The shadowed figure crept closer, knife in hand, preparing to stab Eve. But with her heightened senses, honed through years of martial arts training, she woke up immediately. Just as the attacker was about to strike her chest, Eve grabbed their arm, flipping them onto the coffee table and twisting their arm behind their back.
Eve gasped when she saw who it was.
"James, what are you doing?!" she exclaimed, disbelief written on her face.
"You must die, Eve," James said coldly before headbutting her, momentarily disorienting her. He quickly moved to stab her again.
———-
"A-Asher, let go of me!" Mason choked out, struggling to breathe.
Asher sneered. "No can do, Mason. Someone as useless as you needs to die."
Mason desperately clawed at Asher's hands, trying to free himself. His eyes darted to the nearby pond, and an idea struck him.
Summoning his last reserves of strength, Mason forced himself and Asher to tumble into the water.
Asher yelped in surprise as both boys splashed into the pond.
————
Healer Marick's instincts flared, and he dodged the axe just in time. When he saw who was holding it, his heart sank.
"Ivana, what are you doing?! Are you trying to kill me?!" Marick shouted in disbelief.
"Exactly," Ivana said darkly, swinging the axe again and again.
Marick kept dodging, his mind racing. This couldn't be his wife. Not really. He ran, narrowly avoiding the deadly swings.
———-
Kyle, Julia, and Storm searched frantically for a place to hide, but the cavern offered no shelter. Suddenly, they found themselves in a chamber unlike any they had seen before.
As they paused, gasping for breath, they noticed something unusual—a pool of water in the center of the room, glowing with a strange teal light.
Kyle pointed at it. "What is that?"
"I don't know," Julia replied, "but it looks like water."
"Shall we take a closer look?"
"I don't know, Kyle. Water isn't supposed to glow like that."
"Come on, Julia. It's just water, and I'm thirsty. Maybe a sip will help us keep going."
Julia hesitated. "I don't think we should drink from it. But... maybe we can look."
Kyle sighed. "Alright. I'm just so thirsty."
As they approached the glowing pool, Storm stayed behind, his fur bristling as he kept watch for danger.
Julia and Kyle stood at the edge of the pool, peering into the depths.
"I don't see anything," Kyle muttered.
"Do you think it's safe?" Julia asked.
When she turned to Kyle, she noticed something strange. His eyes were fixed on the water, entranced.
"Kyle?"
"I want to go in," he murmured.
"What?" Julia grabbed his arm as he prepared to jump.
Suddenly, Storm barked, a warning growl rumbling in his chest. Static filled the air, and from the entrance, the black hands reappeared, reaching toward them.
"Oh no!" Julia and Kyle cried in unison.
————
Meanwhile, Eve was locked in a brutal struggle with "James." It didn't take long for her to realize that this wasn't her brother.
"What the hell are you?!" she shouted, throwing a chair at the figure.
The entity dodged the chair and continued its attack, knife in hand, eyes fixed on Eve.
"What I am is none of your concern once you're dead," it sneered.
Eve narrowed her eyes, circling the imposter, keeping her distance. Her mind raced, trying to piece together what was happening.
In a sudden burst of energy, she lunged forward, striking with precision. The entity parried her attacks with unnatural ease, but Eve pressed on. She managed to knock the knife from its hand, but it retaliated with a vicious kick, sending her sprawling.
Undeterred, Eve rolled to her feet, determination blazing in her eyes.
"Bring it on," she taunted.
The entity charged, its movements increasingly erratic. But Eve, drawing on her years of martial arts training, anticipated its every move. With a swift spin, she disoriented the creature and, in one fluid motion, retrieved the knife from the floor.
Eve hesitated for only a moment before plunging the blade into the entity's chest. The room echoed with a chilling howl as the imposter convulsed, then dissolved into a mist.
Breathing heavily, Eve stared at the dissipating cloud. She realized where she was now—a false reality created by the demon, Omni, to manipulate her mind. She had been trapped in an illusion designed to make her forget her true mission: escaping the underground cavern with her students.
Suddenly, the world around her began to shake violently.
"What now?!" she shouted.
The false reality shattered like glass, leaving Eve suspended in darkness.
————
Mason, too, realized that the boy fighting him wasn't Asher. It couldn't be. His gut told him otherwise. He remembered Eve's advice: trust your instincts.
Now, Mason fought for his life in the pond, struggling to stay afloat as "Asher" tried to drown him.
Mason thrashed wildly, finally managing to free himself from the imposter's grasp. Gasping for air, he seized a rock from the pond bed. As the fake Asher lunged at him again, Mason swung the rock with all his strength.
The imposter's body convulsed before disintegrating into mist, just like Eve's attacker.
Mason climbed out of the pond, shaking. He knew now—this wasn't real. He, too, wasn't supposed to be here.
Before he could gather his thoughts, the world around him dissolved into darkness.
————
Marick was now certain—the woman attacking him wasn't his wife. Ivana would never try to kill him, no matter how harsh her words might have been.
With renewed determination, Marick dodged another swing of the axe and disarmed the imposter, realizing it had been an illusion all along.
The false Ivana crumpled to the ground, and Marick watched as the illusion shattered around him.
————
Just as the black hands reached for Julia, Kyle, and Storm, they froze mid-air. The shadowy tendrils waved erratically, as if something had disturbed them.
Suddenly, the darkness made a strange coughing sound, followed by a loud retching noise. Then, three figures were spat out onto the chamber floor.
Eve, Mason, and Marick groaned in pain as they lay on the ground.
To everyone's surprise, the darkness and the hands vanished.
"Eve!" "Mason!" "Healer Marick!" Julia and Kyle cried, rushing to their friends' sides.
"Are you okay?" Kyle asked as he helped Eve to her feet.
"Thanks, Kyle," Eve replied, grateful.
Storm wagged his tail enthusiastically as he helped Mason stand by tugging on his shirt.
"Thank you, Storm," Mason said, patting the wolf.
"Where are we?" Eve asked, looking around.
"We found this chamber," Kyle explained, pointing to the glowing pool. "But there's water. Or something like it."
Eve's eyes narrowed as she spotted the teal liquid.
"A pool?" she muttered, curious.
Suddenly, Omni materialized before them, his eyes glowing with malice.
"STAY AWAY FROM THAT," the demon commanded, his voice low and deadly.
YOU ARE READING
Exiled Villainess Becomes Ruler (Republished/Edited)
Fantasía(AN: 8/12/2024 chapters to be redone and republished) This story will seem to lack romance but I promise I will get to it eventually (Arc 3). The story will be slow building at first, but it will get better. I am trying not to rush this story. This...
