Bang

"So, now what do we do?" Meraki asked, looking at the people tied up around her.

"Huh? You don't have a plan?" Kefi asked, then turned to Caris.

"Don't look at me, I didn't think this far into the future." Caris shrugged his shoulders. "Snake spirit, could you create a path out for us? Seems there is no exit even if we are at the surface."

"I can't believe this. How did we go against those people when we are like this?" I asked as we made our way to the wall of the room.

"They understand that we are more powerful than them. But I was really looking forward to a fight, so disappointed." Caris pouted, looking at the people. Just then something sparked in him. "Oh, maybe … they have something else up their sleeves?"

"We aren't scared of you!" Doctor Hut shouted, finally regaining his composure. "Do you have any idea of what we did to become like this? You only caught us by surprise that's all! We will kill every one of you but not before torturing you first."

"Really~? I'll look forward to it then." Caris spoke, amused.

Just then, the entire room shook as Kefi punched the wall off its hinges, landing on the ground with a big thud.

"What were you saying about the plan again?" Caris asked, a hint of mockery on his tone.

"N-nothing!" Hut's voice suddenly sounded like a pubescent boy, I wonder why.

"How was that?" Kefi asked, swinging our arm.

"Nice," I answered, noticing the rubble around us and the dying trees. Taking a look outside, we saw one half of the castle in ruins. "It would appear that we destroyed some parts of the castle by bringing this room up."

"Yeah. Damn, even the top of the castle is destroyed. I really wanted to see the trap they laid out for us." Kefi whined.

"Sure. Sure. Caris, let's carry them out of the room. Then I'll go look for Aurora."

"As you wish." Caris bowed and began grabbing the nearest person beside him, who was a woman in a state of shock. He whistled as he carried her outside.

"You … are you really a Sagepice?" Doctor Washer asked, not wishing to raise his head.

"Yes. And you are the doctor that was there on the day my family was attacked?" I leaned down to him, feeling something rise in me again.

The same feeling from the hospital room when Aurora made that blood pact with me, its. back. This feeling bubbles from my inner core, it's not Kefi but me.

Interesting.

"I- this may seem like an excuse but I promise that I had no intention of harming you or your family. My little daughter, much younger than you was very sick and needed medication. Though I am a doctor, I was more of a scientist and inventor, than I was a doctor, though I occasionally helped the people in the cases of broken bones, so I couldn't help her without medicine or money.

"I had to go around and beg for help but no one cared too much for a no-name like me. I became desperate and, one day, like a miracle, a group of men came to me asking for my services. They promised me a huge sum of money and I agreed, instantly." The man began trembling as he recounted his tale.

Why is he telling us this? Does he think we care?

There might be something bigger here. Let's hear him out first then he's all yours.

"So those people asked you to use your inventive skills and infiltrate my house?" I asked, seeing him like this is infuriating me further.

"Yes. I made a device that could shut off everything even the security of the Sagepice household without alerting anyone. They left me there to keep watch.

"I thought they only wanted to steal money or something but when I heard screams coming from the house I tried to run for help but one of the men stepped in front of me and told me that if I tried anything, I wouldn't get the money.

"So I stayed. Ignoring the screams and cries for help. At the end of it all, my daughter still died a year later and I was left with so much bitterness, I left the place and joined them. Sorry! I'm so sorry! I'm sorry! I swear it was only for my daughter!" He cried and rested his head on the floor.

"You're pathetic." I hissed looking at the cowering man, "You were there through it all, not doing or saying anything. Keeping quiet while something like that happens makes you guilty of the same crimes those men committed.

"So you did all that for your daughter." I kicked him to the wall. Walking to the wheezing man, I turned him over and stepped on his chest. "You did all that for your daughter, right? The only reason you are feeling guilt now is because she died in the end. If she was alive, you would have been able to use that as an excuse. 'At least she is alive, I don't mind' isn't that right? My, you're such a doting parent, to go so far for your child."

Why do I feel so agitated? Just listening to him breath is making me angry.

"So tell me, if I asked for your life, will you give it to me? If I came into your family's house and killed everyone there then turned to you saying 'It's for my own family. Please understand, I did everything for them.' Will you just leave it be? It was still because of you that they died, their blood is still in your hands."

I grabbed the weeping man by the collar and pulled him up to face me. "If you really did this for your daughter, don't give me such a regretful look."

"What?" Washer asked, staring at me with confusion.

"Answer me honestly, if you could go back, would you have changed your decision? Even if it meant only buying your daughter another year of life? Would you have turned down the offer even then?" I asked, looking at the man right in the eyes.

Don't turn away from me and answer.

"N-no." His face became determined as he finally looked into my eyes. "I still wouldn't have changed anything."

A small smile spread on my face as he said that without trembling anymore. "Good. Stop making excuses, instead think of how to atone for what you did. Crying and trying to explain away what you did isn't going to change anything."

"I will. I know I don't deserve your forgiveness but I will work towards it from now on. I will try and make up for it. I promise." Washer smiled up at me brightly, the darkness that clouded his entire face before faded away like fog on a glass.

"I'll be looking forward to it then," I replied standing back up.

"Ummm … Miss Sagepice. I want to tell you something about the attack. You see, there was this- ack." Foam spilt out of Washer's mouth as his eyes rolled to the back of his head and his body began convulsing.

"Caris!" Kefi shouted, grabbing the man in her arms as she tried to heal him.

"What's wrong?" Caris was by our side in a second. He didn't need an explanation once he saw Washer's state.

"I don't know. This suddenly happened."

Washer stopped shaking, his body falling limp.

"You better go hide, Meraki." Caris's tone turned serious as he looked from the man to the wall behind him, his two fingers on his neck.

"Why?"

"He was shot. I don't know what they shot him with as I'll need to perform an autopsy. But they were able to shot through the wall. You need to hide, whoever it is will be after you next."

Kefi.

Great minds think alike.

I ran out of the room to the rubble and forest filled with dried up trees. There aren't many places for them to hide. Where are they? Where?

We spotted a figure in the distance, running and hiding.

There!

Whoever they are, they are certainly professional with their shooting skills and also at blending with the environment around them.

We made sure to keep an eye out to them but they kept disappearing from our line of sight. The small rocks pierced my barefoot and the sharp plants didn��t show me any mercy either.

Before long, I was covered with scratches and cuts, though none of them were deep at all and I was also gasping for breath.

"They are long gone by now, Kefi." I gasped out.

"Danmit!! At the very least I should get to kill him if he was going to die anyway!! @#$%$#@$$%%$##@$%^&***&^%$##@#%$! &^%$$#^^%$#%^&**&^%$$#$%^&*!"

I have never heard such profanities come out of Kefi. It threw me off a little bit but it's kinda funny too.

"What's so funny?" Kefi shouted at me. "That man just died. The one responsible for the infiltration of your house and he was about to tell us something too. Aaaaaaaaa!!! I'm so damn mad!"

"Well-" Before I could continue, we heard footsteps coming in our direction. Kefi and I were on high alert again.

As the footsteps drew closer, so did we. Once the person was but a breath away we jumped on them, grabbing onto their throat. They, in turn, held a dagger to our throat.

"What the hell?" A familiar voice came from the person as we started at each other.

Irritation came on my face the moment I recognized them.