"Well, don't go screaming. DON'T! Just laugh. We're having fun. We're having fun." Hugo said laughing. One hand over his stomach and the other over his eyes. His laughs were not evil but of joy.
At first, no one moved. His words hung in the night, warped and trembling. Then it began. Elena's lips twitched, her teeth baring in a smile she did not want. Her shoulders shook, small giggles spilling out against her will as tears began to stream down her face.
"Stop—" she tried to choke out, but it broke into a peal of laughter that didn't sound like hers.
Lyra staggered back, clutching her stomach as the sound tore out of her throat, a shrill and desperate cackle. Kael's voice cracked into a roaring laugh, his tail lashing wildly as he clawed at his own throat, as though trying to pull the sound out.
It wasn't joy. It wasn't even madness. It was possession.
The whole town erupted in laughter. Men, women, children, all doubled over clutching their stomachs, laughing.
Hugo floated above them, as people ran in terror, cackling with that unbearable delight.
Their flight was senseless. They dashed down main streets and tore into narrow side passages, desperate to escape the sound that possessed them. But the calm and safe town seemed to turn against them, becoming an endless loop. They ran helplessly down alleyways and streets only to emerge at the very street they'd just fled, their mouths still wide in that awful, contagious glee. No matter where they ran, the town seemed bent on pushing them back into its madness.
Townsfolk began leaping from roofs and slicing their own throats seeking the peace of the grave. But they did not stay dead. Before their bodies could even cool, they gasped back to life violently. Their eyes wide with the fresh memory of death. Laughter poured out of them again as they were forced to rejoin the terrified, laughing rush. Death was no escape. It was just a pause before the next panicked step.
They laughed, tears of pain and fear running down their faces as they died over and over again. Hugo's laughter, their new eternal heartbeat. Their screams and laughter, music to Hugo's ears, as he began swinging his hands in front of him like the conductor of a symphony. The townsfolk, merely laughing puppets, helpless instruments for him to play.
Then out of the chaos a woman dressed in a black cloak walked peacefully, not laughing.
Hugo's smile dropped.
He dropped his hands and instantly, the maddened townsfolk collapsed like puppets whose strings had been cut. Their bodies fell to the ground, hitting the cobblestone with a wet, vile squelch.
He floated down, his feet touching the cobblestone street with unnatural silence, as he turned to the wall in a pout.
Hugo slid his hands into his pockets, shoulders slouched, as he lazily kicked a pebble across the street and watched as it bounced to a stop. He let out a heavy, tired sigh and tapped his toe lightly on the ground as he idly mumbled to himself.
A faint tap echoed as his heel brushed the ground behind him.
And then—gone
Complete silence. As if the night itself had flinched leaving only a small, lingering cloud of dust floating where his foot had tapped. The silence was deafening.
"Well don't just stand there" His whisper cutting through the silence.
Hugo whispered, now behind her. His eyes flat with an amber glow.
The woman in the black cloak stood perfectly still. Her reaction wasn't one of surprise or panic, but instead she stood relaxed and knowing, a subtle shift in balance that spoke of immediate readiness. She didn't turn.
"Well, well," she purred, her voice soft, deliberate, but with a playful lilt. "Quite the performance. I almost wish I'd brought popcorn."
Hugo grin stretched wider. "Oh? And who's the critic who interrupted my… fun?"
"Evelyn," she said, voice smooth and deliberate. "Some call me the Witch of Prudence. But you…" she turned to face him and let her eyes roam over him like a chess player studying an unpredictable pawn. "...you can call me Evelyn"
Hugo chuckled, the sound bouncing oddly off the warped streets. Denying her attempts at friendship and ignoring her introduction. "You're not laughing, not running… Why's that?"
Evelyn ignores his question,"I'm here to offer you a… proposition"
"Jezz lady, bold move, I don't even know you"
She gave him a bright, knowing smile, almost as though she had been expecting his answer. "Not that kind of proposition… a pact, if you will. A delightful arrangement I'm sure you'll come to love."
Hugo's eyes narrowed, the amber glow fading slightly as a familiar skepticism replaced the previous menace. "A pact? That sounds incredibly shady, and honestly, a little cliché. What, you wanna borrow my kidney? My soul? And you still haven't answered my question, Evelyn. Why aren't you surprised I popped up behind you?"
Evelyn tilted her head, her pure white hair swaying like silk. "We will get to all the nitty gritty details later, as for your question… Well, I know things. Things about you, Hugo. Things you don't even know you've forgotten. And when a boy with intriguing powers suddenly decides to play at being a shadow, a true observer would hardly be taken off guard."
A shiver went down Hugo's spine. The casual, almost sweet way she mentioned his name and the scent of a witch was unnerving. He crossed his arms defensively. "Okay, look, 'Evelyn.' You know my name, great. Creepy, but whatever. Let's get back to this 'pact.' You haven't said what you want."
Evelyn took a slow, elegant step closer, her black cloak seeming to absorb the faint street light. Her expression was one of genuine, boundless curiosity. "I want knowledge. I want to see. I want to know everything about what you can do. Tell me, Hugo… what is it like to die? To experience that utter finality, only to have the slate wiped clean? I want to taste the truth of your predicament, to feel the weight of your fear, and the joy of your impossible restarts."
Her eyes, clear as a moonlit pool, held an intensity that threatened to pull him under.
"I've never had a living specimen quite like you before," she murmured, a genuine, almost childlike eagerness lacing her voice. "My proposition is simple: You tell me everything. Every fear, every emotion, every single detail of your horrifying, fascinating curse. And in exchange…" she paused, that knowing smile returning, "…I offer you a bit of my wisdom. A little advice, a little insight… and perhaps, if you prove interesting enough, I might just alleviate some of your loneliness."
Hugo blinked, his carefully constructed composure cracking. The word loneliness had hit him like a physical blow. He stared at the Witch of Prudence, his face a mask of conflict. This woman was terrifying, insane, and yet… she was offering to talk about it. A part of him, the desperate, isolated part, whispered to take the deal.
"And what's the catch, Witch?" he asked, his voice rough. "There's always a catch."
Evelyn clapped her hands together, a delicate, pleased sound. "Oh, you truly are a delightful partner for conversation! The only catch is that you must not lie. Not about your ability. Not to me. I want the truth, Hugo. Can you give me that, I wonder?"
He kept his hands shoved in his pockets, leaning back slightly in a posture designed to show indifference, but the tremor in his voice betrayed his intense curiosity.
What kind of obsessive fangirl are you, Witch?"
Evelyn offered a wide, dazzling smile, the kind that looked beautiful but felt utterly fake. "Fangirl? Oh, you flatter yourself, Hugo. Such a crude description for a mutual interest. You're merely the most fascinating test subject to stumble across my path in... well, let's just say a very long time."
"How long, Witch?"
"Dont you know to never ask a lady her age?" she purred, tapping her chin playfully. Her smile didn't reach her eyes, which held a chilling stillness.
Hugo's jaw tightened, but he didn't look away. "Maybe I'm not one to play by your rules."
The shift in his tone seemed to please her more than any compliance. A shadow of amusement crossed Evelyn's perfect features.
Evelyn's eyes narrowed slightly, that glimmer of delight deepening into something more intimate. "Oh, you're adorable when you're defensive," she teased, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Still pretending you're the one holding the cards."
Hugo's expression flickered, half irritation, half confusion. "Adorable? I just decimated an entire town. I'm not one to kink shame, Witch, but a little weird…"
She giggled softly, the sound oddly gentle among the ruins. "And yet here you are," she said, voice light but sharp, "pouting like a scolded child. Honestly, you're impossible." Her gaze lingered on him, sharp and indulgent all at once. "Tell me, Hugo—did that make you feel powerful, or just… alive?"
He tensed at that, his jaw tightening. "You don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh, but I do," Evelyn purred, taking a small, deliberate step closer. "The first taste of your own power, when the world finally bends, when everyone finally sees you, it's intoxicating, isn't it? Terrifying, too. A little chaos to drown out the silence."
Evelyn's eyes narrowed slightly, a flash of genuine, delighted surprise in their depths before it was quickly masked by her customary playful facade. "Ah, you're feistier than you look, Hugo. I like that. I really, really like that. I haven't been challenged so quickly in... well, I can't recall when. Keep me guessing, darling. It's much more entertaining."
"What are the rules, Witch? Be fast. I hate rules."
Evelyn's smile softened, losing its falseness for a moment, replaced by an expression of genuine, pleased fascination. "Excellent. A deal built on honest curiosity is the strongest kind. The rules are simple, Hugo. My knowledge for your truth. When I ask, you answer. You tell me what I want to know about your gift. And in return, my answers to your questions, and my company when you need it."
Hugo exhaled through his nose, a shaky laugh escaping. "You talk like you've already figured me out."
Evelyn tilted her head, her white hair catching the moonlight as she gave him a half-lidded look. "Oh, I'd never spoil the mystery that quickly. You're much too fun to unwrap all at once."
Her tone was light, teasing, but the way her eyes studied him made it clear she was memorizing every flicker of his expression.
Hugo frowned, trying to reclaim some control. "So what—you wanna study me like I'm some kind of experiment?"
Evelyn smirked. "Study you? Darling, I want to understand you. There's a difference." Her voice dropped, soft and almost sultry. "And if that understanding comes with a bit of curiosity… and a charming companion to share it with… who am I to resist?"
Hugo's throat tightened. "You're insane."
"Probably," she said cheerfully, stepping closer, their faces inches apart, until only a breath separated them. "But I'm honest. And I think you need that more than you realize."
Her smile gentled again, half-flirt, half-promise. "So what do you say, Hugo? Will you let me in? Or shall we keep playing this delightful game of cat and mouse?"
For the first time, Hugo didn't answer right away. His pulse was still racing from what he'd done, his laughter still echoing in his head, but her voice cut through it like silk. Against his better judgment, he almost smiled.
"…You're trouble, Witch."
Evelyn's grin was radiant. "And you're finally interesting."
"Oh, and one more tiny detail. Don't run away again, Hugo," she chirped, a sickly sweet tone entering her voice. "That little vanishing act… It's rather rude to a lady when she's speaking. I could, of course, follow you every single time, corner you the moment you stop, and make your future attempts at privacy very, very uncomfortable… but the effort would be tedious... and a terrible tease, wouldn't it?" She tilted her head, her gaze raking over his form with a slow, appreciative possessiveness that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. A small, intimate smirk played on her lips.
"Oh, and just so you know—this is my first time… dealing with someone quite like you." She tilted her head, voice dripping with faux innocence. "So don't be too hard on me if I get a little… enthusiastic."
She winked, the perfect blend of danger and charm.
For a heartbeat, Hugo's stern facade cracked, as a small smirk bent on his face. For a second the faint flush in his cheeks betrayed the calm he tried to project. A short, sharp laugh escaped him, more a breath than a sound, eyes flickering away as if the noise embarrassed him. He cleared his throat, hands shoved deeper into his pockets. "Dumb Witch"
"Oh! Such harsh words!" She said with mock offense as she giggled.
And then suddenly-
Hugo fell. Like the lifeless bodies he had spilled, his body too bounced to the ground with a sinful thud. His body goes slack.
"That's it, my dear. Don't worry, I knew you would. Such excessive expenditure of power demands a tax. It's what happens when you try to hold onto too much life at once. An exquisite exhaustion."
She paused, the mental impression softening further, sounding like a tender sigh of a mother.
"Oh, Hugo darling. You truly are a mess, aren't you? We'll meet again soon. Sleep well and take care of that beautiful mind of yours. Ta-ta for now, darling."
Evelyn put her hood back on and walked away slowly, leaving Hugo sprawled out, unconscious, on a road filled with lifeless bodies piled high aimlessly, throats slit and crushed bodies, fog spilling through and in between them.
As Evelyn, the Witch of Prudence, disappeared in the fog, Hugo's eyes closed. Darkness taking over his world as His amber eyes closed. The once stitched smile fell from his face, reverting back to his paranoid expression, lips naturally pressed tightly together.
Hugo's chest heaved, the exhaustion dragging him deeper into a dark pit of unconsciousness. His limbs felt heavy, like they were made of lead, sinking into the cold cobblestones beneath him.
A low, harsh caw echoed through the foggy streets, slicing through the silence like a knife. Hugo's fading gaze caught the silhouette of a solitary crow, its jet-black feathers glistening faintly in the pale moonlight. The bird circled slowly above the ruined town, its eyes sharp and unblinking as it watched over the chaos below.
The bird's presence felt like a dark stain on the world, the embodiment of some ancient malice watching over the ruined town with predatory patience. Hugo's fading vision caught the crow's cruel gaze, and a shiver skittered down his spine despite his weakening state.
As the last threads of consciousness slipped away, the crow's form shimmered, feathers twisting in strange, almost impossible ways. In an instant, the bird shifted, growing larger, broader wings spreading wide, and its face morphing into the calm, piercing presence of an owl. Silent and grand, the owl glided gracefully across the sky, a guardian of the night watching over the fallen.
The owl's eyes glowed warm gold, full of quiet wisdom and kindness. It felt like an angel standing where there had just been a demon.
The owl gave a soft, gentle hoot that seemed to clear away the dark feeling in the air. Its wide wings shone softly, like they were made of light, as it flew silently circling around him in the sky.
And then, nothing. Darkness swallowed Hugo whole.