The day passed by, it's been a week since that massacre happened. Orion, inside the house, behaves as if nothing happened. He is still the same old Orion who wakes up in the morning and does all the housework. But, sometimes, when he was alone. A cloud covers his eyes, leaves his consciousness, and drowns in the depths of the dark sea alone.
This noon, after he ate lunch together with the others, he was heading out. He is walking to the path that leads him to nowhere inside the woods. Rays of light passing through the leaves decorate the path he takes with rustling sounds as his companion. Not long after that, he finally arrives at the place where his mind is set all this time.
In the middle of the forest, there's a gallant tree that's much more huge than the one that at their house standing alone reigns its territory—blocking the bright sunlight with its leaves, leaving the open space it created covered in shadow. With easy steps, Orion walks in, approaching the tree with his eyes closed. Savoring the feeling of the breeze that caressed his whole body he sat down.
At Orion's side, there's a makeshift tomb. Using a half-circle-shaped rock as a stake with no name on it.
Orion sat beside it, lifted his head, closed his eyes, and exhaled.
"Haaaaah,......"
And then says, "What a nice weather,"
"You agree right, Sarah?"
The wind gently blows, as if agreeing with Orion.
"It's a shame though that you will never feel this kind of weather again down there,....." said Orion with a little chuckle.
"Even though I talk by myself, it really feels like as if you're here, laughing at my boring way to start a conversation,"
"And by now you will tease me, not even letting me speak, and just jump on to your own conclusion,"
"That's really a useless but awesome skill you have there, it makes me speechless,...."
Alone, he's talking to the person that didn't even bother to speak again. Reminiscing a story that already passed, telling a joke, and laughing on his own. Every time he's telling a story, Sarah's smile pops up inside his mind. She's teasing and laughing as always, but in the end, it only happens inside his mind.
"It feels like yesterday that we talked,"
"But here I am, in front of a makeshift tomb that I built and talking on my own,"
Orion remembers the feeling of the rough skin that he touched, moving the villagers' bodies one by one to their last home. The last one was the girl at the stake, he untied her knot and lifted the body in his hands. The rough feeling of burned skin, the burn smells, and the horrific scene that he witnessed are still freshly instilled in his mind.
"....It is a witch hunt?"
He was pondering, in the world where the tale of the witch was spread, is there a possibility that the one that has the title of the witch is being hunted?
They accuse someone based on their assumption, it is for wealth or because they're lunatics who consider the deeds as fun things that help them pass the time?
Sometimes, Orion is thinking about the possibility. He's remembered that not long ago there was a man, saying that's he came to kill the monster and the girl that supposed to be those two girls.
".... A monster and a girl...."
Orion knows that the two of them are hiding something, but it's not only them. Orion himself was also hiding something from them. The story of his past, where he came from, and his fears of losing again. The one that helps him get back to his feet is Latina, and along the way, Alicia joins. Their act of being spoiled, always having quarrels, but getting along well reminds him of what family is.
After all this time, the only thing that he came up with was a curse. He's not as smart as Latina, but spending his time with her makes him reach this conclusion. The witch that lives for a hundred years, alone and shuns herself away from civilization.
"But it's possible that she's just a loner,"
"Anyway, I need to make my move,"
"The possibility of that man having some backup is not zero, but what should I do?"
The one that has enough power to destroy a village and kill all of its villagers is certainly powerful. Orion doesn't know about this region, where he is, and the law that covers it. The only assumption that he has is the power of government or someone that rules this land did not reach here or maybe the organization that caused that massacre is the government itself.
"I think it's the right decision to leave this place,...."
With eyes filled with determination, Orion stands up. His hand reaches his trousers pocket, and from inside of it, he pulls out a bracelet with a cat as a pendant. With gentle movement, he places it on top of the stone.
With a smile on his face, he says, " I've already made my decision, see you later, Sarah."
Slowly, he walked towards the path that he had gone through before and went home.
When the sun slowly hides beneath the horizon, Orion, Latina, and Alicia. The three of them sit at the table near the kitchen with food in front of them. They're eating, leaving only the sounds of the spoon until they're finished. The dessert that Orion took out was already neatly arranged on the table with warm tea for each person there.
When Orion takes a sit again, before the three of them enjoy the dessert, Orion opens his mouth.
"Hey, I think we should move,....."
Latina and Alicia didn't answer it, but they were looking at the person himself.
"The village was destroyed, the residents are massacred, and there's the incident inside Alicia's castle,....."
"It's just,... I feel it just too dangerous to stay here,....."
"I know the two of you are strong, even stronger than, maybe, the rest of the people in the world but,..."
"Knowing there's someone that's targeting you two, I don't want to idle by and let them disturb our life,"
Latina and Alicia, the two of them who heard it still silent. But not long after that, Alicia was the first one that open her mouth.
With a smile on her face, she says, "I don't mind."
"I will follow you wherever you are, Orion,"
"A long time had passed until this day, living alone in the middle of nowhere, and now here I am,"
"Sitting at this table with someone else, eating together,"
She paused, her eyes downwards, looking at the reflection on the cup that she was holding.
"After all, I'm not brave enough to give up this life after waiting that long,"
After that, Alicia slurps the tea from her cup and then continues to eat the snack.
"I don't mind either,"
Latina, after Alicia continued her snacking for a while began opening her mouth. She's looking straight toward Orion as if she was confused about the reason why he asked.
"Orion, it's maybe not that long after we met,"
"But this past few months, the days we spent together,"
"Same as Alicia, I'm also not brave enough to lose it,"
"So, without a doubt, I will follow you even if you do not agree with it,"
Heard that answer, Orion, closes his eyes and says, "I see."
"But isn't that too clingy?" Add him.
"Wha?! How dare you reject it after I brace myself to take that cringe sentence from my mouth!"
Hearing that, Alicia begins to snap and says, "Wha-?! Don't copy my words and then call it cringe!"
That day, the day when it was supposed to be the decisive moment they ended up in a mess. Orion, with ease, continues to enjoy his snack while Alicia and Latina, the two of them throw insults at each other until the very end.
The day after tomorrow, when the sun just barely comes out from its hiding place, the three left the house with decent luggage. With backpacks on their back, they went down the hill where the house was.
"Is it okay to leave it be?" Ask Orion.
"It's okay, I already conceal it with my specialty,"
Latina turns her body. facing the house that was already far from her reach with wistful eyes. Slowly, she closes her eyes and then turns her body again, facing Orion who leads the group.
"It's not like we're not going to come back, right, Orion?"
"....yeah, ..."