Nova bit her lip as she watched Cassandra and Caspar train. She already knew that she could never fight like that.
" They might as well knock me out right now," she said to herself. She looked down at the bow Cassandra had given her. She was grateful, but the chances of her breaking it were too high.
" Nova, come show me what you got!" Cassandra called. Nova gulped and took up the bow. She could already feel her heart racing as she stepped four away from the target.
" Are you sure I can do this?" she asked. Cassandra nodded confidently.
" You did it right before, just concentrate on the target and shoot, but just don't hit Austin this time." Nova rolled her eyes. Yes, she did hit Austin with the arrow, but it didn't do any damage to his body, except maybe him bleeding.
Austin nodded as he down on the grass. " Honestly, that hurt Nova."
" How many times do I have to say sorry?" she asked.
" As how long the bleeding kept going," he replied coldly. Nova rolled her eyes. She listened to Cassandra and tried to concentrate all her energy on the arrow once more, but something was off. As she released it, it went to the right of it, landing in the grass.
Cassandra laughed nervously. " Maybe you didn't concentrate hard enough?"
" It's hopeless," Nova said. " The last time I did it, I had so much energy, but now...It feels like all of it is sucked out of my body."
" I wondered what happened. Any ideas there sister?" Caspar asked. Cassandra put her hand on her chin, thinking. However, nothing came to her mind.
" I don't know Caspar. Though, your energy fading away like that has to be serious. Perhaps I could ask Father about that later. Austin, have you mastered your magic yet?"
Austin turned to face his sister, though he wasn't pleased.
" Austin...has magic?" Nova asked. Caspar nodded.
" Yep, quite unusual here in Holden. I think he's the only one who has magic in this town."
" What happened to the others?"
" Well, our town was attacked when we were younger and they wiped them all out," he explained. Nova's grip on the bow became tighter. " And you're not afraid if the same thing happens once again?"
Cassandra shook her head. " Holden is always in the middle of certain situations. There was a battle right outside this town."
" Sounds like you're living in a tough time. Sadly, I can't do anything about it. I wish this war would end."
Cassandra frowned. " If you're talking about the Demon Sisters, then you are correct. They have destroyed yet another village, and there is another group that has destroyed a town. There was suppose to be a festival occurring there, for not being attacked."
Nova felt sick to her stomach. " How bad are these groups?" she asked. Cassandra bit her lip.
" Terrifying enough that everyone is afraid to even talk bad about them," she admitted. Her body started to shake. " Even I am afraid of speaking about them. They have killed even more than the Demon Sisters, and they have been alive for years."
Nova gulped. " I see," she said, almost like a whisper. " Then, what I'm hearing is the result of beating them...is impossible."
" Not at all," Caspar joined in. " They can be defeated, but it will take a lot of magic to do so. As for the Demon Sisters...Well, we can leave that to Princess Faith."
" The Princess can defeat such horrendous monsters?" Nova asked.
" She is strong," Cassandra told her. " No one would deny such a thing, and her Mother and Father have disappeared since her birth. Surly, she is strong."
Nova nodded and looked down at the bow in her hands.
" I wish I had the power to stop this war," she thought.
Austin sighed. " Mother and Father aren't gonna be pleased that you told an outsider about our town's history."
" Are you gonna be a little snitch?" Cassandra asked her younger brother.
He shook his head with a smile appearing upon his lips. " I would tell unless you teach me some magic."
" W-what?!" Cassandra exclaimed. " You already know the outcome of this! There is no way." Austin shrugged and started to walk towards the house.
" Alright, but this will bite you in the ass."
" Wait."
Austin stopped.
" Alright, come over here and I'll teach you, but in return you must not tell anyone about this unless you'll be hung."
Austin turned around and grinned. " Thank you very much sister, and don't worry I won't tell anyone."
Nova chuckled nervously. " He sure knows how to get what he wants," she thought.
Nova watched as Austin stood in between Cassandra and Caspar, eyeing the both of them.
" Nova, you might want to step back. Austin here has long range."
She nodded and sat on the grass near the house. Cassandra took out her sword.
" Alright, Caspar you know what to do."
He nodded. " Yep, just get him on the ground and pin him. I got it sister."
Austin clenched his fists. " Have you forgotten who you're messing with?" He picked up a small rock from the ground, and juggled it in his hand, waiting for one of them to struck. As he was waiting, Cassandra sprinted towards him, holding the sword tightly in her hand.
Austin swiftly stepped back, dodging her attack. As she repeatedly tried to knock him down, he moved. Finally, Austin threw the rock at his sister, causing her to fall to the ground.
" Damn," she hissed. " Austin, Mother already told you about throwing rocks at us." As she scolded him, he picked up another rock, ready to aim it at Caspar. He backed away, holding his sword in front of him.
" Don't even think about it," he warned his younger brother. Austin smiled and simply dropped the rock. He brought his attention back to Nova.
" How was that?" he asked her.
" That was nothing," she said. She turned to Cassandra, who was rubbing her forehead. " What was that?"
" Austin here can control the earth," she answered. " Though, with all the villagers around, he can't do anything much without causing a panic."
" Without causing a panic?" the zodiac questioned. " What could happen?"
Cassandra stood up. " You see, in Holden having magic is unusual. They think if someone has magic, then that would bring this town to war from other groups." She pointed over to a building, where three shadows castes over the ground. " If they ever found out about Austin, then that would be him up there, hanging like a monkey."
Nova felt sweat forming on her forehead just glancing up at the building. Now it was clear to her. The bodies that were hanged were decaying--seeming like they were hanged before she arrived.
" I see," she muttered. " I have to thank you for training today. I will be taking a little detour around Holden."
" Do you want us to accompany you?" Caspar asked.
" I would like to myself." She turned to face them. " Is that a problem?"
The three of them shook their heads as Nova left the house.
~
That was all that occupied her mind as she walked the streets of Holden. Though the subject about being hanged was more important to her an anything else. Nova looked back at the building.
What if I get caught? Would they hang me like that or will they just kill me in front of everyone?
She sighed and continued her walk. She didn't want to think of herself dying--just like how her whole village died--just because they wouldn't give them anymore food. Her fist clenched.
" Something so foolish," she muttered to herself. " I want them to suffer. Feel the way I did when my family died."
She never thought this way before--wanting to kill someone so badly--it actually made her heart beat faster. She quickly stopped, feeling her breath shorten.
" What the hell am I thinking?" she said. " I can't keep thinking about this anymore." She lightly touched her shoulder. " And this mark seems like the reason why. I have to be more careful when I think about that day."
She turned around when she smelled smoke in the air. The blond looked around and found where the source of the smoke was coming from.
The Hale Household.