Tak… tak… tak...
Leticia ran at full speed, never spending a glance at things that she stumbled upon.
Click!
As she turned the knob, the blazing light astounded her.
At a distance, she can clearly see his silhouette that was also casting long shadows as the blue fire flared up to the sky.
"Hugh, what are you doing…" she mumbled as she slowly walked towards him.
Leticia was amazed at the bonfire that was emitting heat and making her whole garden look like a camp in the middle of grassland. The only thing that was missing were people to mingle with. Leticia lightly smiles at the thought of a wholesome life that she will spend here. However, that serene thought died instantly the moment Leticia noticed something unusual.
Thump...Thump...Thump…
Her heartbeat rang loud in her ears along every step she takes. She didn't even notice that the hem of her skirt was getting dirty and being stained with blood. Leticia just walked in a straight line and only focused her eyes to his back.
Pacing her way towards him, Leticia looked around when she recalled that Hugh promised to do something about the mess in her garden.
When the corpses were nowhere to be found lying around her garden, she sighs. "Haa…"
She didn't know what to feel. If it's a relief that the ambusher's corpse was gone or to feel fear at the man who made a mess in her property and worst case involved her in something dangerous.
Leticia then stops.
'I don't see anything dug on the ground. Where did he put the bodies?!'
Leticia bowed her head as her eyes opened wide. She can't look straight ahead. She doesn't even want to feel the warmth that touches her skin! She doesn't want to realize that!
No, she can't look up! She doesn't want to see, but she also needs to confirm!
"What the hell…?" Leticia was shocked! Again!
Leticia barely blinked as the sight in front of her left her speechless and stunned.
'I hardly accepted the fact that my garden would get their nutrients from "them" but what's this?! Is he really doing this in someone's backyard?!' Leticia thought as she can't comprehend what was happening now. No, rather, she can comprehend the situation, she just doesn't want to acknowledge and understand it!
'Ignorance is bliss!!!' Leticia repeatedly said in her head wishing that saying so would change her circumstances.
***
The thing that the blue fire envelopes were turning into char and the dust that came from it slowly flew away up in the air and vanished into thin air.
Crackle… crackle… crackle…
The blue blaze intensified and soon scorched the ground with nothing left.
Swish... swish... swish...!
Sound of wings cutting through the wind resounded the now quiet place. Aquila circled around Hugh before he landed into his shoulder.
'Did you see where that last bug went?' He asked his familiar about the assassin that ran away upon the chaos that happened.
'He was fast to flee but you know me, I could easily catch him… but,' Aquila paused as he gauged the mood of his master.
Hugh scowled when he heard his familiar pausing his report. He could feel an impending headache coming to him.
'What is it?' Hugh asked tiredly.
'I was blinded by a light that the assassin threw to Mike and umm… he disappeared after.' Aquila looked away from his master's face as if he's embarrassed.
He knew that the look on Hugh's face would just make his dream turn into a nightmare if he ever slept after he was released from his summon.
Aquila then heard Hugh's voice that was full of exhaustion. 'Haa… I really want to sever this contract… You're just a useless bird!' Hugh sharply glared at Aquila before he glanced at the scorched ground.
'I should just grilled you along with those assassins! You stupid eagle!' Hugh commented.
Aquila flinched and flaps his wings against Hugh as if to rebel against what he said.
"Squeek!!! Squeak!!!"
'Who do you think I am?! I am the mighty Aquila, the one who holds the power of the Northern wind! How dare you talk to me like that?! Whose useless?! You're useless! You're the one who let that assassin go, Idiot!' Aquila protested.
'Shut up before I make you sleep for a thousand years!' Hugh warned.
'Tsk! I'm going back! You ungrateful brat!' Aquila stated before he vanished into smoke and became a black mark that circled Hugh's wrist but really he just wants to escape from Hugh's wrath.
Crackle…
Suddenly, he heard a sound of breaking twigs and he then senses that someone was behind him but, because there was no danger in the aura, he knew that it was someone who don't have ill intentions towards him.
Hugh turned around and found Leticia standing there with her eyes wide open in shock.
He looked at her and presumably knew that she saw everything. Burning the corpses of the assassins, as well as his familiar Aquila that was unique to the owner of the North.
"I guess, I need to explain everything..."
***
Leticia and Hugh were sitting opposite each other while Mike, who arrived after failing his mission to catch the assassin that fled from them, was now standing at the corner of the living room with his head down.
Meanwhile, Leticia had her head leaning against her right palm and sighing from time to time. Like what she's doing now…
"Haaaaaa….!"
Leticia was thinking about what to do with herself and her situation now.
'He's crazy...!' she thought to herself when she recalled the scene where Hugh silently watched the pile of corpses turn into ash with no emotions in his eyes.
Leticia then think about how she could escape from here since she understood that Hugh and his companions were dangerous beyond her imaginations.
'Should I leave this town? I mean, sure I never set foot outside Oakland before. It would be a great opportunity for me to learn about this world. Besides, I think I'm in danger now because of this man… but would I be safe if I simply flee?' Leticia thought as she glanced at Hugh who was silently staring at her before she continued her notion.
'Now that I think about it, Hugh looked cold and murderous when he's not talking, that was why sometimes I always brought up topics to him so he could just talk and erase that scary aura on his face. Damn you, I just got my garden back to its state after you collapsed there!'
Leticia held her head and pulled her hair as she was starting to get frustrated whenever she thought about her garden that she cared for and dedicated every morning to watering the plants ever since Hugh ruined it for the first time.
'And the second time he ruined it, he made people's limbs as decoration and now he barbecued them in my backyard like it was a summer vacation campfire party!' Leticia wanted to scream her frustration!
She knew that killing in this world was something like a piece of cake for people whose job was associated with killing like mercenaries, knights, and assassins.
HOWEVER! She never thought that she would experience it when she herself tried hard to get that dark side of this world away from her!
"Umm… Leticia?" Hugh called as she was intently looking at him with a glare however, because she's thinking deeply she didn't get to hear him as her thoughts are ringing inside her head.
'...but if I think about it, the assassin didn't see my face, right? The assassin was after this damn guy! But how did they know about my house? Is it because of Hugh? Then, I should just get away from him, right? But what if he's the one to threaten me about what happened? What about the authorities? No, No one would know because this damn man pulverized the bodies of those assassins, so there's no real proof but…'
"Ahhh!!!!! Damnit!" Leticia couldn't help but scream.
The two people who were inside the house beside her flinched when they heard her cursed.
"Leticia… are you alright?" Hugh was shocked to hear Leticia cussing for the first time since she always smiled and her aura was always warm like someone who could not be annoyed in any circumstances.
But since he heard her loud and clear, he now could say that she's normal. She could get angry and frustrated like others.