"We had a deal!"
The wind howled, and the blizzard lashed her face. Dorothy stared at the figure before her, pleading desperately.
"You said you would shelter me and protect me! And I kept my promise and gave you something in return!"
"But we also said you must never attract attention."
The figure spoke in a low voice.
"You've put all of us in danger of being exposed! You broke our agreement! And personally, I find what you've done despicable."
Dorothy's expression darkened at those words.
"You bitch! You think you can throw me away now that you've used me? It won't be that easy!"
As she spoke, Dorothy raised both hands. A dark aura surged out from behind her, and then, in a flash, she turned and ran!
The very next instant, the figure appeared behind Dorothy, a gleaming silver longsword now in his hand. Cold light flashed, and the blade pierced straight through Dorothy's heart. She shuddered violently, then fell to the ground, never to breathe again.
"Utterly foolish."
The figure put away his sword, shook his head with a sigh, and turned toward the depths of the forest.
The snow fell harder and harder. Even among the trees, it had piled up over a meter deep. Yet the figure remained completely unaffected. He stepped lightly across the snow without leaving a single footprint, drifting and weaving through the forest like a ghost until he reached a mountain pass deep in the mountains.
A moment later, another figure appeared.
"Is it done?"
"It's done."
The cloaked man gave his newly arrived companion a slight nod.
"I told you from the start that we shouldn't shelter her. Witches have never been any good-"
"But we needed her to tell us about the world's current situation."
The other figure spoke