Once they made their way back to the clearing, Luca finally dropped the cart onto the grass with a tired sigh.

The wooden wheels creaked, and the dozens of chickens inside clucked and fluttered around nervously, clearly realizing that whatever trip they were on wasn't going to end in a picnic.

He dusted off his hands and looked down at them thoughtfully.

"Alright." He said, catching his breath. "This should be enough to make sure everyone in the village gets a taste."

Then, reaching into the satchel slung at his side, he pulled out a small, sharp knife. It gleamed faintly in the sunlight, short but clearly made for cutting, gutting, and skinning.

Luna immediately stiffened beside him, her face going pale. "L-Luca." She stammered nervously, taking a small step back. "What is that for…?"

He looked up innocently. "Oh, this? It's for slicing, gutting, and skinning the chickens, of course." He said matter-of-factly.

"First, we'll do that, then cut them into pieces—"

He stopped halfway through his sentence when he saw Luna's face go pale again, her lips pressing tightly together as if she was holding back another wave of nausea.

"Ah...right." He sighed and quickly backtracked. "Sorry. I shouldn't be saying things like that to you, should I?"

He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"It's just...well, it's going to get worse from here. A lot bloodier, actually. Maybe it's better if you look away or, you know, go somewhere else for a bit?"

But Luna shook her head weakly, forcing a small, trembling smile.

"It's...alright." She said softly. "At this point, even if I wanted to vomit, I can't. I think I've already emptied everything in my stomach."

Luca couldn't help but admire her determination.

"You've got a fiery spirit, Luna. I respect that." He nodded approvingly.

He then turned toward the cart and looked down at the chickens. They blinked up at him with round, innocent eyes, completely oblivious to their fate.

He sighed quietly, gripping the knife. "Alright, looks like it's up to me."

He was about to reach in and grab one when a voice interrupted him.

"Hero." Nyx said sweetly.

He glanced up. "Hm?"

Nyx was already rolling up her sleeves, a glint of anticipation in her eyes.

"Can I do it?" She asked, her tone far too cheerful for the situation. "Can I slice the chickens up?"

"Please...I've been waiting for this moment for so long."

She turned toward the cart, and the look in her eyes was...dangerous.

Luca blinked, hesitating. "Uh...Nyx, are you sure you're up for this?" He asked carefully. "I mean, enthusiasm is great and all, but—"

"Please." She said, her grin widening. "I insist."

Luca hesitated. He could see the stubborn look in her eyes, the one that said you can't win this argument even if you try.

So, with a reluctant sigh, he handed her the knife.

"Fine." He muttered. "But if you faint, I'm not catching you."

"I won't faint." Nyx said confidently, twirling the knife in her hand with surprising familiarity. "I've waited years for this."

Luna immediately turned away, squeezing her eyes shut and covering her ears.

"Please tell me when it's over." She murmured weakly.

Nyx ignored her and went about preparing like she'd done this a hundred times. She filled a bucket with water, placed it beside a flat stone, then bent down and grabbed one of the chickens by its legs, lifting it upside down.

The poor thing flapped weakly in protest as she placed it down on the stone and put the knife near it's neck.

Luca tensed instinctively, ready to intervene if she hesitated or panicked.

He expected her to flinch, maybe drop the knife at the first drop of blood.

But she didn't.

Instead, Nyx's grin widened.

"Goodbye, you little roof-crapping menace."

She said sweetly and in one practiced motion, she swung the blade cleanly across the chicken's neck.

Schkk!

The head rolled aside, and the chicken immediately started flapping wildly.

Luna let out a strangled squeak, covering her ears and turning away.

Nyx, however, didn't so much as blink.

She held the chicken down firmly, waiting until it stopped moving, then dropped it neatly into the bucket of water.

"Alright, let's get to work."

She said cheerfully as Luca watched in stunned silence as she went about the process like a seasoned butcher.

She pulled the chicken from the water, began plucking feathers in fast, precise motions, one after another falling to the ground like snow.

Within a minute, the bird was bare-skinned.

Then, with frightening efficiency, she sliced off the legs, slit open the belly, and peeled the skin with clean, even strokes.

And in less than two minutes, the chicken was completely skinned, cleaned, and ready.

"I...what...how…?" Luca just stood there, mouth open.

But Nyx didn't notice and smiled brightly, holding up the now-smooth chicken like a trophy.

"And that's for all the mornings you pooped on my roof, you feathery little demon."

Then, turning toward another chicken in the cart, she smirked darkly.

"Now...where's your friend?"

She reached in and grabbed another chicken that started flapping around like it could sense it's death—before bringing it close to the already-skinned one.

"I saw you two together." She said with mock sympathy. "Always side by side. Always roosting together."

"What were you? Lovers? Husband and wife? Oh, how tragic." Her smirk deepened. "Look at what's become of your dear partner."

The live chicken squawked frantically, flapping its wings.

"Wokak! Wokak wokak!"

"Oh? What's that? You're upset?"

Nyx asked, tilting her head, feigning innocence.

"Well, don't worry. You'll be joining it soon enough when I throw both of you into the stew pot."

The terrified bird let out a string of frantic—Wokak! Wokak! Wokak!—noises that echoed through the clearing, and Luna, who had dared to peek, screamed softly and covered her ears again.

Luca, meanwhile, stared at Nyx in shock and mild fear.

"Okay, I take it back." He muttered. "I definitely underestimated just how much you hate these birds."

"You underestimate how many mornings I've woken up with chicken poop dripping onto my face." She said while wiping her blade.

"…Fair."

He said as he stared at Nyx, still trying to process what he had just witnessed.

The way she handled the blade—the sharp accuracy, the steady grip, the utter calm as she worked—didn't look like the clumsy fumbling of a first-timer.

It looked like she'd been running a secret poultry operation for years.

He swallowed hard and finally asked,

"Nyx...have you done this before?"

Nyx looked up from the half-skinned chicken, rolling her eyes dramatically.

"I wish." She said, letting out a small huff. "You have no idea how many times I wanted to do this before."

"Every morning, those feathered menaces would wake me up at dawn with their screeching. I've spent years fantasizing about slipping their necks open..."

"...but of course, the village rules forbade it."

She smiled, a little too brightly.

"So yes, Hero, this is actually the first time. And I think I've found my new favorite hobby."

Luca stood there, momentarily frozen, his mind spinning.

For a moment, he'd honestly thought she'd been sneaking out at night to practice butchering in secret—hunting chickens behind everyone's back for revenge.

But hearing that this was her first time and seeing how unnaturally good she was at it...that was almost more terrifying.

Before he could say anything more, Nyx turned to him, her grin turning oddly innocent.

"Hero." She raised her hand like a kid in class. "Can I slice the rest of them too? Please? The knife is calling to me. It's telling me to draw more blood. I can feel it!"

Her tone was so innocent yet so wrong that Luca didn't know whether to laugh or run.

Slowly, he nodded. "Uh...sure. Go ahead."

Nyx's grin widened.

"But..." He quickly added. "Next time, make sure to pull the guts out, too. And drain the blood properly."

"You'll want to hang them upside down for a while. It keeps the meat clean."

"Yes, sir!" She said like a soldier receiving orders and immediately grabbed another chicken.

The poor thing barely had time to squawk before she gleefully went back to work, humming while feathers filled the air.

Luca stared at her wonder before he slowly began stepping backward until he was beside Luna, who was still trembling like she was going through a earthquake.

Seeing this, he gently placed a hand on her shoulder and the moment he did, she relaxed slightly, her shaking easing as she leaned closer to him for comfort.

"Hey." He whispered quietly, watching Nyx maniacally humming to herself as she worked.

"How exactly is your aunt so good with knives?"

"Is she some kind of hidden warrior or assassin or something?"

Luna gave a tiny, nervous laugh.

"Not really." She murmured. "Auntie Nyx is...the second-best archer in the village. After Mother. Everyone knows that. She can put an arrow through a falling leaf from fifty paces."

"But knives?..."

She shook her head.

"She's never trained formally with them. Not that anyone knows."

Luca frowned.

"Then how is she doing that?"

He gestured helplessly toward Nyx, who was now humming happily while yanking feathers out in perfect handfuls.

"She's carving them up like she's been a butcher in a past life."

Luna hesitated.

She glanced around—making sure Nyx was out of earshot, then leaned closer to Luca and lowered her voice to a whisper.

"Actually...Auntie Nyx does have a certain...hobby."

Luca's brows shot up.

"What hobby?"

Luna grabbed his wrist and tugged him several steps farther away, until they were behind a thick oak, completely out of Nyx's line of sight.

She looked left. Right. Then leaned in so close her breath tickled his ear.

"Don't ever tell Auntie Nyx I told you this. Promise?"

"I promise." Luca nodded solemnly.

Luna swallowed.

"Auntie Nyx…" She whispered. "…is actually quite sadistic."

Luca froze. "…Say what now?"

Luna waved her hands quickly, realizing how that sounded.

"No, no—not in a perverted or crazy way!" She said hastily. "I mean...she doesn't enjoy seeing random people suffer or anything like that!"

"It's just that...when it comes to her enemies, she gets this...scary side."

"Scary side?" Luca repeated, now both intrigued and slightly alarmed.

"Yes." Luna said gravely. "Unlike most people who'd just wish their enemies would die quickly or disappear forever...Auntie Nyx likes the idea of them suffering. Like—really suffering."

Luca's brows furrowed. "Define really."

"Well…" Luna looked down, fidgeting with her fingers. "Sometimes when she drinks too much, she starts talking about what she'd do to humans if they ever invaded the village."

"She says things like...cutting them up slowly, one piece at a time, and keeping them alive long enough to regret ever being born."

"What—"

"She once described...." Luna continued, her face paling as she recalled it. "...how she'd hang a man upside down and carve little lines into his skin just to see how long it takes before he screams."

"Or using salt. Using fire. Using hooks. She gets this dreamy look in her eyes, like she's painting a masterpiece and every time I hear those fantasies I couldn't sleep for days."

Luca blinked several times. "You're...serious?"

"Completely." Then she added, almost whispering. "And it gets worse."

Luna looked around nervously, then leaned in so close her whisper was barely audible.

"She...She has a private shed behind her house."

"And…" Luna gulped. "Inside that shed...are torture tools."

Luca's eyes widened. "Excuse me?"

Luna nodded earnestly.

"When I was younger, I was playing near her house. I saw the shed door was open—it's usually locked. So I went inside. And I swear, Luca...there were all kinds of things hanging from the walls."

"Hooks, chains, blades, metal rods, clamps...I didn't understand what they were back then, but now I realize—they were instruments of torture."

Luca just stared at her in stunned disbelief.

"You're telling me your playful-looking Aunt Nyx has a torture chamber in her backyard?"

"Yes." Luna nodded solemnly. "I almost fainted when I saw it. I ran out immediately and never told her I'd been there. But I know what I saw."

Luca stared at her in absolute disbelief, his mind reeling. Finally, he muttered,

"So, basically, your Aunt is a woman who loves torturing her enemies, wants them to die painfully, and has an entire private area dedicated to making sure that happens."

Luna nodded again, sighing heavily. "Pretty much."

"...And you people just let her live next door?"

"She's family." Luna said innocently. "And besides...she's very sweet most of the time! Unless you're a chicken. Or a human or elf she doesn't like."

Luca's mouth twitched. "That's...reassuring."

Luna nodded earnestly, then added in a serious tone,

"Honestly, it's a good thing no humans have ever invaded the village. If Auntie Nyx caught even one of them alive, they'd die the slowest, most horrible death imaginable. Not even the gods could save them."

Then she looked at him, her expression softening with faint pity.

"Even you, Luca. If you ever did something to make her angry and you weren't strong enough to fight back—I don't think I'd be able to help you."

There was a long silence between them, broken only by the distant sound of Nyx laughing gleefully as another chicken met its feathery doom.

Finally, Luca exhaled and muttered under his breath,

"I think." He said weakly. "I'm going to be very, very nice to your aunt from now on."

Luna nodded vigorously.

"That's...probably wise unless you want to be gutted like those chickens."

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