Scroll Of Wrath [BETA] COMPLETE

|Chapter 7.2| Moonlight Rendezvous [2]

Hadassah gritted her teeth, her frustration boiling over. She closed her eyes, focusing all her energy into the staff. She could feel the power surging through her, building up to an overwhelming force. When she opened her eyes, the water around her had stopped moving, the waterfall froze in mid-air. The Great Kesmes's grin faded slightly as he saw the intensity in her gaze.

Hadassah unleashed the full force of her power. The water surged forward in an unstoppable torrent, too fast and too powerful to dodge. The sheer force of it propelled her body back instantly, sending her flying backwards into the river below. Before she could even react, she had hit the water hard, the cold shock knocking the breath out of her.

She was beginning to consider extra swimming lessons because this was getting embarrassing.

She struggled to find which way was up, disoriented by the impact. Suddenly, she felt something smooth and strong wrap around her waist, pulling her upward. An iridescent tail flickered in the water, and as she broke the surface, she found herself staring into familiar blue eyes. Ahqi grinned at her, his hair flowing around him like a halo. "Found you~"

Hadassah gasped for air, her heart racing. "Ahqi! What are you doing here?" She touched her hair quickly and the ears were still intact. She finally let out a sigh of relief.

Ahqi's smile widened. "I thought you came to see me, here I was thinking how I would go up the waterfall."

'Did he seriously find her just from her stepping in the water?' She was genuinely impressed, he really meant it when he said she only needed to step in the water.

Before she could say anything, the massive amount of water she had collected in her attack came crashing down the waterfall, flooding the area with an overwhelming force. Ahqi's expression turned serious as he tightened his grip around her waist. "Hold on tight!" With a powerful flick of his tail, Ahqi propelled them down, swimming deep enough for them to only be mildly affected by the turbulence. Hadassah clung to him, holding her breath. As they felt the turbulence subside, she noticed how close they were and felt a bit self-conscious.

They finally emerged from the turbulent waters and Hadassah gasped for breath. Her accelerated heart rate meant her oxygen deleted so much faster. She glanced around anxiously, knowing that the Great Kesmes and Rahn would soon come down to look for her. "Ahqi, you need to leave quickly," she urged, her voice filled with urgency.

Ahqi's face fell, his blue eyes filled with disappointment. "But you promised to visit again and you haven't! I've been waiting."

She grabbed his hand, her eyes pleading. "I know, and I'm sorry. I'll come to you tonight, I promise. But you need to go now."

He hesitated for a moment, then sighed. "Alright, but you better keep your promise this time." With one last glance, he dove back into the water, his iridescent tail disappearing beneath the surface.

Just as Ahqi vanished, Hadassah heard footsteps approaching. She turned to see a very teary-eyed Rahn rushing towards her, followed closely by the Great Kesmes and a disgruntled Zarek.

"Hada!" Rahn cried, his voice filled with relief and worry. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly as if afraid she might disappear again.

"I'm okay, Rahn," she reassured him, patting his back. "I'm okay."

Zarek, however, was less sympathetic. "I was hoping you'd die from the fall," he muttered bitterly. "You always manage to survive, are you a cockroach?"

Hadassah shot him a glare, resisting the urge to hurl colourful insults. She had to keep in mind the Naga she was essentially babysitting. Ignoring Zarek seemed the best course of action; would he die if he kept quiet for once? She was too exhausted to engage in another argument with him.