Fluff flew back to town in a hurry. The sun had risen and its eyes started to sting a bit. The white owl felt a need to rest and sleep, as all nocturnal animals were.
On its way back, it saw a beggar on the ground. That beggar had somehow found a perfect apple. It must've been the best thing that beggar received for a long time.
An idea came to Fluff. It must be fun to see the despair and anger flooding out of the beggar when it robbed the apple from him.
The thought of such cruelty made the owl shake in delight and its feather vibrated. It flew down and reached out its sharp claws.
Not only would it take the apple, it would leave some marks on the beggar to make sure he would remember this day forever.
In the cold nights that the beggar would fight for survival, he would be tortured by the wound and remember the one who had caused it all, Fluff the owl.
However, fate had other plans for it.
Siderius reached out his hand with so much precision and timing that Fluff couldn't react.
He grabbed its neck tightly and squeezed the air out of its throat. The owl flapped its wings at Siderius, hoping its miniscule strength could make him let go.
But his hand persisted like a carved statue.
The other beggars looked at him. Their eyes widened and their jaws dropped. Even they knew who that bird belonged to.
"Let it go, kid! You're gonna kill us all!"
A beggar rushed to Siderius, intending to rescue the owl.
The hunter drew his sword with his free hand and sliced it through the neck of the beggar. Blood splashed out like a water fountain as the beggar dropped to the ground. His eyes opened wide.
"Murderer!"
"Monster!"
"Get away from me!"
The beggars scattered away. Some didn't even dare to look back.
Those who did, saw the wind blow the cloak away from Siderius, revealing his angelic face, ethereal white hair and a cold expression.
They saw that face before. Even though he was a little bit different. That was Snow, the circus boy who killed his own mother.
In her little palace, Lyara woke up from her dream. Her throat was tight, it felt like someone was choking it.
But no one was in her bedroom. She understood immediately that Fluff was in danger.
Lyara connected their senses.
A heart-shaped ring appeared inside the owl's eyes. Lyara saw Siderius with his pure white hair and a coldness so alluring that she wetted herself.
Siderius knew that Lyara would be able to see through the senses of the owl. It was the basic function of a familiar.
He wanted her to see, to know that the boy she had played with, was coming for her.
"Snow?!" Lyara muttered.
Siderius couldn't hear her but he spoke like he could. He guessed her surprise at the moment.
"We meet again, witch."
The term 'witch' surprised Lyara. A mere commoner wouldn't dare to use it.
"How did you…" Lyara said.
"I'm coming." Siderius' voice was calm, cold and calculated. "I will kill everyone you hold most dear. And then I will make you beg for death.
Here's the first victim."
Siderius snapped the owl's neck in two, killing it instantly. Its body collapsed on his hands. The heart-shaped rings disappeared, cutting the connection with Lyara.
Lyara felt a sharp pain in her neck. Her throat collapsed and she couldn't stop coughing.
The pain was false, created by the connection between her and Fluff. It wasn't real but it damn sure had affected her.
But instead of worrying, Lyara had other feelings.
"Oh mine…" Lust filled her heart and Lyara licked her lips.
Her obsession with him ended when he refused her the second time. Playing hard to get was fun but not for long.
But he had changed. His hair changed. And he had an unexplainable aura with him. An aura that made Lyara weak in the knees.
She only wanted to use him before, to sacrifice him for her coming-of-age ritual. He was handsome but he was an ordinary human.
Now the story differed. Lyara couldn't think of any other way Snow had changed so much, except for The Discovery.
The discovery of magic. Lyara thought that Siderius had become a witch.
He was now worthy to stand by her side. No one else could compare.
Lyara desired for Snow again.
After killing the owl, Siderius retreated quickly. He put the corpse of the owl inside the cloth sack behind his back.
He didn't return to Ashe's house nor any other place inside the town.
He couldn't trust anyone. They had everything to gain from selling him out and none to benefit from helping him.
So he aimed for the Rottin Woods. Only there would he find a good place to hide.
Rottin Woods. The largest pine forest in the North of the Eldoria kingdom.
Inside the Rottin Woods were the Chaos Beasts. A type of animal that had magic ran in their veins and was much more powerful than any mere beast could be.
This 'species' was a unique aspect of this world. Snow had never met one. He only heard stories about it. Horrors that kept the slaves, the commoners and the citizens from deserting from their town.
Entering the woods had the risk of encountering the Chaos Beast, but Siderius had no other choice. Staying in Mucktown was a death sentence. He also didn't have any means to move to another town without dying of starvation on the way.
Only in the woods could he find a safe place to settle down and make it his secret hideout.
The place should be near a body of water for survival and hidden away from the eyes of predators. It also must not be too close to Mucktown for obvious reasons.
Siderius stopped at the edge of Rottin Woods, he looked back at Mucktown one last time. The place that held all the memories of Snow. His childhood. His upbringings. Now it was covered in a thick dense sorrow and hatred from his soul.
"Filthy place… I will return to cleanse you."
Siderius turned his back and went into the deep dark woods.