”Exactly!” andrew (Our Supreme Lord and Overseer) added with a small chuckle. It had been fine so far; no chaos, no disharmony.
Strix has been sitting silently beside Hinata, her structure a bit tense probably because she’d realized who she was sitting beside. Her eyes drifted from the food to Hinata every now and then, taking a bite and appreciating the Balance Keeper. Could she… no, probably not. It would be too easy. The eyes of the owl were almost locked at the Balance Keeper at this point.
Hinata continued to eat, enjoying just being able to chat with friends. She was a lot different then the propaganda made her out to be when she was like this. She glanced over to see Strix staring at her.
"Is there something on my face?" She asked playfully, willing her mouth with a napkin. She mostly did this because she knew that stare. A lot of people had given it to her over the years.
”Eh… uh…” Strix froze, her gaze shifting from the others and Hinata. She didn’t know how to act really. She was naturally a big ball of mess if she wasn’t with her ‘family’. Most of the time, Matthew would accompany her on her journeys and therefore, making him kind of like the older brother figure to her.
Hinata… well, she was a different story. Although Matthew would refer to her as a friend, Strix didn’t feel comfortable calling her one as well. It’s a bit weird for her to do the same as Matthew, talking to the Balance Keeper so naturally.
She smiled, though, weakly.
”You’re my hero…” she mumbled those words beneath her breath, making sure no one heard her as she continued to eat.
Hinata watched Strix for a moment, giving her a smile before returning to her own food. She didn't feel like hero material. She didn't deserve any one looking up to her. She was just a person. Even so, she would do her best to hold her appearances.
Matthew watched the situation, giving a smile. He looked outside the window that was behind Strix, watching the ‘sun’ set at the horizon. It was a beautiful sight. One that wouldn’t last too long.
The calm silence within the house was immediately cut by an erupt sound of gunshot. Before anyone could react, a bullet had passed through Strix’s heart, tainting the whole dining table in front of her with her crimson shade. Her body lacked activeness, covered by the shattered glass from the cracked window. The Knights’ eyes widened with shock… and most certainly, with rage.
(it begins)
Hinata's eyes widened when Strix was shot, pushing her chair back and jumping to her feet. It seemed they couldn't even have a simple meal without coming upon danger.
"Shit," Hinata mumbled, completely on edge. She felt horrible, for Strix and Matthew and everyone else.
(indeed it does)
A shadowy figure could be seen standing up from afar. They had something in their hand, most likely the weapon they’d used.
”Strix, Strix…” andrew (Our Supreme Lord and Overseer) went over to her immediately, his instinct telling him to heal her to the best of his abilities. Even if they were nothing compared to some of the other Knights, none of which were near.
Serena was in complete and utter shock, unable to preform a single act. Her whole body tensed, her facial expression was pale. The two foxes present; Tenshi and Kage, turned to their protective side, immediately shielding everyone with their ability.
Matthew… his eyes nearly bursted out of his sockets when he saw the figure who was responsible for such an act. His sadness may be off the roof, clearly, his rage overwhelmed that. His spear appeared from the thin air beside him.
”Master, I don’t think—“ ”Shut up.” Tenshi’s effort to stop his master was proven to be useless in this situation. Exiting the household the same way the bullet came, Matthew was almost immediately turned back when another bullet came, passing his shoulder and sending him backwards.
”Master!” Kage managed to catch the Knight’s body before it fell to the floor. The Knight’s eyes, though filled with uncertain levels of rage, were drowning itself in shameful tears. A Knight’s weakness was always the heart… once the heart has stopped bumping—
andrew (Our Supreme Lord and Overseer)’s face paled when he no longer felt Strix’s heart pumping. The rhythm has stopped completely…
—that was it.
(End of Chapter 1)
(Wait… no! Why! Why are you doing this to me?)
(I should mention that by ‘End of Chapter…’, I just mean that it’s the end of an arc. We can definitely go on right now XD)
(Long story short; my way of dividing up the story)
Hinata clenched her fist, focusing on Strix first. When she realized she was completely gone, though… She made her way quickly to Matthew and Kage, face a blank expression. Right now want a time for emotions, not for her at least. But for Matthew…
(ma heart not gonna lie, I really liked Strix :-; she reminded me of me)
(Sorry dear, I had to do a lot when it comes to plot development— ;-;)
The owl was like a little sister to Matthew as well. She’d been a great girl, always being there for the messed up family they had. Outside the household, she seemed like a fearful girl. Inside, she was a cheerful one…
The Nature’s Messenger’s tears weren’t flowing casually anymore. He felt something broke inside of him. The pain was an indescribable feeling.
The shadow fox gritted his teeth, glancing outside the window to see that the shadowy figure guilty of taking the owl’s life had disappeared completely. Who dared do such a thing, the fox wondered. The seat beside Hinata slowly went empty as the body of the owl faded from the reality of the Labyrinth. All that was left was one of her several metallic feathers. Precisely, the most beautiful one.
(it's fine, I understand even if it make me tear up)
Hinata carefully put her hand on Matthew's, watching him carefully. Strix had obviously meant so much to him. She said nothing, because there was nothing to say. She glanced out the window, not expecting to see anyone. She scowled a little, a dangerous glint in her eyes.
andrew (Our Supreme Lord and Overseer), the Butterfly Knight and the only one who’s not considered part of the Syrain household, had kept himself silenced. He didn’t have anything to say. He didn’t know what to say. He’d never experienced a loss so quick before… but noticing how Hinata knew how to calm Matthew down, he figured it’d be best if he’d just stay put.
Silently and slowly, he made his way to the door and left. There wasn’t anything he was needed for, at least for now.
When Matthew had calmed down to a certain level, he was able to finally open his eyes. Kage was still holding him, the shadows of the fox ever growing as the sun set. Weakly, Matthew turned to face Kage and started to cling onto his body. Another wave of tears had hit him…
”Why…” his voice was shaken, his body was weak yet it seemed like the bullet hole he had on his shoulder meant nothing at all.
”Just… why…”
The shadow fox kept silent, wrapping his tail around his master’s frail body. Tenshi had watched from where he was, comforting Serena the best he could.
Hinata barely noticed andrew (Our Supreme Lord and Overseer) leaving. There was too much for her to worry about. Strix was gone, and Matthew was injured. She stayed by Matthew's side, most of her attention and worry focused on him. He was wounded, and grieving. She moved a little closer when he spoke, not knowing what she could do for him now. She'd lost family members, good Lord had she, but she knew everyone was different with this. She was so uncertain. How could she help Matthew now? Why had this happened? Who exactly had done this?
There was one certainty, though.
Who ever it was would pay.
After some time, Matthew finally regained control over his body. His eyes were filled with the rage of a thousand suns and were still weak at its core.
Kage nodded subtly, noticing how his Master was expressing his emotions.
”We should rest first… hunting down anyone now wouldn’t do us any good,” Kage assured. More than the other foxes, Kage cared for Matthew. Since he’d been an abandoned fox, only ever cared for by one person ever, he’d devoted his entire life to that man. That person being Matthew right here.
The front door opened as the four other foxes came back… well, not quite. Only one came back. Kori, the icy fox, was the only one who came back.
”The others are staying elsewhere tonight, they still have something to do,” Kori mentioned, noticing the feather and the blood splattered on the dining table. He froze.
”Don’t tell me…” Kori started.
Tenshi shook his head with regret.
”I… I see…” the icy fox stated plainly, yet his voice was shaking like crazy.
Hinata felt strangely detached from the situation. Yes, Matthew had been hurt- that was most definitely affecting her. But Strix's death? Yes, she was sad, but she hasn't known her very well. She was able to sympathize with Matthew, of course she was, but still, she felt detached. Everyone else here was personally affected.
Serena, upon being able to control herself again, moved towards Hinata. She stood there for a little bit before tapping on Hinata’s shoulder, clearly wanting her attention. For whatever reason, she felt like it would be great if Hinata knew what the Nature’s Knight was doing here. Everyone in the house except for Hinata knew what they were doing and Strix’s death was clearly going to affect the whole plan they had going on.
Hinata turned to look at Serena when she felt her shoulder being tapped.
"Yes?" She said softly, feeling like she shouldn't talk too loudly.
”Can you come with me real quick?” Serena asked quickly but quietly. She’d entrusted the three foxes to deal with her brother during the time she and Hinata were going to be gone.
Hinata glanced at Matthew one more time before nodding. She trusted Matthew to the foxes.
Serena would guide Hinata into the deeper depths of the household. She came to wall that looked seemingly normal. Removing one of the paintings on the wall, a number pad showed itself. She pressed something into it as the wall rotated sideways, opening a way big enough for anyone human-sized to enter. Inside was a darkened staircase leading downwards, only lit by faint ambers of candles along the chamber.
After a short while, a metal door blocked the way and of course, Serena was able to open it with yet another code. Behind the metal door was what seemed like a huge science laboratory hidden beneath the ground.
”The Infection wasn’t something that came out of nowhere, but rather something created by the Fallen Knights… however, through further investigation and research, we found out that none of the mentioned Fallen Knights had an ability strong enough to control the Infection… do you know what this means?” Serena asked, picking up a small device which looked like a remote.
Hinata followed Serena silently, not really paying attention to where they were going. Hinata stopped when they reached the laboratory, though, glancing around once.
"Someone's helping them." Hinata watched Serena, hands going to her pockets.
