Elowyn was more than terrified. Her pupils shrank.
How do you explain to someone that you saw your gentle and kind father, killing his neighbours?!
At this moment, Winnie could only say,
"W-What....What is this?"
"Where is mother? Olive? What is happening?" Mr. Gael hurriedly closed her mouth.
Like a boulder of confusion and helplessness hitting her hard, Elowyn became paralyzed to the ground.
As if the five mysterious men had reached a point of agreement, One of them suggested.
"Morrison, why don't you introduce us to your family? How rude of you." he clicked his tongue.
Morrison walked over to his trembling wife and youngest daughter, standing in front of them, he reached out to force them out, when Edith whispered shakingly,"why".
She had never seen her world's best husband like this, and felt like she couldn't recognize him anymore. She wanted to say something else, just anything, but the words seized at the tip of her tongue, that she could only manage a "why".
Elowyn couldn't hear her what her mother said but she could sense the bitterness swirling within her. At that moment, Elowyn saw her father throw her mother and sister towards the five strangers like rag dolls without any hesitation.
Elowyn's subconscious mind told her that if she didn't do something right now her family would be taken from her.
"Don't. I know what you are thinking but I tell you, this isn't the solution." Mr. Gael warned.
"Then what is?" Elowyn cried out silently. She couldn't understand what was happening and it was happening in the first place.
At the expense of her sorrow, she heard Olive's shrill cry,"Mother!"
Olive rushed to her mother's side, using her frail body to support her mother. She glanced at her mother's torso that had been struck by the dagger and tried to remove it out of her body to ease the pain. As a little girl that she was, she was terrified by the turn of event and had kept silent because she couldn't understand what was happening or rather, she was too stunned to speak. But when she saw her mother in this state, she knew something was wrong.
Elowyn couldn't contain herself any longer and struggled to rush to her mother's side. Her tears were overflowing like a dam, she felt a chill down her spine as she saw the life flash out of her mother's eyes.
"No!!!", Olive screamed.
Elowyn's was wide-eyed as she saw the turn of events, she couldn't make a sound because Mr. Gael placed his palm over her mouth. Her father just stood there doing nothing with a cold gaze over her mother's body. She felt helpless and it didn't help the least when she heard the next words spoken by the exact same man.
"It seems you don't fully welcome us, Morrison. I don't see your other daughter, whom you said is a rare specie. Why don't you call her over to welcome us as I can see you and your wife are too rude."
Mr. Morrison looked around at the trembling villagers and he couldn't sight Elowyn. He asked Olive, "Where is your sister?"
Olive, who had been grieving for her mother, couldn't hear what was going on. So, her father came up to her and pulled her from her mother harshly, asking again, "Where is your older sister?"
Olive blinked her big amber eyes that was still overflowing with tears, looked at her father and said,"Mama won't wake up and you want to make winnie not wake up like mama too?"
"Where is your sister?!" Her father thundered.
"My Winnie is in a safe place", Olive answered quietly.
Elowyn choked. Her little sister was protecting her while she could only watch everything from afar like a fool and not there giving her the protection instead.
"Interesting, a feisty little one." remarked the only man out of the five who had spoken earlier.
He seemed as if he was stroking his chin and said lightly, "Morrison, go look for the other one. While I take this little one and train her a little bit."
The man crouched down to Olive's height and said suggestively, "Little girl, you can put your mouth to good use when you become a servant in my palace. What do you say? Hmm?"
Mr. Morrison saw Olive not responding and scolded her righteously, "Can't you be grateful? He is helping you right now and you doubt to take the offer?
The mysterious man glanced at Mr. Morrison lazily as if he were a pest, saying, "Didn't I send you out for something?"
"I will be going now", Mr. Morrison nodded obediently.
Elowyn observed all this and was worried sick of her sister. Just as she was about to ask for Mr. Gael's help to rescue Olive.
She saw him raising his flintlock slightly, just enough to hit his target. She was relieved to know that he was being helpful to the villagers and especially to her little sister. Since her little sister was her priority.
Until…
He pulled the trigger and…report!
She strained over to see who had being shot, so she could run over to shield her sister from the chaos. But she didn't expect to be—
Elowyn felt the world became silent.
She felt as if the world was moving so slow.
She didn't expect to be looking at her younger sister's body falling slowly to the ground like a wilted flower. Her little sister had been shot by Gael's firearm!
,Why…Why did she trust him, when he literally made her watch her mother dying and her father's betrayal to the townspeople?
She suddenly felt ridiculous and an unprecedented sense of anger overcame her. Her body shook violently from the shock. She had just lost her family because of her, since it seems they came for her.
Mr.Gael leaned down and whispered to her, "I will take you away. We need to leave urgently."
"Where to?" It wasn't Elowyn who had answered but Mr. Morrison had somehow appeared behind them.
Hearing the voice, Gael turned around as Elowyn had been drained of her energy to be terrified and was grieving silently. "Oh, how have you been Mr.Morrison? I can see you seem to be enjoying yourself enough," Gael looked straight at Elowyn's father expressionlessly and replied in a flat tone.
"I believe I have the right to take my daughter along with me." Mr. Morrison reasoned.
"Of course, you can if you have the ability,"
"What do you want? I don't remember crossing paths with you," Mr.Morrison frowned as he couldn't recall offending this man who kept his daughter as hostage.
Suddenly, Gael moved at an impossible speed with Elowyn in his arms, before her could react, he headed to the town's entrance. Looking for a suitable space he created a gateway through an invincible space. This was Elowyn's first time coming here and she couldn't understand what was going on.
At that moment, she heard the indescribable wails of her townspeople as they were being slaughtered as pigs. She looked ahead and saw as they were scattered like stray sheep without a shepherd to keep them in check. How they were being drained of their souls and were being burnt to death. She could only watch helplessly with Mr. Gael rock grip on her.
Just as Mr. Gael finished with creating the portal, he heard a snicker coming from behind.
"You are a pest, aren't you?" Mr. Morrison accused.
"Not as wild as you are," Mr. Gael scornfully replied. He had already stepped into the gate and make sure Elowyn was before him, facing Elowyn's father, he said. "Till then."
As soon as Mr. Gael spoke, they heard a 'swoosh' sound then…'thud!'
Elowyn saw her father's head rolling on the ground with the mysterious man who had speaking on behalf of the other mysterious four.
"You take care of yourselves. I will be coming to get you." With that he turned and walked away.
Then, the gate closed decisively, shortly. With the two people behind it.