It was only when they were in the middle of tracking the trail left behind when Psyber suddenly came to her senses. Just what in the world were they doing? They had hastily left the tribe behind when it was already midday, with no preparations whatsoever. No food, no water. Just the clothes on their backs and weapons.
Granted, they would be able to procure water with magic, but food? Was there even anything that still survived out here to be classified as food? When the undead roamed, had they not consumed every living creature in its path?
Paling, Psyber kept her realizations to herself, inwardly berating herself. As the older of the two, she should have been more alert instead of hastily rushing to conclusions. The grief that had all but consumed her had left its marks. She had not been thinking clearly when she agreed with Justin's hastily made plan.
Inwardly going on a bender, Psyber felt like she had failed her nephew and her late brother, with how she had fallen to being led around by Justin's wishes. She should have put her foot down. When emotions ran high and tempers ran faster than the mind could cope with, that was the time when the most disastrous of mistakes were made.
Now, she could only hurry them along faster, hoping that they would reach a safe place before long.
When she was still deep within her thoughts, Justin's voice cut through her confusion and regret like a hot knife to butter.
"Aunt, if we waited until preparations were made, then it would have been too late. With the coming of the undead tide, all traces would have been wiped away."
Psyber looked into Justin's eyes, and what she saw astounded her. Never before had she seen his eyes look more like his father. The strong will and clarity that shone out of his eyes caused tears to prick hers.
"Mm. You're right. I'll leave it to the expert, then," she gently teased, drawing a smile out of the preteen.
Their grief had not been dealt with, but rather, covered under a tarp, as if the two had made a tacit agreement not to talk nor think about Chow's death for the time being, allowing them to retain their sanity and calm.
Even though they were avoiding the issue where it was apparent, they just couldn't bring themselves to acknowledge his death just yet. Just why would someone so messily and abruptly murder Chow?
The question plagued Psyber like a lingering curse, slowly eating away at her mind as they mindlessly travelled along a path which she could not see. She did not know what Justin was using to track Matthew, but she followed without a word.
Even if they died trying, she would not abandon her nephew to die alone. She would do everything in her power to prevent it, should it come to that. Even if she wasn't as powerful as her brother, she was still more powerful than most. She could take care of a few pesky undead in the short run.
Luckily for the two of them, after only two hours, they came to find an abandoned settlement quite quickly. Just a casual glance already showed the state of disrepair the small village had fallen into.
The aunt and nephew stood outside the village, visibly hesitating.
"What if it's a trap?" Psyber said, squinting at the desolate looking village. How had she never realized that a village this near had been abandoned?
Justin said nothing, but Psyber could already tell from the look on his face that he would be going in with or without her. From the set of his shoulders that resembled his father so much, something she had already learnt how to read from a young age, she knew that nothing would change his mind. It made her heart clench with a phantom pain, like she knew the pain should have been sharper, should have been harsher, but right now, she couldn't bring herself to feel those emotions.
"Let's go, then," Psyber said lightly, stepping into the village before him.
They had no plan, no scenario, no anything. But at least, she was still taller than her nephew, she was broader, and she could take a hit. Baring her teeth, anyone would have been able to tell that she was gearing herself up for a fight.
Playing his part, Justin obediently followed after his aunt, knowing that she was already struggling with entering in the first place, but there was something deep within him that was saying 'come'. The young preteen licked the inside of his teeth but made a battle not to lose to the nervous energy that was burning inside him.
As if a voice was whispering to him, 'this is where all the answers lie'. Strangely, he felt like his grief belonged to someone else. He felt somewhat… detached, to put it lightly. It made him wonder as he looked back at the time in the tribe. Why had he reacted that way?
Justin was the kind of person who would rarely show his frustrations on his face. He would take blow after blow of frustrations, slowly building up until it came to a boiling point. Surely, he would not have broken down like that in front of so many people after all the training he had.
Plagued with doubts and insecurities, Justin carefully looked back at his actions within the tribe. Stumbling like that… though he had been in shock. Impossible. He had already been thoroughly trained out of clumsy actions like that even when he was unconsciously or subconsciously doing it.
So, what…
Before he had time to contemplate further, he was greeted with his aunt's snarl of anger.
"Matthew!" she snarled out, her voice uncharacteristically harsh and demanding. Justin could hear the undertones of grief, so how could his Master not? "How could you kill my brother? What has he ever done wrong?"
Justin's head jerked up as he made to step out from behind his aunt, only to be stopped by her hand. He inwardly furrowed his brows, taking a deep breath.
Calmly, he placed a hand on his aunt's hand, which seemed to ground her somewhat, this time allowing him to step out.
"Master," Justin greeted, not a sign of anger on his face. The grief from earlier seemed like someone else's. It was strange, how quickly it had passed. All of this only led to one conclusion that he could make.
'When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.'
That was one of the things that his father had taught him from a young age. The words now resounded within him, giving him an absolute calm now that he knew the answer.
Looking at his Master's impassive face, Justin did not waver the slightest. Instead, it was Psyber who could not feel calm in the face of her brother's murderer. Looking at her nephew's calm face, she could not help but wonder why he looked so calm. Earlier, he had still been grasped within the grief he felt so keenly, but she could no longer see a trace of it now.
"Did you not see my handiwork?" Matthew said, not an iota of emotion shown on his face.
Psyber grit her teeth, exhaling the rage that burned within, but did not make another sound. This was a confrontation between Justin and Matthew. Disciple and Master. She would not interfere just yet.
"I saw it, Master," Justin said softly. His eyes flickered. The image of the body's badly mutilated corpse was burned in his mind. There was no doubt in him that it was his Master's work.
"You know?" Matthew said, looking surprisingly pleased.
Psyber furrowed her brows, finally realizing that something was out of place. There was something they were talking about that she was missing. Her emotions flared higher, and she paused. She was not the type of person who easily gave into her emotions.
Stepping back slightly, she examined her body, giving a harsh laugh. With great vindictiveness, she ripped the curse out of her body, watching with satisfaction as if faded into nothing.
Turning back to Matthew, she asked with a cool voice, "Take us to your Master."
A brief curve of his mouth that was unseen to both aunt and nephew, Matthew turned and walked.