At the top of a small hill stood an abandoned house where apparently no one lived.
Of course, that wasn't really true. There were many rumors of lost travelers who could hear screams coming from the building at night.
However, no one dared to enter, and the templars wouldn't do anything about it. That was clear.
But that house hid a mystery. Nora knew that.
Investigating, she had discovered there were many reports of missing fairy and demon children.
This case didn't go unnoticed. Rumors spread, and the disappearances were increasingly obvious.
But the templar guard did nothing.
So much so that it was rumored that soon a group of inspectors would come to investigate the situation.
But while that happened, people were starting to connect the dots. Desperate parents went to that haunted house hoping that with luck, their children were there.
However, those who went never returned, making that place much more suspicious... and terrifying.
"Hmp, without a doubt this place is very suspicious. My hero instinct tells me so," Nora affirmed, in front of the old abandoned house.
The wood was rotten, and vines slowly climbed around it, as if trying to consume it.
However, that unpleasant and ominous aura the house gave off alerted all of Nora's warning senses.
The sun was setting, illuminating the cabin from behind with an orange light that made it even more disturbing.
"Thank heavens that old lady showed me the place, otherwise I think I would have gotten lost," the girl commented as she entered the house.
The old wooden door creaked as it opened, but not even that seemed to worry Nora, who kept walking as the wood creaked under her feet.
"Wow... There doesn't seem to be anything," Nora said, inspecting the place.
It was an old house. The dusk light filtered through the holes in the ceiling and the broken windows.
It was too small to lock anyone up.
Maybe this wasn't the right place.
The girl turned around disappointed, as she started walking toward the exit.
"I swear, dude, that old man was really scary," a young voice then said, startling Nora.
She turned in the direction of the voice. It came from the floor, beneath those old, rotten wooden planks.
Nora tilted her head with confusion, perplexed by that phenomenon she couldn't understand.
"Don't be a crybaby, Rat. I'm sure you've seen much more terrifying people than that old man, like for example, your mother, HAHAHA," another deeper voice laughed.
The girl kept looking, staring at the floor, hearing the voices with confusion.
Was the floor talking?
Nora didn't know what to think. However, much stranger was when the floor acquired blue hair.
Had it grown hair?
Do wooden planks have hair?
Does that mean on average there's a large percentage of bald wooden planks?
Nora's internal thoughts were becoming increasingly convoluted.
However, little by little a head appeared, and a complete body, as if it were passing through the floor itself.
"Look, Ronald, I don't care if you're the biggest in the group. If you talk about my mother like that again, I'm going to—"
Another body emerged from the floor. A boy with dark brown hair, older than the blue-haired one, and with a mocking face.
"Do what? Don't say things you might regret, sewer rat. Let me remind you that if it weren't for me, you'd still be a loser everyone bullies for having a whore mother," Ronald responded, with a haughty tone in his voice.
"Hey, brats, stop fighting. You're really starting to get on my nerves," another voice said. More people were coming out of that floor.
The latter was a boy with fire-colored hair. He looked adult, though he was still young.
"We're sorry, boss," Ronald apologized with a nervous giggle.
Nora looked at the newcomers. She didn't know where they had come from, but she found them very suspicious.
However, she couldn't allow herself to hit before asking like she had done with Alioth.
She had learned her lesson. She couldn't let herself be carried away by appearances.
"Who are you!? And what are you doing here!?" the girl exclaimed with an authoritative voice while putting her arms akimbo.
All eyes directed toward the girl. Completely confused by the fact there was a child in that nefarious place.
It was like seeing a dragon in a museum ballroom.
"Girl, are you lost? Do you want me to take you to your parents?" Aizel asked with a kind expression.
Nora received it with a raised eyebrow, clearly perplexed by that question.
She was a heroine. She was old enough to look for her mother alone.
"Don't ignore my questions, wretch! What are you doing here? Are you related to the missing children?" Nora roared, with her chest high and full of confidence.
Anyone would think that girl, who was not only the youngest in the room but also at a numerical disadvantage of six to one, would feel intimidated.
However, she didn't fear.
Why would she fear?
She was a heroine, and heroes aren't afraid of anything.
"Wretch? Are there still people who use that as an insult?" Aizel wondered with curiosity, stroking his chin. "Whatever, but what matters less is how the hell you know about this place. It'd be better if these brats accompany you to the exit. Next time, watch where you go."
The boy said with an indifferent attitude. Indicating with a gesture to two of the thugs to take care of her.
These two slowly approached the girl.
"You better not resist," one with brown hair combed back said, while extending his hand backward.
"What do we do with her? Just throw her out or... teach her a lesson?" another asked. He was short and his hair was curly.
Aizel shrugged, not giving it much importance.
"Just get her out of here. It's not like she can cause any proble—"
The sound of a bone breaking interrupted Aizel. His eyes opened with surprise upon seeing how Nora held the brown-haired boy's arm. An arm that was twisted unnaturally, as if it had broken.
Before he could let out a scream of pain, the boy's jaw was fractured with a punch. Teeth flew to Aizel's feet as the thug fell unconscious to the floor.
"I see, so you turned out to be villains," Nora said with a serious voice, while a smile drew on her face. "So it's okay if I give you a beating, right?"
Nora cracked her knuckles.
Everyone understood. That intruder was not just any child.