Mass hysteria coming from outside followed the loud explosions.
All of the people inside Ophiuchus's house shook in fear as they waited for the building's collapse excluding the owner himself and his brother and the rag-tag group that just entered.
One… two… three more reverberating blasts and the air was quiet oncve again.
In the center of the room, as dignified as everyone acclaimed him to be, stood the nonchalant Ophiuchus as he glared straight to the door.
'The barrier will hold.'
The doctor scanned the room. He felt bad for the distraught amongst the people inside his house.
"Don't be scared!" The doctor announced. "You'll be safe as long as you don't leave my house."
He was digging his own grave.
Senna looked at him with inquisitive stares. She wondered where the confidence was coming from and pondered how the doctor seemed to have anticipated for the predicament at hand.
She wanted to ask questions but how could she? Almost everyone around her were scared and the doctor's mature figure was the only thing keeping them from losing to a mass hysteria as well. Distracting him was the last thing the red-haired lady wanted to do.
"SENNA OF HEARTS…" A loud voice from outside shouted.
The angel was shocked of what she heard and froze into dead silence.
Iris and Verus, who were near, quickly looked at her. They didn't know the title that followed her name but based on her reaction, they were sure the voiced was looking for her.
"WE ONLY WANT THE GIRL NAMED SENNA OF HEARTS."
The voice demanded for the second time.
When Senna caught up with the situation, she had already step one foot forward. 'Why would anyone want me?'
The red-haired lady clenched her fists as she whispered those words on her mind. It was rather ridiculous how she even thought of it. There could've been many reasons but it'll all stem down to only one thing and she knew it very well.
Iris watched as Senna walked towards the door in dread. 'What in the world is happening?'
As Senna marched closer to the door, her conviction to go outside and face the person whose looking for her only strengthened. She thought that it probably won't go as bad. She can now have an idea why she was there and why she was in her current state.
But, before she could take another step, moments before her silhouette graced the world outside Ophiuchus' house, a loud hissing blocked her path.
It was Mala. She hindered Senna from taking another step as she horrendously stood erect with her mouth wide open and fangs in full view.
The angel was surprised at the site of the large serpent that equaled her height.
For a moment, the crowd inside the room seemed to have forgotten the issue at hand and focused their attention at the intimidating serpent in front of the red-haired lady. It felt scary how the snake was standing erect as tall as the beauty in front of it even though it still had majority of its length coiled up as support.
'Was the snake always that huge?' Everyone wondered as the scanned it from head to tail's end after realizing that its body was almost as wide as a muscular man's thigh. No, it definitely became big without someone noticing.
"Mala, let's go."
Ophiuchus called from outside the door.
Senna shifted her gaze towards the doctor. His body glistened because of the strong sunlight. She squinted a little and saw an almost lonely expression that escaped Ophiuchus' straight-faced façade.
The serpent turned around. But before she writhed away, she raised her strong tail and whipped it against Senna making her fly towards the nearest column.
Outside Ophiuchus' house were three people clothed in dark robes with a keffiyeh that hid their face. They hovered above the building directly in front of the house in silence.
No one said a word but all three of them were irritated at the absent reaction from the people inside.
The one on the left from the middle raised his hand slowly and reveal silver bracelets under his sleeve. The bracelets glowed followed by the gathering of black light in his palm and readied his self for another assault.
Before his hand reached the top of his head, a figure came out of the house and then large snake came in pursuit.
He lowered his hand and the black light gathered in his palm disappeared.
Ophiuchus smiled and then the doors and windows of his house shut closed. 'Only three. They're being lenient as expected.'
"WE WANT THE RED-HAIRED WOMAN INSIDE THAT GOES BY THE NAME OF SENNA OF HEARTS." The one in the middle spoke.
Seeing him for the first time, the doctor concluded that he was using magic to amplify his voice. It was bad. It meant they had so much magic enough to spare for trivial work. It might even mean they were of second to first district in quality. Still, he was confident he was better… worlds apart even!
"GIVE US THE GIRL AND WE'LL LEAVE YOU IN PE—"
Before the mysterious man could finish his bargain, Ophiuchus interrupted as his iris burned in orange light.
"There is no such person inside."