Arc 2.11 An assassination

"No, don't look at him." The mother cooed as she dragged her child off the sidewalk before taking to the air. 

Basil did not deem them worthy of even an extra glance as he headed through the rocky valleys to reach his home. 

By his left, there were some herbs with flat-topped clusters of small white flowers that grew at the edges of the rocky stones. If these snake roots are ground and added to milk, the trematol within them would be activated leading to loss of appetite, nausea, weakness, abdominal discomfort, and abnormal acidity of the blood before death.

There were also the castor beans not far from this place, a mere five minutes flight along the river of Giza. One or two would not make a difference but if he should use around eight to make a meal, it would lead to extreme diarrhoea and then death. There are also the beautiful oleander flowers that he planted just outside his home.

Thousands of different poisonous plants flew across Basil's mind as he gritted his teeth.

He was so angry. Just because he allowed the other to do as he wished, so he refused to have any restraint. But it was not Haldir, he knew. That was not the reason he was so angry. The fact that he allowed himself to be treated according to the other's whim filled him with so much anger. 

That was the key, wasn't it? He allowed it. Allowed Haldir to wait for him by the Iroko tree every morning so that they could go to school, he waited without being forced after school every day for extracurricular lessons, he accepted the sweet treats and indulged in them.

Was he not just pathetic? Had he craved elven contact so much that he was ready to do anything for a scrap of attention or two? It was really sad to watch.

He frowned at the cacophony of noises up ahead in the valley and he flapped his wings heading through another route to his house. He lived far away from other light elves in the depth of the forest. He flew till he reached the wooden house that was built using two trees as support to hold it in the air. 

It was a small house with two rooms and a balcony. His father had constructed this place as a getaway for his mother, it had a premium location that was in the middle of two tribes with large trees and dangerous animals as a cover and protection for both of them.

But that was years ago, for a very long time, this place had become his home. The balcony was littered with various potted plants and there was a hanging bed-like raft built with straw ropes which hung from the two sides of the room. During the summer heat, he preferred to sleep outside than inside. Basil plopped on the swinging bed, he also likes to lie here and think when he was not feeling great, which was a lot of times when he was much younger. 

He lay down and closed his eyes for a couple of minutes when he suddenly shifted to the left. A small knife had almost brushed past his cheeks before it landed on the wooden panel. He quickly got up and looked around but he could not see anyone. He frowned, his magic was pitiful even when compared to a five-year-old. The Demon Elf was sealed inside him so whatever little magic he had went into suppressing him, why would an attacker not face him directly knowing how weak he currently is?

An assassin? Someone reborn? Someone who hated how his blood had sullied the light elves' blood or Someone who thought that he was spending too much time with the next head priest of Elvina. The more Basil thought, the calmer he became. Unlike the peaceful days that he had been going through, he was far more used to such situations like this.

He might not be able to attack someone who he could not see physically, he was capable of still attacking. He activated the wooden flower within his consciousness and a potted plant that was hanging on the side of the entrance before him suddenly fell down and cracked open releasing a sweet scent into the air.

Basil looked at the empty space before him, his muscles tensing as he clutched a dagger that was in his pocket while he waited for the herb to do its work. A small smile appeared on his face, did they think that he was an easy pill to 

May was very cautious. The abnormality in this realm was a result of the soul before him. This villain had caused a time loop in the realm which affected the natural rhythm of life and death in Elvina. If given more time, he would also destroy Elvina  g the realm to enter a state of dormancy, it might be millions of years before the realm would give life again and all the souls tethered to this realm would be left stranded in the Netherworld.

Killing him was the easiest route, he had not expected the other to sense the Faldir knife. He took a step back while he watched him carefully, it would not do to die on this mission.

Basil's lips were hooked slightly upwards but the meaning behind his smile was unknown. His silver eyes were dark and deep with countless emotions swirling within them, none of which was fear, there was no trace of fear or caution in Basil's gaze. If anything, it was like that of a snake, cold, sticky and terrifying. His gaze made May's body freeze and even his mind temporarily paused.

This was definitely the reborn Basil. He swallowed and moved several steps backwards, he would first figure out Basil's strength before he made another move. Opening his storage unit, he took out a lighter and a small cube.

He threw the lighter into the balcony and the lighter exploded as a small shower of fire began to descend on the balcony. May then threw the cube and it flew to the aging before it began to expand and descend. It was like a cage as it adeptly covered the small wooden home. 

May released a sigh and flew several meters back to watch.

If Basil escaped, he might be too weak and he would easily finish him, if he was not weak, he could calculate his strength and find a way to ask for reinforcements from the Bureau. If he did not escape, good. He would be dead and he would have his promotion for saving a realm.

Basil had never seen anything like this and the calm on his face receded a bit. He tried to fly out but there was a barrier around, caging him. The straw bed was the first to catch fire and the roof was the next. His vision was blinded by the smoke and Basil coughed severally. 

He struggled to make his way into the bedroom, shutting the door behind him but it was just a temporary relief, he knew.

"Little one, you seem to be in trouble. Maybe I could help." A deep voice sounded in Basil's mind.