He came up the stairs, his gait smooth and undisturbed. “Did the pixies do this to you? I’m not surprised; vile creatures. Your research was most helpful, Mr. Collier, most helpful indeed. You will be pleased to know that the... what did you call it? The Enryli? Well, you’ll be pleased to hear that the Enryli we gathered today will go straight to your classrooms. You have done a great service to your people.”
The professor looked confused, tilting his head. “Well, I wouldn’t call it murder. Do you consider slaughtering a pig for pork murder? The pixies were a means to an end. And besides, Mr. Collier, you led us right to them. I don’t quite understand what you thought would happen.”
His professor chuckled. “Very funny, Mr. Collier. Very clever, by the way, to use that pixie’s naivety against her. You’d think that such a sought after species would be suspicious at best, but you seemed to have found the exception. Now, come down here so I may heal you.”
“Me, personally?” he asked, seeming amused. “No. I prefer not to associate with pixies if at all possible. Honestly, it astounds me that such a treasure lies within such abominable creatures.”
The professor began to work on Sam’s wounds, his hands glowing with power. “Was the one in here your subject? She put up quite a fight. Almost got away from us, too. She was hiding in the closet with another pixie, a littler one with brown hair. She flew at us when we opened the door; took us all by surprise. Luckily, Jamison - do you know Jamison? He’s about one year your senior. Anyway, he managed to get the clamps around her. Good thing, too. She was one of or larger harvests.”
“Oh, we took her outside and disposed of her,” he said carelessly before chuckling slightly. “Let me tell you, your subject was not happy about that. Attacked Miller pretty badly. She was using so much of that magic that we thought she might not have any left in her. Luckily, we were wrong.”
He was quiet before standing up. A split second later, the ground beneath the professors feet burst into flames, engulfing his legs.
They followed, and Sam watched darkly. "Did you know burning to death is the most painful way to die?"
He groaned and attempted to extinguish the flames with water from his hands. “What is the meaning of this?!”
It didn't work, and they only roared and burned brighter. "You deserve to die. You and everyone else."
The professor fell to his knees, watching Sam with wide eyes. “I don’t understand. This was your mission...”
The Tree was burning down. As he left Eden’s home, he would smell the thick smoke from the branches above him. The sky was dark grey from ash, and as he looked across the Glen, he would see the once beautiful land completely destroyed.
