After an hour, Kid and the soldiers had made it into the village. Liz and Patty were in weapon form. The village was quiet and peaceful, the only noise being the sound of chirping birds. The guards marched farther into the village, their weapons drawn.
"Remain vigilant, and be on your guard at all times." Kid ordered. Suddenly, a young woman came running out of one of the cottages, crying hysterically.
"Help! Somebody please help!" she cried.
"Miss, calm down! What's the matter?" Kid asked. The woman struggled to calm down, but when she did, she finally spoke.
"It's my boy, Grigory. He hasn't come home since last night, and I think something has happened to him!" the woman.
"What is your name, ma'am?" Kid asked.
"Luna." the woman replied, sniffling.
"Luna, what was your son doing before he went missing?" asked Kid.
"We went apple picking with some of the other children, and I told him to be back before sunset, but he never came home." Luna said, choking back years. Kid took her hand in his.
"Luna, I promise we are going to find your boy. Do not worry." he said, and Luna nodded.
"Thank you, Lord Death." she said. Kid and the guards left to investigate the rest I the village and secure the grounds. Deep down, Kid hoped the boy was safe and sound, but he feared the worst. He couldn't face that woman and tell her that her child was dead. And he couldn't tell Melaena. She was already blaming herself for one child's death.
"Kid, you don't suppose that little bit has been murdered, do you?" Liz asked, still in weapon form.
"I hope not, Liz." Kid replied. "I surely hope not." Suddenly, Kid sensed an evil presence nearby.
"Kid, what is it?" Liz asked.
"I sense a Kishin nearby. Guards, brave yourselves!" Kid ordered. The guards stood alert, their weapons drawn, prepared to fight. Suddenly, a beast leapt out of the trees. He was pale, with dark hair, and flashing red eyes. He had sharp fangs, and blood was dripping from his mouth. The Kishin lunged at Kid, who began firing.
"You have no right to attack and murder innocent children! You will pay for that! Your soul is mine!" Kid growled as he kept shooting. The beast pounced on one of the guards and ripped out his throat with his bare hands. The poor man died instantly. One of the guards had managed to slash his arm with his sword, but was knocked into a tree, falling unconscious. The beast had managed to escape, with Kid still firing his weapons.
"Damn it! He got away!" Kid growled. Suddenly, he heard a woman's scream.
"It's coming from the apple orchard!" Kid said, as he and the guards made their way over to the source of the noise. Kid looked on in horror as he saw Luna cradling her son's lifeless body, sobbing. The boy eas extremely pale, for his body was drained of blood. She looked up at Kid, with grief and anger etched on her face.
"You promised me! You promised me you would find him!" She shrieked. Kid reached out to put his hand on her shoulder, but Luna slapped it away. "Don't touch me! This is all your fault! And hers! You're supposed to protect us! Damn you!" Kid looked at her sadly, his heart filled with guilt. He was too late, and now another child was dead.
"I'm sorry." he said softly.
"What good will saying "sorry" do? My son is dead!" Luna spat, sobbing. "Just leave me in peace!" Kid said nothing. He and the guards left the orchard and continued on their journey to secure the kingdom to prevent further attacks. Later that evening, they headed back to the palace. Upon seeing Kid, Melaena rushed to embrace him. Then she saw a look of sadness on his face.
"Kid? What's wrong?" Melaena asked.
"Another child has been murdered." Kid said. Melaena eyes grew wide, and she began to hyperventilate. Kid grabbed and held her close to him
"Sweetheart, you mustn't work yourself up like this. Please calm down." he said.
"Two children have been murdered within two days, and the killer has not been caught. Do not tell me to calm down!" Melaena said through gritted teeth, catching her breath.
"I know you're angry. I am too. But you can't stress yourself out like this. You have two babies growing inside of you. It's not good for them." Kid said. The last thing he wanted was for Melaena to miscarry due to stress. Melaena began to weep. Kid stroked her hair. "Shhh. Don't cry, darling." he whispered soothingly "It will be alright. We will catch the person responsible for this, and we will send him to Hell where he belongs. I promise." Melaena looked up at Kid, her face streaked with tears. Kid took his thumb and wiped them away.
"Kid, I'm so scared." Melaena said, her voice choked.
"I know. Come with me to bed. I want you to sleep. Tomorrow, we will talk to Father. He will know what to do." Kid said. Melaena nodded, and they went to bed. Melaena fell asleep with Kid holding her close to him, filling her ears with whispers of love and reassurance.
