I am New Here (4)

"My Lady, your school uniform and documents have arrived."

"Help me place them in the study room."

Ashii was drinking tea.

Devina found out that she loved reading. She was led to a mini library behind the study room earlier. She picked a few interesting books from the shelves and brought three to the garden. The books contained several myths and legends found in Zenea City. The books were preserved well, and she was surprised how old they had been in the library.

The previous owner of the house was surnamed Malevcon. The Malevcon family was involved in politics. The family has served for several generations in the community, but they were believed to have been cursed. According to the book, a member of the family suddenly died on an expedition to the tallest mountain in the suburbs of the city.

There were barely any survivors during the accident. Later on, several family members died on every full moon. They tried searching for clues, but the people who got involved were also killed in different situations. So the family was forced to leave the city, but news of their deaths was heard even before leaving the land.

Ashii felt goosebumps all over her body.

"So many people died in my house? Was this bought cheaply? Or was it the only available slot in the neighborhood?"

As Ashii turned the pages of the book, she couldn't believe what she was reading. It was as if the book were a journal or a compilation of several deaths in the city. It was horrible, but the author must have been curious and intuitive.

The next book she opened was filled with drawings and descriptions of mythical creatures seen in the city. The pictures of the monsters were vividly drawn by the author, and Ashii could tell the amount of effort spent on painting these characters. 

Her hand stopped on one page. It was a picture of the same wolf-like creature that she and her brother had seen during their morning walk. The image and description matched the same entity. They smell foul, and they eat meat.

"Sigbin?"

Sigbins are vampire assassin dogs. They have owners and obey the wishes of their masters in exchange for food and power. Sigbins possess a distinctive smell, comparable to rotten fish and urine combined. They have red eyes and can kill people as long as they visit. And they have the loudest roars at night.

"Wait! They especially love pumpkin flowers and charcoal? This is crazy!"

Ashii suddenly remembered that the city also has fields for farming. 

"Aunt Devina...?

"What is it, My Lady?"

"Did our city plant some pumpkins this season?"

"We do have it! Our city is known to have abundant natural resources, and no one has ever failed during planting season."

"Is it close to our neighborhood?"

"Yes, very close!"

Ashii nodded and went back to reading. 

If the pumpkins are planted close to this neighborhood, I should expect more of these Sigbins to appear everywhere. But why did it show itself early in the morning? Don't demonic creatures hide after the holy hour?

Ashii turned to another page.

Lobo?

Lobos are people born as hybrids, similar to werewolves in movies. They were categorized into two kinds, the Lycans and the Purebreds.

Lycans were placed higher than the other, because they could retain some humanity even after the shifting process. While Purebreds transform into a pure wolf form, however, due to their blood being pure, they possess magical powers, yet lose their memories after transforming.

Those people who died in my room are Lycans! How did I disturb such creatures?

The difference between a Sigbin and a Lobo is in their way of living. Sigbin needs a master, and they could be created through sacrificing a dog in an evil spell, and they feed mainly on human blood. Lobos, however, lived in packs. People born with wolf genetics and traits are to be passed on.

As day turned to night, Devina accompanied Ashii back to the main house. The surroundings were quiet. Rare birds and crickets could be heard making some noise.

Ashii sat in the living room. But there was a sudden power outage.

Butler Xian suddenly appeared beside her.

"My Lady, the servants are doing their best to light the emergency lights in the yard and inside the house. Please don't worry."

"Is this a usual occurrence?"

"No, My Lady. But we experience it once in a while."

Ashii and the butler suddenly heard a loud noise outside the house. 

"WAK! WAK! WAK!"

Ashii stared at the window, but she did not see any birds.

"WAK! WAK! WAK!"

Ashii stared at the butler, but there was no extra expression on his face.

"What kind of bird was that?"

"A random, massive bird."

"Why haven't I heard anything like it before?"

"It doesn't usually roam this area, My Lady."

Ashii nodded, but she could tell Butler Xian was lying. 

That bird was not a bird at all...

Ashii stayed in the living room while some of the servants prepared her dinner. She opened the book about mythical creatures again. She flipped to the page where the Wakwak was described.

Wakwak's exist.

A Wakwak could be anyone. Unlike others, a Wakwak is not born or created. A black egg, the size of a marble, was used to infect a person. It could be passed secretly or forced upon a person. If passed willingly, the source of the egg should be dying, and a family member would accept it wholeheartedly.

If forcibly passed onto someone, the clueless person's body would naturally reject it, and it would turn someone crazy. This would also lead to a sudden death. Or worse, infect more people because the power was uncontrollable. 

Everyone is afraid of salt, right?

There was a smile on Ashii's face.

She closed the book and stared outside the window. 

"Why is this place so silent during the day?"

"People are busy, My Lady."

"Is the population decreasing? I haven't even seen children."

"Some families are on vacation, so the area is relatively deserted."