A Wish To Forget

5 - Homicide; A Hard Decision

    ‘Corrupt mana’s close by but it shouldn't be near enough to affect the townsfolk.’ Sanciel brandished the dagger in his hand, waiting for something. Only mere milliseconds after his detection, a distant noise of an explosion–what he'd assess to be a self-destructive spell–reached his ears. ‘Can the angel hear this?’

     He stood up, took his cloak from the bed, and wore it. Sanciel pushed away the chair and opened the window with a creak, wiping away the drawn-on smiles with a swipe of his cloak. He stood tilted on the window’s frame, with his back facing outside, and clutched the edge of the roof with a hand. With one swift motion, he launched himself upwards, using his hand as leverage, and climbed onto the tiled gable roof. He barely balanced himself and when he did, he sighed. “So troublesome."

     This was not a wise decision.

     His intention was to go to the origin of the explosion and inspect it; now, he has to get off the roof without alerting the locals. It would've been wiser and easier to leave the room and go through the front door like any normal person but no, Sanciel wanted the cooler and harder way out. If he loses his balance, he'll slip down and fall like an idiot that he was.

     It wasn't midnight yet, and there were still a few people on the streets. Luckily, it was raining and he wore a gray cloak; the darkness should conceal him. If he jumps off from here, he should be safe without any broken bones. Even if he did somehow mess it up, he'll heal quickly so it's fine.

     “Hm, maybe tomorrow." Sanciel hung off the ledge and almost missed the frame of the open window. He could only be relaxed once his feet landed quietly on the wooden floor. The interior was almost the same, except that the room gave off a flowery scent and the glass was wiped clean. Two windows, a bed for one person, a lantern on a bedside table, shelves next to a table, a chair, and a jug of water on the former. Everything was much cleaner than his room which had collected dust and cobwebs–it even had a vase of flowers which he recognized to be foxgloves. With an oil lamp lit on the opposite window, it created a warm and cozy atmosphere he couldn’t afford to ruin. Such differential treatment… or was it just his luck?

     Sanciel approached the bed and crossed his arms over his chest, with his right hand holding his dagger. ‘Should I?’

     He considered the pros and cons. He contemplated whether or not it was worth the consequences. Eithria, now defenseless in her deep sleep, didn't notice his presence. Sanciel could kill her but was it really worth it? He could leave her be and he'll have a traveling companion but, why would he need to travel? The existence of the god's son was questionable at best.

    Sanciel grasped the hilt of the blade tighter and lifted his hand, prepared to stab with a great amount of force. The blade swiftly plunged downwards, wisps of black gathering around it, and-

    Eithria turned over in her sleep.
    
    ‘Oh well.’ Sanciel stopped before it could reach her, and the wisps dissipated after the retreat of his killing intent. He pocketed his dagger and left the room with a frown. Before he did, he once again noticed the oil lamp still burning, and went to extinguish it. ‘It’s not worth it. Who knows if that bastard would take revenge?’

     The townsfolk below were all wasted with alcohol, and some had even fallen asleep. Sanciel felt as if someone was watching him but he shrugged it off. It could be that man who kept listening and looking at the two of them as they ate or those pairs of eyes following them ever since they rode on the old man’s cart. Raindrops continued to fall outside and his cloak had gotten substantially wet from his little escapade. He didn't return to his room to sleep and instead left the tavern. Change of plans–he was going to look for the site of the explosion right now and not tomorrow.

     After a few minutes of walking, he left the town and could now run to his heart's content. It only took a few seconds to get to his destination. If the explosion occurred at the tavern instead of in the forest then the whole building would have been wiped out. A deep, wide circular hole had formed from the explosion and no one was in sight. ‘Two presence…There's light magic too.’

     Perhaps an angel and a demon fought? He’s seen these kinds of things back when The Burning was still ongoing. Demons self-destructed themselves so they could kill their opponent–a last-ditch effort in case things went south for them. The angel must have died alongside the demon too since he can’t seem to find any divine mana anywhere within the radius of his detection. They put up quite a fight too, judging by the amount of burnt branches and grass around the area. Sanciel left after looking around for a few minutes, dissatisfied with the piteous amount of information he found.

     ‘She’s been so friendly. I should apologize.’

     The following morning, Eithria roused awake from her sleep in a pleasant mood. Sometime around midnight, the rain had stopped, so the windows had tiny droplets sticking to them. The sky outside was an azurite blue and cirrus clouds were sparse, displaying the golden might of the sun. She walked towards a closed window, one she's quite sure she opened last night and looked at the other window with the oil lamp on it, untouched and in the same position but snuffed out.

     ‘He visited, huh. And here I thought we were getting along.’

     Eithria opened the window and breathed in the slightly cold fresh air. A spring breeze blew in, running through her uncombed hair. Once she finished preparing to leave, she exited the room and was met with a frowning Sanciel leaning against the wooden railings, much like a painting.

     Their eyes met.

     A playful smile immediately found its way into his face. “Good morning, angel.”

     “En." She looked behind him and found most of the townsfolk asleep. Some of them have even left, and a few are awake and suffering from hangovers. “Good morning to you, too. The weather is pleasant today, hm?"

     Sanciel feels as if she's going to kill him. Although her smile is the same, it feels a bit forced… Ack, does she know he entered her room and gestured to stab her? ‘This… She seems a bit intimidating.’

     “I'm sor-"

     Eithria walked past him…

     ‘Is she returning to Raziel?’

     …then she turned around and pulled him by the scruff of his neck.

     “Hey, hey, hey?! What-"