative thoughts, he opened the door to his room and was greeted by the sight of Lyra's hologram materializing before him.
"Are you ready, Emir?" She asked.
"As ready as I'll ever be." He replied, taking a deep breath.
"Good," she said.
"Let's begin."