Chapter 318: A Sun Descended
Just as the Nocthrax grabbed one of the petrified students in its deadly claw, a golden beam was hurled toward its head with unavoidable speed. The creature’s head burst open, scattering into smithereens.
The body stilled for a moment before the grip on the student loosened. With a heavy thud, both the Nocthrax and the student hit the ground. Professor Lupin moved just in time to catch the fallen student, swiftly retreating before anything else could happen.
He looked up to see the person responsible for shattering the creature’s head like a watermelon. It was none other than Evelyn, who was floating gracefully above the ground, a golden aura shining around her like a divine angel.
However, he barely had time to process the sight before a deafening screech erupted from the remaining two creatures, their focus now fixed solely on Evelyn.
The remaining two creatures launched themselves toward Evelyn, while a couple of Darkrots fired a deadly attack from their pulsing darkstones.
Onlookers watched with wide eyes as the princess was besieged from all sides.
Suddenly, she let out an angry cry, and a golden force field erupted from her body in a circular wave. The sheer force of the blast melted dozens of Darkrots in her immediate proximity.
But she was not done; she was far from finished.
The Nocthrax, though blown back by her powerful surge, quickly regained their footing and charged at incredible speed.
But Evelyn met one of them halfway with a flash step, appearing right before its open jaws. She raised her hand and blasted a powerful beam straight through its face, incinerating the beast.
The beam tore through its skull and continued onward, melting several more Darkrots standing behind it.
Seeing an opening while she was occupied, the final Nocthrax raised its claws to strike from behind. But before it could touch her, a sword cut through the creature’s arm with brutal force, drawing another agonising screech.
As Evelyn whirled around at the sound, she saw the creature’s infected claw plunge into Damien’s arm.
"Damien!!!" Cece’s voice tore from her throat at the sight of her brother.
A grunt escaped Damien’s lips as blood spilled onto the ground. Evelyn stood paralysed, shocked to see him pierced by the creature.
Before she could react, a man with long grey hair appeared at Damien’s side. Using his lumen magic, he blasted away the arm still connected to Damien’s flesh.
Rowan pulled Damien to safety just as the creature’s limb began to regenerate with terrifying speed.
At the sight of Damien’s blood on the earth, Evelyn saw red.
"No," she whispered. The rage swirling within her multiplied tenfold.
The ground trembled beneath everyone’s feet. Evelyn’s eyes turned completely golden, the light swallowing the whites of her eyes as her powers surged. Twelve magical rings appeared above her, one after the other, until the entire space was enveloped in a light so bright it felt as if the sun had descended to the earth.
People shielded their eyes against the blinding glare, hearing only the agonising screeches of the dark army before them.
Then, complete silence followed.
When the blinding light slowly ebbed back to its source, they saw the princess huffing as if she had run for miles. Her golden eyes silently scanned the surroundings, taking in the professors and students who watched her with a mixture of awe and terror.
Their gaze shifted to the devastation she had caused single-handedly. Every Darkrot, along with the portal and the Nocthrax, had been melted into the earth, leaving behind a sticky black muck that hissed with rising steam.
No one spoke until blood began to drip from Evelyn’s nose.
"Evelyn!!" Cece and Edward’s terrified voices shattered the silence. Edward rushed forward, catching her just before she hit the ground. Holding her steady, he lightly tapped her cheek as her eyes fluttered, nearly closing from the sheer exhaustion of her power.
"Evelyn! Can you hear me?!" he asked, his voice thick with worry.
She forced her eyes open and whispered, "Edward... take me... to Damien..."
She was still panting heavily, held awake only by her sheer will. Before Edward could do as she asked, her body went limp, and she lost consciousness.
Edward muttered a curse under his breath as he called out to her again, but her world went dark.
The voices in the background faded until there was nothing at all.
It was dark....so dark that she couldn’t tell where the shadows began or where they ended.
Evelyn looked around, a coil of dread tightening inside her as the place felt familiar. It was a familiarity that brought no comfort.
She began to walk, taking one slow, careful step at a time, but it felt as if she were trapped in that void once again.
Then she heard it.
"E...ve...lyn..." A whisper called to her from the depths of the darkness.
Evelyn turned toward the sound. "Who is there?" she demanded.
"Evelyn." The whisper shifted into a soft murmur, as if the speaker were savouring her name. The sound only caused her unease to grow.
"I am asking you again. Who are you?" When only silence met her question, she asked more hesitantly, "Are you the woman who made me forget about Ivan?"
"I...van..." the voice finally uttered, the name falling softly into the dark.
"Didn’t I tell you to forget about him?" the voice continued to whisper.
This time, Evelyn felt a flicker of recognition, as if she had heard that voice before, but she couldn’t quite place it.
She kept asking questions, desperate to keep the person talking. By now, she realised this couldn’t be a mere dream; the figure was actively reacting to her words.
"Why? Why did you do that? Why should I forget about him?" Evelyn demanded.
"Why..." A sinister, quiet chuckle echoed through the darkness, sending goosebumps skittering across her skin.
Suddenly, Evelyn felt a crushing weight in her chest.
’What is this?’ she wondered. She pressed her hand against her heart, only to feel a searing heat, as if a brand had been placed directly against her skin.
Her pulse hammered as the suffocating sensation intensified, feeling as though an invisible hand were slowly squeezing her heart. She gripped the fabric of her dress, gasping for air. "What... what are you doing to me?"
Her knees buckled, and she sank onto the dark ground. Panting heavily, she caught a flicker of movement. She still couldn’t see who or what it was, but the presence was drawing closer, step by step, until it stopped directly in front of her.
Slowly, the figure raised its hands around Evelyn’s head and began to chant in a language that sounded ancient and forgotten.
"S-stop!" Evelyn hissed, trying to recoil from the figure. To her horror, she found she couldn’t move an inch.
Purple light pulsed from the person’s hands, finally illuminating a red-hooded figure.
Evelyn’s eyes widened as she realised this was the same person who had been there when she was kidnapped, back when she was almost used as a sacrifice.
"You..." she managed to utter, but she could say no more.
Suddenly, her heart squeezed painfully, and the air was knocked from her lungs. Her insides felt as if they were being scorched, and her head throbbed with a pain so intense she feared it would burst.
"Come... come to me. If you want to save your friend... then come to me. Otherwise, you know, Evelyn... Damien will be gone. Tell no one, or the consequences for your friend will be far worse."
"How can I? Where?" she managed to gasp between ragged breaths.
"They will come for you... All you need to do is follow their lead..."
The whispers echoed in her mind again and again. Pain seared through her body, and she had no way of knowing what the figure was doing to her.
Her heart hammered against her ribs until, suddenly, her eyes snapped open.
The first thing her eyes met was an unfamiliar ceiling, flickering in the dim candlelight.
As her vision adjusted, she looked around to gather where she was. She felt a hand gripping hers tightly. Her first thought drifted to only one person, and she whispered in a hoarse voice, "Ivan..."
"Oh, Evelyn! You’re finally awake!"
Her eyes shifted, and she realised it was Cece holding her hand. Edward stood beside her, his hand resting on Cece’s shoulder in a gesture of quiet reassurance. They looked so worn out that it was clear they hadn’t rested at all; the rims of Cece’s eyes were raw and red.
"How are you feeling? Are you okay? Do you need anything?" Cece shot the questions out one after another.
Then, the memory of everything that had happened crashed back into her mind. Evelyn’s eyes widened. "D-Damien! Where is he?"
She tried to sit up, but a wave of dizziness slammed into her the moment she moved. Cece’s eyes filled with tears, while Edward stiffened at the question. Seeing their reaction, a heavy unease took hold of Evelyn.
"W-what happened? Where is he?" she whispered, dread coiling in her heart.
Cece closed her eyes and took a shaky breath, barely holding herself back from breaking down. "Evelyn... D-Damien is..."
