Chapter 36: Lirian Attacked Daria
Lirian’s breath hitched as she looked down at the small version of herself.
The child’s wide eyes moved nervously to the sides, her little hands clutched at Lirian’s own with a strength that belied her fragile appearance.
"Who are you talking about?" Lirian demanded answers.
She was back in this strange dream, with this strange girl once again...
"Who is your husband? What do you mean, save him?"
The child’s lips quivered, and she shook her head, her dark hair fell into her tear-streaked face.
"Please, Lirian. You have to save him before it’s too late. If you don’t, everything will fall apart."
"I don’t understand!" Lirian exclaimed.
She tried to reach for the girl, to steady her, but her hands passed through as though she were grasping mist.
"What are you talking about? What’s falling apart?"
The child stepped back, her small body began trembling like a fragile candle flame in the cold wind.
Her voice dropped so low, almost as if she was talking to herself.
"If you don’t save him, you’ll lose yourself. You’ll become... her."
The word hung like a noose tightening around Lirian’s throat.
She took a step forward, her boots crunched on the shifting, frozen ground of the dreamscape.
"Her? What do you mean?"
But the girl didn’t answer.
Instead, she looked past Lirian, her eyes widened even more. Lirian turned, following the child, and her breath caught in her chest.
A huge shadow stretched far away, its edges wiggling and changing shape like a cloud of smoke.
It looked monstrous, with its eyes glowing with an unnatural light that sent shivers crawling down Lirian’s spine.
It radiated an overwhelming sense of evil and despair, and Lirian felt herself shrinking in its presence.
"Run!" the child screamed, and her voice started breaking. "It’s coming! Run, Lirian!"
Lirian stumbled back, her instincts screamed at her to flee, but her feet felt rooted to the ground.
The shadow surged forward, its massive body was consuming the dreamscape, and then—
She woke with a jolt, her body drenched in sweat despite the freezing air of the chamber.
Her heart pounded against her ribs hard and painfully enough to make her gasp for breath, the image of the shadow still burned into her mind.
A voice broke through her haze of fear.
"Well, look who’s finally awake," Daria’s mocking tone came through the room like a blade.
Lirian’s head snapped up, and she saw the other woman standing in the doorway, arms crossed and a smile seemed to shine on her lips.
"What do you want?" Lirian spat, her voice hoarse.
She straightened as best she could, the chain around her wrist clicked as she moved.
Daria sauntered into the room. Her intentions were unclear to Lirian, but Lirian understood one thing-Daria was here to cause trouble.
"Oh, I just came to see how our little rebel queen was doing. You look awful, by the way. Even worse than usual."
Lirian’s jaw tightened, her fingers started forming into fists. "Leave me alone, Daria. I’m not in the mood for your games."
"Games?" Daria chuckled, leaning against the wall.
"Oh, sweetheart, this isn’t a game. This is reality. And in reality, you’re nothing. Just a pathetic little girl who thought she could play queen."
Lirian’s chest burned with anger, and before she could stop herself, she snapped, "Shut up."
Daria raised an eyebrow, clearly enjoying Lirian’s mess.
"Or what? What are you going to do? Cry? Beg?"
Something inside Lirian snapped.
A surge of energy coursed through her veins, cold and sharp as ice.
The temperature in the room dropped, and frost began to creep along the edges of her chains.
Daria’s smile disappeared as she noticed the sudden change.
"What the—"
With a burst of strength, Lirian yanked at the chains, and the frost-covered links shattered like brittle glass.
She stumbled to her feet, her legs felt shaky but pushed by adrenaline.
Daria took a step back, her eyebrows raised and mouth stopped moving as her heart kept alarming her whole body.
"Daria...You’ve mocked me for the last time."
Before Daria could do anything, Lirian ran forward, her hand connected with a slap that went through the room.
Daria staggered back, a stunned gasp escaping her lips.
But she recovered quickly.
There was something weird about Lirian...what just happened to her?
"You bitch!" Daria snarled, lunging back at Lirian.
She struck out, her fist went to Lirian’s jaw.
Pain blossomed, but Lirian barely felt it.
The cold rage within her dulled everything else.
Lirian grabbed Daria by the hair, yanking her head back with a harsh force.
"You think you can humiliate me?" she hissed, her voice trembled with the rest of hed body. "You think you can break me?"
With a growl, she drove Daria backward, slamming her against the stone wall.
The impact sent a crack through the air, and Daria let out a pained cry. "My-my face..."
Lirian didn’t let go, her grip like iron as she glared into Daria’s wide eyes.
"Enough!" a deep voice bellowed, broke through the fight.
Lirian turned her head just as Gabriel strode into the room.
His eyes took in the scene—Lirian standing over a disheveled Daria, frost still clinging to her chains.
"What is going on here?" Gabriel demanded in a tone like thunder.
Daria, still pressed against the wall, whimpered.
"She attacked me! She’s out of control!"
Gabriel shifted to Lirian, his jaw clenched. "Step away from her. Now."
Lirian hesitated, her chest heaving heavily from exhaustion.
And the cold fire in her veins began to wane, leaving her feeling drained and vulnerable.
She released Daria, who slumped to the ground, clutching her head.
Gabriel grabbed Lirian by the arm and shoved her back.
"What the hell do you think you’re doing?" he snapped at her.
Lirian glared up at him, "Defending myself."
"By assaulting my friend? You’ve crossed a line, Lirian."
"She deserved it," Lirian spat. "And you know it."
Gabriel’s hand tightened on her arm, and for a moment, she thought he might strike her.
But then he released her abruptly, stepping back as if disgusted by her very presence.
"You’re a fool...And you’re going to regret this."
"We’ll see," she replied.
"Pack your things, you’re leaving this place."