[What in the world...]
[How can they just wear their feathers like it's nothing?]
Berkah's eyes trembled in disbelief, he knew that they did not acquire those feathers peacefully, he couldn't even begin to imagine what happened to the Harpies they took them from.
[Maybe... They don't know?]
[They probably think it's just some random bird feathers right?]
He racked his brain and made excuses for them, after all these were just regular people unlike the people in Jane's organization.
Surely these people wouldn't be wearing these feathers so boldly if they knew that they were obtained through murder.
...Right?
[Yeah... They probably don't know...]
[They would probably start a riot or something if they knew the cruelty behind what they're wearing.]
He loosened his jaw and got rid of the strands of lightning quietly crackling around his being.
[... But... Just to be sure...]
[I'll have to ask them...]
Berkah walked up to a woman wearing an elegantly designed dress woven in brown and grey feathers.
*tap*,*tap*
He gently tapped the woman's arm.
"Excuse me miss..."
"Yes?... Ugh..."
The woman's expression twisted in disgust upon seeing the rag adorning Berkah's being.
"How dare you touch me you filthy thing?!"
The woman took out a clean cloth and wiped her arm.
Berkah ignored her reaction and asked his question:
"Those feathers... If you knew where they came from you wouldn't be wearing them."
He said, with a stern expression.
"What? Are you stupid? Of course I know, otherwise I wouldn't be wearing them."
The woman replied bluntly.
"These are high quality Harpy feathers, are you implying that my dress is fake?! You filthy thing!"
The woman shouted in a fit of rage.
[WHAT... SHE KNOWS?!]
Berkah's blood began boiling uncontrollably.
"Look closely you filth, this is something the likes of you could never afford!"
"This dress woven in Harpy feathers is resistant to humidity and temperature, it also enhances my Mana, giving me energy throughout the day!"
"It will never wither nor tear! You here me? How dare a homeless thing like you accuse me of wearing something fake."
The commotion caused by the woman grabbed the attention of the people passing by and they began forming a crowd around Berkah and the woman.
[Of course they knew...]
[How could I have been so naive...]
[I've lived as a human, so I should have known how trash they are...]
[How could I have forgotten...]
[Human nature...]
Berkah grit his teeth and glanced around the crowd surrounding him.
"Do you hear me?!"
The woman shouted.
"I'm surrounded by maggots, I can't fucking breathe."
Berkah spat, his eyes laced in bloodlust.
*Bzzzzt!!*
Lightning rapidly enveloped his being and in the blink of an eye he lunged towards the woman and dug his hand deep into her chest.
*Bzzzzt!!!*
He rode his lightning and moved a long distance away from crowd.
*Thud!*
The woman's body fell to the ground.
"*GASP!*"
"What happened to her?!"
"AAAAAHHH!"
"Somebody help!!"
The crowd shouted and panicked, none of them were able to perceive Berkah's movements, the only thing they saw was the woman collapsing and drowning in a pool of her own blood.
Berkah ignored the commotion coming from behind him.
He lowered his icy gaze to his right hand and beheld the heart of the woman soaking his hand in blood.
"To think I ever hesitated..."
He muttered under his hot breath.
*Bzzzzzt!!!*
He released a surge of lighting to his right hand and fried the woman's heart to ash.
"Disgusting... I feel like I just dipped my hand in a pile of shit."
Berkah wiped the dried blood on his hand and calmed his nerves.
[Now then... They said her house is on the third block right?...]
He mused and made his way to Jane's house, he stopped and asked for directions when he needed to until he eventually arrived at her house.
He climbed up the doorstep and paused briefly, inside the house he heard the loud chattering of children.
He extended his knuckles and...
*knock*, *knock*.
///
*Thud!*
[!!]
"Ugh..."
Jane was awoken abruptly by the sound of her canoe colliding with the shore.
[Looks like I've finally arrived.]
Jane let out a groan and lifted her body and dragged it off the canoe.
She then untied the pure white wings attached to her waist and stuffed them inside of a bag.
"Haha... This will make me a fortune!"
Her eyes shone brightly and she began walking into the jungle.
"I can't believe I survived that... We almost got wiped out..."
"I hope the others managed to escape..."
She glanced down at the gaping wound in her abdomen and her expression became bitter as she recalled the events that led to her injury.
The image of the Harpy knight that impaled her with a spear was still vivid in her mind.
[That fucking lower life form... I'll kill her!!]
She spat inwardly, still dragging her body through the jungle.
Fifteen minutes passed and she finally saw the gravel road that leads into the town.
"*huff*, *huff*..."
She took labored breaths, her body quivering due to all the blood that she lost.
But she still persisted, the visages of her young children empowering her to press on, she can't afford to die and leave them all alone.
"Hey! Isn't that the Lieutenant?!"
One of the guards finally noticed her.
"She looks injured! Let's go help her!"
They all ran towards her.
[Finally...]
*thud!*
Jane smiled, and instantly passed out, all of the built up tension left her body and she collapsed, knowing that she was finally home and safe.
"Hey Lieutenant are you okay?!"
"Clearly she's not! Go and call the healer!"
The guards panicked and carried her into the town.
Two of them picked up her bag and walked behind the ones carrying her.
"Woah..."
They noticed the white feathers protruding from the bag.
"She made quite the haul this time..."
His eyes shone greedily.
"Don't even think about it man, they'll kill everyone you know..."
The other warned.
"Yeah I know... I was just kidding..."
The guards dropped Jane off at the healer's house and left.
///
"Thanks Doctor."
Jane said, glancing down at her once agape abdomen, now sealed and adorned with a scar.
"You're welcome Jane, but you need to be careful. "
"Potions and magic can only heal so much."
A middle aged man with grey hair said, in a stern tone.
"Yes, I hear you... But it looks like I won't have to work for a while."
A warm smile graced Jane's lips as she glanced toward the bag containing her haul.
"Haha, you made quite the haul."
The doctor chuckled.
"I'm going to spoil my kids, Fufu."
Jane gave her thanks to the Doctor one last time and left.
Before going home she went shopping for a few things that she knew her kids would like, particularly sweet food and the like.
A few more minutes passed and she finally arrived at her doorstep.
[Hm? It's so quiet, usually I would hear them bickering from all the way out here.]
[I can't wait to see them, it feels like it has been ages.]
She mused, a warm smile adorning her face.
*creak*
"Hello, Mommy's here! Where are you kiddos?"
"Jennifer! Paul! Alex!"
She called out to her kids, but no one responded, usually they would have swarmed her by now.
[Did they go out to play? How unusual...]
She walked into the other room and saw one of her sons lying face down on the table.
"*sigh*... I told you not to sleep on the table."
She walked over to her son in order to wake him up.
But...
[!!]
Three more figures appeared before her eyes, two of her children lying headfirst on the table.
And in between them stood a young adolescent with piercing blue eyes, his gaze resembling that of a hungry wild beast, his pitch black wings protruding menacingly on his back.
"Welcome home, Jane. You sure took your fucking time."
Berkah spat through gritted teeth, his hands gently stroking the hairs of Jane's children.
[!!]
[What?... The Harpy from the treehouse?]
[How... Did he get here?...]
Her eyes trembled in fear and disbelief.
"What have you done to my kids?!"
She shouted, dropping the bags she carried.
*Bzzt!*
"Don't fucking move or I'll fry these little maggots brains."
Her body froze, the look in his eyes let her know that he meant every word he said.