Chapter 391: It Can’t Be
Elian;
"Asa!!!" I scream in fear as the thing reaches her in less than a second.
One moment, it was standing at the edge of the garden, wrapped in darkness and death, and the next, it’s in front of her with a speed so unnatural my mind struggles to process it.
Black claws slash toward her throat, but Asa reacts swiftly.
Purple magic explodes from her body in a wave so violent it shakes the ground and causes cracks in the tree trunk behind me. The force of this explosion blasts the creature backwards through the air before it crashes into one of the garden walls with enough force to shatter it.
My mouth falls open. How the hell does something that looks so... frail, be so strong???
I watch as dust rises from the broken wall. One would think such a hit would have killed or incapacitated the thing, but Asa takes three daring steps forward.
She holds her hands up as the creature begins to pull itself out of the wall. The shadows beneath it suddenly glow purple, and chains erupt from the ground.
Not one... Not two, but dozens.
I watch, frozen in fear as they coil violently around the hooded entity’s arms, legs, waist, and neck before slamming it into the destroyed wall again.
The sound echoes across the entire garden, and I stare in absolute shock as I wonder why no one has come yet.
Can no one hear this commotion??
"What is that!??" Elien’s troubled voice demands in my mind, and I swallow as confusion and fear intertwine in my mind.
"I–I don’t know, Elien. But it looks like it came for us." I confess, and Elien falls silent, although for the first time since our bond began, I feel fear from him. Real fear.
My heart pounds painfully in my chest as my hands move up to my stomach.
What is going on?? What is this thing? And what does it want??
Asa’s rabbit ears stand upright atop her head as wind rushes violently through her dark hair.
Her eyes shift from their usual brown to an unfamiliar violet now. Bright violet. Those eyes which stared at me so warmly just minutes ago now look so cold and terrifying.
And for the first time since meeting Asa...I realise something horrifying.
Asa has never shown me how much damage she can truly do before now...
The creature suddenly jerks against the chains, and my gaze snaps to it.
It lets out a high-pitched, horrifying screech, and I’m forced to press my hands over my ears.
The entire garden trembles as the chains snap apart. Every single one of them.
My heart drops, and Asa staggers.
The entity rises slowly from the rubble, with darkness leaking from beneath its robes like smoke.
Those horrible golden eyes lock onto me again, and fear slams into me so hard that I physically stumble backwards inside the barrier.
Now, I’m more than sure. It wants me.
Not Asa. But me.
Why!??
"Asa..." My voice comes out weak and shaking, but she doesn’t look at me.
"Stay inside the barrier." She says sharply, and I steal a glance at her.
The way she said that terrifies me. Not because she sounds angry... But because she sounds afraid.
She just showed so much power... and she’s afraid??
Wait! Could this be what she was talking about the other day?? About the darkness coming for me!??
The entity moves again. Faster this time. Too fast.
I scream her name in horror as it appears directly in front of her, with black claws slashing through the air toward her chest.
Asa catches the strike with one hand, and purple light once again explodes from the impact.
The ground beneath her feet cracks like she just took on a truckload of weight by catching that hit like that.
The force alone should have crushed her arm. But Asa only grits her teeth before driving her knee hard into the entity’s stomach... Or where its stomach should be.
The thing flies backwards again, but she doesn’t give it time to recover.
Magic circles ignite beneath her feet as she raises both hands sharply into the air.
The entire garden lights up.
Hundreds of glowing purple blades materialise out of thin air above us, and I stop breathing.
Because... What the actual fuck!?
She is this powerful??
She swings her hand downward, and the blades rain from the sky, straight at the entity.
The thing dodges impossibly fast, with shadows twisting around its body like some kind of shield. But Asa doesn’t give up.
I watch with my breath stuck in my lungs because even while attacking... Asa keeps herself between me and that thing.
Always between us. Always protecting me.
The realisation makes my chest ache with dread. Then I remember her words—How many times she’s sworn to protect my child and I.
And I’d just stand here?? Like I did in Gravemaw as things got bad??
No. No, I can’t do that again... I can’t stand by and watch one more person I care about get hurt... Because of me.
I make to step out of the barrier to help her, and Asa snaps her head to me like she could sense it.
"Do not leave the barrier, Elian!" She scolds, and I freeze in place.
In that very moment, the entity suddenly vanishes, and I gasp.
Asa turns back and groans when she realises that she’s lost sight of it.
I start searching the darkness frantically with my eyes, and I see it.
"Asa, it’s behind you!!" I scream as it appears behind her.
Its claws slash toward her back, but Asa spins instantly and blocks the attack with a wave of purple light.
The impact detonates through the garden, and I instinctively shield my face, but the barrier keeps me safe from the explosion.
The creature attacks again, and again. And with each strike, I feel my heart swell with anxiety.
How much longer will Asa hold this thing off!??
I start bouncing anxiously as I look around. If I’m not allowed to leave this barrier, there’s only one thing I can think of doing.
"Koda!!!!!" I scream at the top of my lungs, but nothing happens.
"Zephan!!!!!" I scream louder, and this time, my stomach cramps in response.
My knees buckle instantly, and a grunt escapes me.
They can’t hear me. This creature has probably sealed us off.
I look down at my stomach and back up at Asa, who’s actively risking her life for us.
"Please, my love... Please call your father. Asa needs help..." I whisper, but my usually active baby doesn’t even so much as stir.
I know what she’s capable of. And now.... Now, she’s just going to stay quiet? Could she be scared?
"Please..." I whisper, and instantly images flash across my sight.
Memories of Gravemaw. Memories of the attack, the destruction those magicians caused... and of... The purple-haired woman who almost killed Queen Cassia.
I freeze, because I know my baby is the one who sent me those flashes, but why?
"Dear, what are you showing me? Asa–" I begin again, but I am cut off by more flashes.
This time, they are flashes of the same person. That purple-haired woman.
I look up at Asa again, and as purple magic explodes around her, a gasp escapes me.
It...it can’t be.
