Rowena's eyes quickly darted towards the heart of the Kraken, though her eyes trembled at the sight of the man in a cocoon.
His body was pale and weak, wrapped tightly in the tendrils that threatened to snuff out his life.
Her heart clenched at the sight of Asher, a fierce surge of emotion welling up within her. Though she was used to keeping her emotions in check, in that moment, they overwhelmed her.
"Asher!" she cried out, her voice laced with a mix of horror and determination.
Without a moment's hesitation, she dove down from her position above the torn-open flesh, her wings cutting through the air as she descended with terrifying speed. The world around her seemed to blur and fade away, her focus solely on reaching him before it was too late
Her face was a mask of cold fury, a fierce determination to save the man she couldn't bear to lose, radiating from her very being.
As she neared Asher, she didn't even spare a glance at the woman who was on the floor.
Her sole focus was only on him.
Rowena materialized her whip in her hand, and with a swift, fluid motion, she lashed out at the tendrils that ensnared Asher.
Her strike was precise and calculated, meant to sever the bindings without harming him.
With just a single strike, the tendrils began to loosen their grip as they burned away into ashes.
Rowena's gaze never wavered from her love, her heart aching as she let his body fall into her soft embrace, "Asher, I am here now," she whispered urgently, her usually icy voice trembling with emotion upon seeing how his life was hanging by a strand, "You're not leaving me. Not like this," Saying so, Rowena's hand began to glow with a crimson light as she gently placed it on Asher's chest.
Isola sat frozen in place, her eyes wide with shock and disbelief as she took in the scene unfolding before her.
The Bloodburn Queen, the queen of her mortal enemies, was showing a level of concern and worry she had never witnessed before nor expected it.
And all of it was directed at the mysterious sailor who freed her.
Her heart pounded in her chest, her emotions a swirling vortex of confusion, disbelief and conflict.
What connection could this man possibly have with the Queen of the Bloodburn Kingdom? Why would the leader of their sworn enemies risk everything to come to his aid?
But suddenly, a sinking feeling took hold in the pit of her stomach. This feeling caused a bitter taste to begin to spread through her like venom.
It was at that moment that she realized the only truth that could make sense – the man she had been desperately trying to save, the man she had naively trusted, was none other than an enemy from the Bloodburn Kingdom!
How could he not be after seeming to be so close to the Bloodburn Queen herself?
The realization hit her like a tidal wave, drowning her in a whirlpool of emotions – anger, disappointment, and a crushing sense of betrayal.
She had been deceived, expertly manipulated by someone she had thought was a victim like herself.
In her quest to think of a better future for her and her people, she had unknowingly played into his hands, letting him weaken the Kraken and shifting the balance of power in the ongoing war between their two kingdoms.
Isola felt her heart constrict with pain, the sting of the deception of this man she just met cutting deeper than she expected.
Her thoughts raced, trying to make sense of the situation, to piece together the fragments of the deception she had unwittingly participated in.
As the weight of the truth settled heavily upon her shoulders, Isola couldn't help but feel a sense of utter foolishness and anguish. She had been so blinded by her desire to help her people, that she had failed to see through his deception.
He used her vulnerable state to learn that freeing her would weaken the Kraken and then he tried to convince her to change her mind just to make sure she doesn't do anything to stop him.
She couldn't believe he planned and executed all this flawlessly upon just meeting her. This only made her realize how dangerous he was.
Her heart ached with the despairing realization that, in the end, her actions had sealed the fate of her people.
And now, as she sat there, watching her enemy trying to revive the man who betrayed her trust, Isola couldn't help but feel paralyzed by the harrowing weight of her guilt and failure.
All the guilt and despair fueled her anger, but no matter how much she wanted, she wouldn't be able to attack either of them in her weakened state. She couldn't even gather enough strength to stand up.
As Asher lingered on the brink of consciousness, a familiar voice echoed softly in his mind, gently pulling him back before he could fall over to the abyss.
It was a cold yet gentle voice that seemed to ebb away the pain he was feeling all over his body. Why would Rowena be here, in the middle of this? Why was he dreaming about her?
Slowly, as if wading through a thick fog, Asher began to regain his senses.
The voice grew clearer, more insistent, and he realized that it was not just a figment of his imagination. With great effort, he forced his heavy eyelids to flutter open, revealing a pair of concerned crimson eyes staring intently down at him.
The warmth of a dainty hand on his face brought a spark of life back to his eyes, and as his vision cleared, he saw Rowena's face hovering above him.
But her usually gorgeous face was now pale as a corpse with demonic crimson lines spread all over, making anyone have their hearts tremble at such a sight, though it was not the sight that held his eyes hostage.
It was her expression, which was a mix of relief and determination, her eyes shining with an intensity that pierced through his weakened state.
"Row...ena?" Asher mumbled, his voice weak and barely audible, as surprise and confusion filled his weary mind. He felt like he was waking up from a nasty hangover, his thoughts hazy.
However, the reality of the situation began to sink in, and the realization that Rowena somehow came tore through the battlefield and entered the Kraken's belly to come and save him.
Rowena's voice was a mixture of relief and pain as she spoke, her words a whispered confession, "Ash…I thought I had lost you," Her tone was steady, yet laced with a rare vulnerability nobody else had ever witnessed.
For a brief moment, as he looked into her glistening crimson eyes, he felt something unexpected. It was a fleeting, nearly imperceptible emotion that caught him off guard and seemed to make a long dormant ember inside his heart flicker.
But just as this deeply buried ember threatened to grow, Asher instinctively tightened his grip on his emotions and reeled in his thoughts.
He felt his strength slowly returning to his body as he smiled and cupped her face with one of his hands, "I told you, Rona…I won't die while leaving you behind," Asher said with a weak, soft smile as he slowly sat up.
His smile, though weak, seemed to radiate a strength that reached deep into her heart.
Asher cupped her head as he let his forehead lean against hers, "I love you more than my life, Rowena. So don't you ever worry," Asher whispered, his eyes gazing into hers, just an inch or two away.
As Asher's warm words seeped into her mind, Rowena's eyes shimmered with a complex mix of emotions.
His words seemed to weave a spell around her, dispelling the lingering shadows of fear that had gripped her heart. Her gaze held his, an unspoken understanding passing between them as she allowed herself to be drawn into the warmth and security of their connection.
"I...I love you too, Asher," Rowena replied softly, her voice barely more than a breath as she surrendered to the moment. Her words were short yet the warmth of her aura knew no bounds.
As Isola looked on at the intimate exchange between the two, a cold bitterness surged within her heart.
Their whispered words of love to each other were like daggers, stabbing her again and again.
The truth she had suspected now confirmed before her eyes: Asher was indeed the Bloodburn Queen's consort.
She never knew the identity of her husband since as the Midnight Maiden she had no need to learn about the important members of the Bloodburn Kingdom.
She purposefully prevented herself from learning about the surface world after a certain age to not get distracted from her purpose.
All she knew was that the Bloodburn Kingdom was presently ruled by a queen who was around her age.
Isola's hands clenched into tight fists, her nails digging into her palms, as her anger and resentment boiled within her.
To witness such tender affection between her sworn enemies, it felt like an unbearable mockery of her own misfortune.
A feeling of helplessness and humiliation threatened to suffocate her as she struggled to make sense of the situation, desperately wishing for a way to change the cruel reality she was forced to face.
Rowena knew that Asher's blood was almost drained of life energy, and after reinvigorating his blood and making sure his condition was stable, she slowly turned her gaze towards the woman behind.
The subtle differences in this woman's appearance marked her quite unique among the Umbralfiends.
Rowena rose to her feet with a chilling grace, her nails extending into razor-sharp talons that glinted in the crimson light that filtered into the chamber.
Isola felt her chilling gaze and gritted her teeth as she tried to muster any strength she had.
Despite knowing she lost everything, she wasn't willing to die without a fight, no matter how futile that may be.
"You," Rowena hissed, her voice as cold as the depths of a frozen abyss. "You are the one responsible for this." Rowena's murderous intent seemed to pervade the very air within the fleshy confines, her face a mask of terrifying iciness.
But just as she was about to unleash her wrath upon the woman, Asher reached out and grabbed her arm, halting her in her tracks. "Rona, wait," he urged, his voice firm yet gentle, "She's not the one who did this to me. Everything was the Kraken's doing."
Isola's eyes blinked, wondering why this double-faced man would intervene after everything that happened.
Rowena's eyes flicked between Asher and the woman, her anger momentarily quelled by his intervention.
Asher continued with a glint in his eyes, "Keeping her alive is going to be quite useful for us since she is Isola, the Princess of the Umbralfiends."
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