98 Untimely Visitor
Euphrasia
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Walking amongst the normal civilians of Euphrasia in the calm afternoon weather, Gemma’s happy eyes scanned the stalls that lined in rows both in the left hand side and the right.
It was bustling with people who came to sell, buy or gossip as different voices echoed through the busy street.
Delicious aroma of buns, cake, every other snack filled the air and Gemma really enjoyed the snacks humans eat, and now this mouthwatering scent was making her crave for one.
She tugged lightly at Azazel’s shirt, drawing his attention back to her and she excitedly pointed at a stall where the owner was making fresh buns. She jumped lightly while pointing at it, indicating that she wanted one.
“You want one?”
She nodded happily. Meanwhile Levi’s own eyes feasted on the stalls that sold unique artifacts and he looked thoughtful. Humans are quite fond of prehistoric treasures but have no idea on how to use them, or what their main uses are.
“The ones on the table must be cold already, when I’m done here we’ll get the freshly made ones, you’ll like that even more, right?” Azazel questioned the little girl who paused for a while. She placed a finger to her cheek, thinking about Azazel’s offer before nodding her head again in agreement.
.....
“Good, let’s go.”
Levi turned his attention to Azazel, “where exactly is this place?”
“Draekharm village.” He responded after they made it past the busy market and approached a different area that was more quiet than where they came from.
Draekharm is a quiet village formed from the collection of small huts and homes made out of logs and tree branches.
As they progressed farther, Azazel took his time to study the environment. The roofs of their homes were covered with leaves and moss and are held by a network of vines. The people of Daekrahm were no more than farmers or traders and there was a large section of the land that had been carved out and turned into farmland.
“So this is Anna’s village.” Levi couldn’t hold back the surprise in his muttering tone. How comfortable are people living in such houses??
“Life isn’t always sweet Levi.” Azazel responded to the question Levi silently asked himself, “unlike us, humans who have no connection to the higher nobles or the kingdom itself have to go through this.”
“But that’s a system built on favoritism.”
Azazel shrugged, “not our business now, is it?”
“Then why are we here?”
“To find out Anna’s life story, it’s actually that simple.”
“And how do you plan on doing that?”
“Excuse me sir.” Azazel stopped an old man who held a big sack in hand, probably coming back from the farm after a fruitful harvest.
“Pardon my manners of stopping you so abruptly but it’s urgent and I was wondering if you’re familiar with the name, Annalise.”
The old man who got stopped on the way, met the chilling blue eyes of the strange man standing in front of him, it shifted to the remaining two as he wondered who they were before pondering on his word.
“Annalise?”
“If the name isn’t familiar then surely you’ve heard of a cursed girl who once lived in Daekrahm village.”
At the mention of cursed, the man’s eyes widened in realization and he nodded. “Yes, I’ve heard of the cursed girl but she’s no longer in Draekharm village.”
“Do you know where she lived? Has the house been taken yet?”
“She lived at the far end of the village, if you take that route, the last house you’ll see should be her home but if it’s taken or not, I don’t know. Her mother preferred keeping her away and so they stayed in a desolated area.”
Azazel nodded, “thanks for the information, you’ve been of great help.”
Levi also smiled in appreciation, “I hope you had a wonderful harvest.”
The man nodded before picking up his sack and walking away.
Levi and Azazel took the route the man pointed earlier and as they kept walking, it grew quieter and all that could be heard were their own voices as they chatted on. Levi had to carry Gemma on his back since she kept insisting and faking tiredness.
Arriving at the particular place where the old man pointed to be Anna’s home, it had to be because apart from the little abandoned home they were staring at, no other home was nearby. Just bushes that must have grown recently and turning the place into some little forest.
“Her mother sure chose a really desolated area.” Levi commented after scanning the outside with many questions displaying in his unique Amber eyes.
The house was covered under a thick coat of dust that silently told its old age, the framework and everything about it proved no one had taken the house after they left. Who’d want to stay in such a lonely place anyway.
The door which was now covered with dust and spiderwebs was left open ajar as it was no longer attached to its hinges. A calm breeze blew by, sending the door flapping left and right and it sent a feeling of intent down Azazel’s spine, leaving his eyes to momentarily darken.
“Do you sense something?” Azazel’s alarming question made sense to Levi because he equally felt the dark energy surrounding her home.
“Someone’s here.”
“Then I guess we have company.” Azazel really wasn’t expecting this. Who else would want to visit Anna’s abandoned home and why??
“Stay here with Gemma, I’ll go see who the untimely visitor is.”
“Be careful.”
Azazel climbed the wooden stairs and it made a light creak, followed by another creak until he made it to the varenda.
The door was already opened so he stole a peek in, it was dark and much warmer on the inside. The scent of dust invaded his nostril but he held back a cough and finally walked in.
His eyes got accustomed to the dark within a matter of seconds and he quickly took a scan, broken chairs and shattered glasses laid on the ground. Almost everything was teetered with spiderweb and it gave a ghostly feeling that whispered its painful stories to those who paid it a visit.
“There’s no one here.” He muttered but those blue eyes clearly held doubts. Maybe he wasn’t searching properly.
Taking his time, he followed the archway while getting rid of the spiderwebs and that’s when a certain door at his left caught his attention. There was a broken lock on the ground, as though someone had forcefully hit the lock with something to break it open. The door was slightly ajar and from inside, he could hear the quick sound of shuffling, like someone was searching for something and in a hurry too.
Without wasting any more time, Azazel reached for the door and opened it. The person who was currently going through Anna’s wardrobe paused at the sound of the door being flung open, only to turn around and meet the frightening stare of Azazel.
“It’s you!”
The person freezed at his word.
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