Kick the house like how you kick the bucket to an asshole's face.

LANCE

The day has turned cold. The dead field is silent except for the occasional quack of birds and mooh of cows. No horse. Definitely no horse. Me and Magnus stayed silent for a few seconds. Watching the birds having their bickering lovers fight in the air. It would have been nice if these winged creatures didn't get us involve. But they sh*t on our heads. And that earned them two belly perfect stone strike from Magnus.

After laughing at the birds he suggested we should take a look inside the wooden house. I relented. But it's lock. I plan to find some lock picking tools somewhere. Probably steal from the janitor who gave me the garbage bath which caused me to have that dream. Magnus refused. Said it's time consuming. I asked what are we supposed to do then, he said we should kick the doors open.

Now it's my time to refused. I just killed the owner. I'm definitely not gonna break into that old man's house and say hi to his ghost haunting his bed. Trying to hide his stack porn mag under the blankets. Magnus reluctantly nods. After a few minutes, he asked me what should we do. I can't think of anything. I paced back and forth. I became restless. I keep thinking about the farmers I saw back at the office. What will their reactions be if they saw the house empty and has signs of break - in?

In the end I get desperate. So I resorted to scratching and pulling some strands of my hair. I told Magnus to wait. While we think. Maybe we could brainstorm some brilliant ninja ideas to get in the house without any signs of forced entry. The more we're careful, the lest people found out. We crouched down and pondered. And it took longer than I thought.

His ideas are so bizarre and so out of this world, I think he'll scare the devil out of that ugly teacher back to hell if she ever heard him say these words. He said he has sword, cross swords. Why don't he slice the door open? Since it's wood. It's ultra easy. I told him no. What about kicking the wall? He asked. They look like billboards in uptown buildings, made only with wooden planks as thin as cardboards. He said it has the same feeling as if he's kicking a mud - filled pail to an asshole face.

The more I refuse his suggestions, the frustrated he gets. I just notice that Magnus don't have much patience drilled in his brain. His sandy hair would bounce when he stood up and strolled around the pebbles and soil on his feet. His stormy grey eyes would shrink, unable to carry the heavy weight of his eyebrows when he frowns. Those tight muscles underneath his black clothes, how many years of training did he undergo to achieve that perfect body?

I'm suddenly overwhelmed with insecurities. Compared to him I'm like a tiny stick easily tossed by the wind.

"Let's get this over with!" he grunted. He kicked a stone the size of palm at his feet and marched towards the wooden house.

"Hey, what are you gonna do?" I got up and followed his heel.

"Breaking in of course. You expect me to slump all day getting frustrated as each one of my brilliant suggestions got rejected by a kid ten years my age? No! I will not accept such humiliation!" He raised his legs and kicked the wall of the shabby house.

"Let me tell you Eklektos - in my team they respected and honored my decision each time we go to – "A loud rumble from our left stops him from saying the rest of his words. The sound resembles a tree cut off by its trunk like it's screaming in pain from the cruelty of taking out its life. I instinctively glanced around.

That's when I noticed I'm looking in the wrong direction. The tree is actually the wooden shabby house. I did tell you it's excessively worn out right? Like the tenant is too lazy to hammer two lumbers in one.

I gulped in horror watching the whole 4 by 5 feet twice my height poverty stricken house collapse with a loud crash. Shaking the ground in its fall, startling the birds in their flight. Dead twigs snap and crack as it crumbled – or so I thought, turns out it's the pillar of this wreckage that grate itself to complete destruction.

"Wow,"

"Lance, I –"

"Just wow."

"I didn't mean to –"

I thrust my finger at the pile of soft earth surrounding the wreckage. "You do know we can't go looking what's inside or acquire some clues because of your overacting urge to break down things right? What will happen to us now? How are we supposed to look for Moon rose if everything that has connection to her is in the pile of dirt?!" I barked.

Anger seeps slowly into my chest. Magnus at first looks taken aback. He tried to move his lips but no words ever formed on it. Then he tilts his head and murmured 'moon rose' without a sound.

"Moon rose? Aren't we looking for any sign of presence for that 'Auf's comrade? They could be here already, pining for our throat. Why did searching ever mean her…" he paused. Eyes seething as if he saw a hairless monkey stripping him off his pants.

"Ah, I see so this is about her? You're furious because you lost the little connection you might have in knowing her identity? What? Is she so important you prioritize her over the danger these 'Auf' poses to us?"

I look away. His words hit the mark. But I don't want to say he's right. I don't want to admit it. No. Never. I won't relent. The feeling of helplessness overtook me. My breath hitches, remembering the image of that humanoid visiting in my dreams, driving my mother to do that suicide spell.

Maybe he's right. Maybe they really are dangerous and should be sought us first. But… Something is really nagging inside of me. Especially when that 'tylwyth' said they laid a trap to us. To me.

And it will be a matter of time before this trap happens and everyone I know will be swept away, resulting in their deaths. Dad, Magnus and…Moon rose. My fingers found its way to a fist.

I must never let that happen.